BMCC Strategic Plan 2023-25

Strategic Plan Summary

Revenue

Increase sponsorship, event, and membership revenue to support the move to a full-time staff position.

Members

Increase membership by utilizing personal outreach, targeted marketing campaigns, working more closely with the Chambers Plan rep, improved website and social media presence, restructured events, and a refreshed brand.

Partnerships

Create “Team Blue”, and otherwise engage with key stakeholders and elected officials in order to increase the awareness of the Chamber as an advocate for the local business community.

Operations

Recognizing that the creation of a full-time staff position is one of the key goals emerging from the Strategic Plan, establish a specific timeline and strategy for meeting this goal. Establish an operating budget and conduct a review of HR/Governance policies to more clearly define committee roles, improve communication, and utilize grants and student placements.

Mission

The Blue Mountains Chamber of Commerce strives to be the recognized voice of Business working together to advance the Commercial, Social and Economic interest of the Community.

We work together to:

• Act as a catalyst for community initiatives
• Be a resource centre for new and existing businesses
• Foster collaboration between business owners, community organization leaders and stakeholders
• Collectively represent business in our community

Mandate

The Blue Mountains Chamber of Commerce is the leading business organization in The Town of The Blue Mountains. We work on behalf of our members to advance business interests, with the goal of creating a thriving business community that is beneficial to everyone. All activities conducted by the Chamber, including advocacy efforts and business support, are provided through programs, events, and various communication streams.

Process to Date

The BMCC Board of Directors established a Strategic Planning Committee in December 2022. The Committee established the Strategic Planning process and priorities. The priorities identified were:

• Gather input from members and key stakeholders to gain a clear understanding of their expectations.
• Review the existing Mission Statement and the “Business – Opportunity – Success” statement to make sure that your Chamber properly resonates with the local business community, making it the go-to business organization in Blue Mountains.
• Develop strategies to increase memberships/sponsorships.
• Explore the gap between the existing Chamber and the aspirational Chamber.
• Make choices and develop action plans to ‘close the gap’ and achieve desired results.
• Establish strategic priorities and actions for the BMCC to serve the business community in the best possible way as we exit the pandemic.

A survey was conducted in December/January, gathering input from 59 respondents. 4 Key Stakeholder interviews were held, gathering further insight into the relationships between the BMCC and key local organizations.

A Board Retreat was held on January 30 and January 31, where the Board was guided through the S.O.A.R. process with deep discussions held to identify BMCC’s Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and expected Results.

The Prune and Prioritize process further identified the need to structure the BMCC strategic direction under four pillars – Revenue, Members, Partnerships, and Operations, reflecting the four existing Board Committees.

This content was then transferred into a “Strategy Matrix” and discussed at the February Board meeting to further clarify specific Strategies, Actions Steps, Responsibilities, Resources required, Measurements of success, and whether they were short, medium or long-term goals.

The result is the Blue Mountains Chamber of Commerce 2023 – 25 Strategic Plan.

Environmental Scan

The Blue Mountains Chamber of Commerce is a strong organization.

Considering the size of the Membership, and one part-time staff position, The Chamber punches well above its weight.

• The popularity of the monthly Business After 6 event is truly impressive.
• The awareness and reputation of the Chamber among its peer stakeholders is strong.
• The number of members has shown steady growth.
• The Board of Directors is motivated.

Many Chambers/Boards of Trade in the Chamber Network (160 Chambers in Ontario, over 400 in Canada) are asking themselves what a post-pandemic Chamber of Commerce will look like. Questions around programming, member-retention, communications, advocacy, partnerships, even mergers, are on the table. The Blue Mountains Chamber Board is wise to not only be asking these questions but planning to address them.

The municipality of Blue Mountains is a rapidly growing entity, which naturally presents multiple challenges for residents, businesses, and municipal governments alike. Ontario’s population is projected to grow from just over 14 million currently to over 20 million by 2046. The Blue Mountains area, already heavily influenced by an influx of people seeking retirement, lifestyle, and business opportunities, will continue to be influenced by these factors. Municipal Governments will be challenged by pressures from both Provincial and Federal Government policies, and the wants and needs of its citizens and businesses. The role of the Chamber, as not only an advocate for business, but an advocate for sustainable growth and a strong, balanced, community should be clarified and amplified.

Much like the weather, the economy, labour shortages, skills gaps, and changing technology and business models are beyond the scope of The Chamber. However, helping our members prepare for and deal with these changes isn’t. Thus, a comprehensive approach to providing information, education, and connections for our members is an opportunity for the BMCC to remain relevant.

