November 19, 2003

REPORT TO THE BOARD:

CHAMBER ACTIVITIES SINCE NOVEMBER 2002

1. IN-HOUSE DEVELOPMENT

Coordinated the sale of 500 tickets to the $25,000 Game.

Coordinated the sale of 300 tickets to the Irish Sweepstakes.

Organized the sixteenth Goods and Services Auction.

Maintained and promoted the Chamber web site, www.capeannchamber.com, with hits increasing to 350,000 in its second year.

Sponsored a retreat for the Board of Directors.

Coordinated the fourteenth Chamber Golf Tournament.

Held 11 regular Board meetings plus a special session in December to review the proposed budget for 2003.

Held the Chamber’s Annual Dinner-Dance at The Tavern on the Harbor.

Coordinated five bi-monthly meetings of the Human Resource Group for HR managers and HR professionals on Cape Ann. Guest speaker topics included: supervising in today’s legal environment, employment law updates, retirement plan responsibilities, and workforce development training.

Utilized interns from Endicott College, North Shore Community College, Gloucester High School, and the Wellspring Foundation program.

Maintained active memberships in Massachusetts Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and New England Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Maintained active membership in the Massachusetts Association of Membership Development and hosted one of its quarterly meetings.

Organized drink concession booths at the Waterfront Festival to boost non-dues income.

Used electronic means to distribute information to Chamber members, i.e., transmissions via facsimile and email instead of U.S. Post Office.

Utilized postcards for meeting notices instead of letters, saving $.14 per notice being mailed.

Coordinated a Membership Drive with assistance from Pat Hoey of Sales Development Associates and 80 volunteers. 140 new members were recruited, bringing the total Chamber membership to 1,200.

Coordinated four Evening Business Exchanges at Ocean Optical, Gloucester Cooperative Bank, Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, and Cape Ann Lanes.

Coordinated two Breakfast Clubs.

Produced a newsletter on a monthly basis. Advertising in the newsletter is up 50% over last year.

Inducted Scott Memhard as President at the Annual Dinner.

Sponsored nine seminars for the membership including: Activating Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and a Business Plan Seminar (coordinated with Salem State Small Business Development Center). Other workshops held included: Beginner Quickbooks, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Excel, Employee Files and Handbooks, Understanding Financial Statements, and Microsoft Word for Beginners.

Produced six Cape Ann Chamber Businesswomen's programs, including the popular Women of Cape Ann program, the Businesswomen’s Annual Fall Luncheon with Guest Speaker Coast Guard Admiral Vivien Crea, the Annual Holiday Wine-Down, and the annual sunset cruise aboard the Lannon. The third Spring Fling focused on marketing and public relations and drew a crowd of over 65 businesswomen. The Businesswomen held a free seminar on Starting a Success Team.

Produced a weekly membership email update allowing members to submit a short paragraph on their business to be shared with over 950 recipients using email.

Offered a regular counseling program for small businesses.

Sponsored four receptions/orientations for new members.

Organized Christmas parties in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, and Manchester.

Sponsored membership mixers in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, and Manchester.

Maintained and increased links to the Membership Directory on the Chamber’s website, offering an online presence to each Chamber member for free.

Offered a YMCA discount program.

Maintained an Ambassadors Program to reach out to members who are not as active as others. Ambassadors held monthly meetings and have made over 100 contacts.

3. RETAIL

Coordinated Sidewalk Bazaars in Gloucester and Manchester.

Assisted the City of Gloucester in administering the Downtown Facade Improvement Program.

Organized Christmas programs in Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, and Essex.

Generated $150,000 worth of local sales with the Gloucester Gift Certificate program since it’s inception.

Maintained the downtown banner program with the City of Gloucester.

Held regular meetings with Gloucester City officials to discuss downtown issues.

Planned the fourth annual Gloucester Holiday Homecoming and built a lobster trap tree in downtown Gloucester.

Organized the Christmas Club coupon program for all Cape Ann retailers.

Developed retail promotions in all four communities throughout the year.

Continued discussion with the Selectmen and the Police Chief in Manchester regarding parking concerns and enforcement in the downtown area.

Coordinated the City-Chamber Joint Parking Committee.

Provided input to the Manchester Planning Board on proposals for downtown improvements.

Attended meetings of the Downtown Development Commission.

Continued to meet with City of Gloucester representatives in order to implement Gloucester Plan 2001.

