Events Events Events!

This past Thursday marked the West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Golf Classic, Small Business Expo, and the September Business After Hours. This event filled day also marked my first 11-hour work day in the business world. Though I had worked several gruesome 13-hour Black Fridays at my retail job, this was my first taste of a lengthy day in a professional setting. Starting early in the morning and ending far past dinner time, the Chamber ladies and I were busy hosting event after event. While hosting three consecutive events may seem long and drawn out, I hardly even noticed that I was working. The day seemed to fly by as I was able to network and learn about other’s businesses while getting my job done.

            That’s what Chamber events are all about—networking with other business professionals and building valuable relationships (not to mention there is almost always free food and drink to enjoy!) These are all reasons why it is so important to be proactive with your membership and come out to these events! Not only are these events important utensils in facilitating opportunity for your business, they are a great way to network while having an enjoyable evening. In fact, you should utilize all of the tools that the West Orange Chamber provides, such as free advertising on the Chamber website, information filled luncheons, and other numerous networking opportunities.

So, at the end of the day when it came time to pack everything up and go home, I was pleasantly surprised that I truly enjoyed my lengthy day along with the ladies at the Chamber. I am certain that this will not be my last encounter with a dawn-to-dusk workday, as I have been warned by countless business professionals. However it dawned on me that if I love what I do and have a great sense of pride in my work, I am not going to mind putting in the extra effort. In fact, it won’t feel like extra effort. Working these events was an extremely enjoyable experience, and I had a blast helping the ladies at the Chamber host each one of them. When making your plans, I hope you will include a chamber event. I look forward to seeing you there!

Straight from the Crate ~ Kristin