Chamber Launches Online Photo Contest
By TODD TRANUM
President and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce & Executive Director of the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier
The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce is running a new online photo contest using cutting edge social media technology which was developed in Dunkirk. In partnership with TexTivia, which is housed in the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator, the Chamber has started the photo contest on its Facebook page, facebook.com/ChautauquaChamber.
Photographs must have been taken in Chautauqua County to be eligible. Once a photo is uploaded to the site, the photographer can encourage friends to like the Chamber page and vote for their picture. The winners will be chosen by a guest panel from the top ten vote getters. The contest will continue through Labor Day, and winners will be announced in October. All prizes will be awarded in Shoptauqua Gift Checks as follows: $350 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place.
Our goal is to drive more traffic to our Facebook page and in turn drive more traffic to our members. This is part of our effort to help our members increase their sales by leveraging social media. In addition, this is a great way for us to highlight some terrific, talented photographers here in Chautauqua County while also demonstrating the type of innovative technology industries we have here. Ray Christopher and the team at TexTivia are working at the forefront of social media technology, with his Facebook application packages that include contests, sweepstakes and coupons.
"TexTivia helps introduce your business to the hundreds of thousands of Facebook users in your local area. Every business owner has wondered how to get more likes on Facebook, or 'How can I get more followers on Twitter?' We provide the solution to these questions.
"In an effort to reach more businesses we have partnered with the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce to offer a special program to help businesses better utilize social media to increase their sales," Ray Christopher of TexTivia said.
TexTivia is available to all businesses in Chautauqua County, and is offered to Chamber members at a discounted price. We would encourage local companies to take advantage of the emerging technology businesses we have right here in our own community.
The contest and new Chamber program was unveiled during a news conference Wednesday at the Technology Incubator, Central Avenue in Dunkirk.
Additional contest rules are: if people are included in your photo you must secure their permission to be photographed; and the photographer must grant the Chamber the right to use their image for Chamber marketing purposes. Complete details are available on the Chamber's Facebook page.
Energize Your Team!
What can the 1992 Buffalo Bills season teach you about building energized, effective teams at work? Plenty, according to professional trainer Cindy Aronson. Through the Chamber's next Business Over Bagels session on June 21, Cindy will help you assess your teams' energy to discover the "game changing factors" that lead to success in the workplace.
Aronson is a speaker and trainer specializing in communication and organizational development. Her workshops feature a blend of solid content, group discussion, and hands-on application. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in communication from SUNY Fredonia and over 25 years of experience in workforce talent development training. She has partnered with many local businesses including Cummins, Cliffstar, Bush Industries, Brooks Hospital, TLC Health Network, and WCA Hospital.
This Business Over Bagels session will be held at the JCC North County Center on Bennett Road in Dunkirk from 9 to 11 a.m. Registration is $30 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members. To register, contact JCC at 363-6500 or 338-1005.
Summer Wind Networking Cruise Set for June 21
The next Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Networking Mixer will be a cruise aboard the Summer Wind on Chautauqua Lake. Scheduled for Thursday, June 21, registration will begin at 4:30 p.m., with the ship to leave the dock at 5 p.m. The cruise is sponsored by Affinity One Federal Credit Union, Blackstone NEY Ultrasonics, Cummins, Inc., Jamestown Jammers Baseball, KeyBank, The OBSERVER, The Post-Journal, and WDOE/96KIX. To register visit our website at www.chautauquachamber.org, or call one of our offices at 366-6200 or 484-1101.