The survey results, and Stakeholder conversations suggest that there is a very strong sense of community in the Blue Mountains area. The opportunity for the Blue Mountains Chamber to be seen as playing a key role in strengthening the community is tremendous.

Survey Summary

The Survey provides a solid basis for planning. There 59 responses, 39 of them Members of the Chamber, 18 non-members.

Marketing and networking (a form of marketing) are key reasons to join.

Good citizenship shows up a couple of times as a key benefit.

Business Credibility was a strong reason to join and reflects on the reputation of the Chamber.

The main issues facing Blue Mountains businesses are Costs, Marketing, Regulations, and the Changing Business Model. There is an opportunity for the Chamber to be seen as an advocate, calling for lower costs, and less red tape. The Stakeholder Interviews suggest there are opportunities for joint advocacy. A workshop series should include the topic of changing business models.

Businesses generally belong to the Chamber because they see it largely as a Marketing tool, in the form of advertising, events and networking. Still “Support my Community” has a strong showing. These results might be described as what you “get” vs what you “give”, however consistent messaging about how the Chamber helps strengthen the community can capitalize on what is already a strong sentiment among the business community.

There is strong support for co-sponsored events, which should be seen as a great opportunity to extend the Chambers capacity. Like the Municipal All Candidates event held last Fall, which involved several other organizations, many hands make light work, and result in bigger impact. Similarly, many Chambers are opening up their networking events in order to be more welcoming to non-members. Partnering with other organizations, or community or business sector, can result in the Chamber being promoted to a new audience, Chamber members meeting new people every month, and potential members being exposed to the work of The BMCC.

Marketing stands out as providing the greatest value in the form of the directory listing, events/networking, the billboard, and social media promotion.

There is also interest in workshops, job postings, and advocacy as desired BMCC activities.

The survey provides rich content for workshops, including, perhaps especially, joint programming with other organizations. Joint programming should be seen as an opportunity to increase the capacity of Chamber staff, as well as exposing non-members to the work of the Chamber.

 The answers to the open question about what people most like about what the Chamber does solidify members appreciation for networking/connecting/marketing. And again, plants the seed for capitalizing on the strong sense of community.

When it comes to what people would like to see the Chamber doing, advocacy and education stand out.

A word about advocacy. The Chamber Network consists of local Chambers, many of whom belong to both their Provincial and National Chambers. The local Chambers are more active at the Municipal level, the Ontario Chamber at Queens Park, and the Canadian Chamber at Parliament. The Canadian and Ontario Chambers, and many larger local Chambers, employ full-time Government Relations staff. These people are involved in researching and writing Policy positions on issues that affect business. Small local Chambers can tap into these resources through membership in the Provincial and National Chambers and simply sharing the work that is already being done, via newsletters, social media, and advocacy-related events, such as a Meet and Greet or Round Table with a local MP or MPP.

Locally, a Mayors Luncheon is a great way to provide access to the business community. Letters to Council are also an effective way to let your elected leaders know how the business community feels about a particular issue.

A Policy (or Advocacy, or Government Relations) Committee is one way to amplify the capacity and the voice of the BMCC, by meeting regularly with representatives from specific business sectors and key stakeholders to formulate and communicate on behalf of the business community – the “Voice of Business” captured in your Mission Statement.

Advocacy, or “Lobbying” does not need to be loud or confrontational. It’s not Question Period… Quiet conversations, solutions-based letters to Council, access to elected leaders, are all “Advocacy”, and based on the feedback from the survey, would be welcome additions to the Chambers activities.

Strengths

Organization

• Weathered the pandemic well
• Well-regarded
• Good working relationships with other organizations
• Growing membership
• Diverse and motivated Board
• Good suite of existing services (ie Chamber Plan, affinity programs, networking, partnerships, etc)

Local Business Ecosystem

• Growing business community that we are well- positioned to support
• Geographically well-known and respected – people want to come here
• Desirable area for businesses to operate
• Very engaged community
• Lots of new faces at the table (Council, BIA, etc)
• strategy

Marketing

• Events – After 6, meet the candidates, IWD, etc
• Consistent social media presence
• Chamber Billboard and Chamber building

Opportunities

The Board went deep on Opportunities, eventually organizing all the ideas under pillars that reflect the existing Chamber Committees. (note, the following is a brief overview, all of the following ideas are captured in the Strategy Matrix with specific timelines, action steps, responsibilities and measurables)