4. TOURISM

Coordinated a cooperative advertisement with New England Group Tour Planner.

Maintained the Cape Ann wide Innkeeper on Call Program with over 50 accommodations participating to assist visitors in finding a place to stay after the Chamber office and visitor centers are closed.

Distributed a listing of weekly events to inns and area attractions called This Week on Cape Ann.

Helped to coordinate the tenth annual Gloucester Seafood Festival, bringing thousands of visitors to Cape Ann for the mid-September event.

Redesigned, published, and distributed 250,000 Cape Ann Visitor Guides.

Maintained an 800-information line and e-mail address for visitor inquiries.

Coordinated a $24,000 advertising campaign to promote Cape Ann.

Maintained and promoted the Chamber’s tourist website, www.CapeAnnVacations.com, which received over seven million hits in the past year.

Received $4,000 in advertising grants from the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Coordinated regional cooperative advertising program in Yankee Magazine’s Travel Guide to New England.

Expanded office hours to seven days a week from May through October to accommodate visitors on a daily basis.

Coordinated the Gloucester Schooner Festival, the Gloucester Waterfront Festival, and the Essex ClamFest.

Attended meetings of the Gloucester Tourism Commission.

Supported the programs of the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

Displayed a Cape Ann tourist poster (with cooperative advertisers) at the Mansfield Information Booth, and funded posters at three other sites on the Mass Pike.

Utilized the services of Rebecca Yavner and Heather McDonald for tourism-based projects during the summer.

Maintained a list of tourist inquiries for a direct mail program.

Hosted a Tourist Division mixer to kick off the season.

Supported the Essex National Heritage Area commission, with Executive Director Michael Costello serving as a Trustee.

Helped to coordinate several meetings in Gloucester and Essex regarding the scenic by-ways program on Route 133.

5. INDUSTRIAL

Met with key Gloucester officials on issues of importance to industry.

Helped to organize a Gloucester presence at the Boston Seafood Show.

Coordinated the publication of the Gloucester Seafood Directory.

Organized the eighteenth annual New Fish Festival, promoting greater awareness of the diversity of fish species.

Testified against Gloucester’s proposed water and sewer rate increases, citing the negative impact on business.

6. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Met with Mayor Bell on a regular basis to review key City issues.

Organized the campaign against tax classification for the 22nd consecutive year.

Worked with government officials and police departments on parking issues in Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, and Essex.

Coordinated the Cape Ann Caucus, bringing the area's public officials and business leaders together to discuss the housing crisis, MBTA station improvements in Gloucester and Rockport, regional planning initiatives, water and sewer issues, the Community Preservation Act, the North Shore Transportation Study, and the future of Addison Gilbert Hospital.

Continued work with business and civic leaders from Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Manchester, and Ipswich on Economic Target Area issues.

Sponsored numerous discussions with Essex officials regarding the upcoming sewer construction and Route 133 improvement projects.

Worked with Gloucester’s Downtown Development commission to promote the Gloucester Downtown Facade Improvement program.

Worked with Manchester officials on Planning Board proposals for downtown improvements.

7. COMMUNITY/PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Recognized the achievements of four business people during Small Business Week.

Organized an Easter Egg Hunt for the children of Rockport.

Supported the Gloucester Pride Stride.

Maintained a community calendar of events to prevent scheduling conflicts and provided holiday information to the media detailing what's open and closed.

Organized a wide variety of ongoing community activities, such as the Essex ClamFest, the Schooner Festival, the Sidewalk Bazaars, and the Waterfront Festival.

Supported the Gloucester Fireworks Fund.

Businesswomen provided a small donation to HAWC (Help for Abused Women and their Children).

8. EDUCATION

Continued the work of the Business/Education Collaborative.

Increased support for the Collaborative and participation from the three Cape Ann public school systems, the community college, and the vocational school.

Continued to work with the Business Department at GHS regarding their participation in the DECA Marketing Program.

Sponsored the annual Focus on Education Breakfast, featuring remarks by teachers from Cape Ann schools.

Awarded three Chamber scholarships of $1,000 each to area graduating seniors.

Awarded the Sylvester "Red" Deering Scholarship of $1,000 to a graduating Senior from Gloucester High School, pursuing a major in business.

Assisted with the "Taste of Essex" reception in support of the Woodman Scholarship Fund.

Continued to coordinate the Science Speaker Series for local high school students and held three lectures at Gloucester and Rockport High Schools.