Revenue

• Grow sponsorships by designing a sponsorship package, establishing target companies and specific sponsorship opportunities, and establish who will make calls to which companies. Specific opportunities should include a 60^th Anniversary Sponsorship, Sponsorship of the Boardroom, and Signature Events.
• Consider “Signature Sponsors”, or a “Premium” or Platinum” Membership tier.
• Look at revenue generating events. Start by looking at existing events as profit centre’s, ticketed and sponsored, then consider future events such a Women in Business Awards for IWD and a Mayor’s Luncheon.
• Review membership fees and billboard rental rates. While it was felt that the rates had already been raised recently, the Board felt that this should be an ongoing discussion, including consideration of adding a premium membership tier, and a second billboard.
• Review the Chambers Affinity Programs, Benefits and Group Insurance programs

Members

• Membership Initiatives
  • Outreach
    • Work more closely with member benefits providers
      • “Having trouble finding staff? Here’s how the Chambers Benefits Plan can help”
    • Member Segmentation targeting Golf and Ski Clubs, young entrepreneurs, specific sectors where we are under-represented.
      • Specific strategies to be developed for each segment

• Marketing
  • Review and Pick a slogan (Be Seen, Be Heard, Belong)
    • Include “Business – Opportunity – Success” and “The Collective Voice for Business”, currently on the website, in this process.
  • Welcome Package – partnering with Town
    • Two packages: i) geared to new businesses, ii) getting existing businesses to join
  • Include “Improved SEO” as a member benefit (Chambers have a higher “Domain Authority with Google, because of their clean Directory data, which improves the SEO of anyone listed in the Directory)
  • Develop a social media strategy, to build followers and engagement, promote Chamber Membership, events and advocacy
  • Continue social media spotlights
  • Differentiate between us and other organizations, like the BIA
  • Grow the e-blast subscription list to reach non-members
  • Advertise outside our network (ex. The Review)
  • New business list – business showers or ribbon cuttings
  • 60^th anniversary in 2025

• Events
  • Restructure the After 6 Event
    • Partner with other organizations, sectors, to get new non-members into the room
    • Be intentional – get names and do follow up, hand out the “Why join” cards, etc.)
  • International Women’s Day – in partnership with Town
  • Develop an Events Strategy
    • Signature Events
    • Educational events
      • See Survey results for topic ideas
      • Financial literacy workshop with Community Futures and BDC
    • Partner further with SBEC, TBM, BMVA, BIA, CVA, GTTA etc (Team Blue)
    • Mayors Lunch
    • Establish long-term sponsorship agreements
  • Golf, Ski, Fun Runs
  • Partner with NFP’s
  • Add a Calendar of Events to the Website

• Internal
  • Revamp website
  • Review and restructure member communications
  • Social media training
  • Auto-renew memberships
  • Simplified payment options

Partnerships

• Create “Team Blue”
  • Review Stakeholders Interviews
  • Meet with Town representatives, as well as other community organizations
• Define and fulfill the role as “The Voice of Business”
  • How are we helping new businesses?
  • What community initiatives are we spearheading?
  • Highlight partnership and promotion
• Tap into opportunities offered by the Town – EDAC
• Develop more of a relationship with the BMVA
  • Have community group reps attend more meetings, events, or serve “Ex-Officio” on the Board
• Partner further with SBEC, TBM, BMVA, BIA, GTTA, CVA etc (Team Blue)
• Establish long-term sponsorship agreements

Operations

• Establish a Full-Time Staff position.
  • Discussion at the Board level to establish action steps
  • Increase in paid staff support with defined roles & responsibilities
  • Better communication between admin and bookkeeper
  • Summer student grants, gov funding, college placements, interns
  • Tap into community service hour requirements, if possible
• Review the use of the Chamber Building
• Aspirational
  • Consider other volunteer positions within the Chamber, e.g. grant writers, bookkeeper, events help.
  • Develop a Welcome Centre/ Tourist Info (grants and summer students, interns, co-op work placements, RTO7)
  • Develop a succession plan for Board Members, including sector representation.

Aspirations & Results

Because of the depth of the “Opportunities” the Strategic Plan has simply folded the few “aspirations” generated, as well as the Results or Measurables into the following Matrix.

Next Steps

1. Monthly Strategic Discussion as part of Board Meetings.
2. Make sure that the four Committees are populated (they don’t have to be exclusively Board Members), and that they are clearly defined with an understanding of the strategies captured in the plan, the priorities, timelines and measurables.
3. Annual Review.