Want to be Chamber of the Year? Here are a few tips.

The countdown is on for the?Chamber of the Year?competition! Since 2007, ACCE has annually recognized chambers of commerce in various size categories with this prestigious award for their work in leading businesses and communities. The award celebrates excellence in operations, member services and community leadership.?In a recent webinar, past Chamber of the Year winners shared information on the award application process including insights on qualification requirements, the role of Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking in the competition and application dos and don'ts. Here are a few key takeaways.

Complete Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking by April 1.

Chambers interested in competing for Chamber of the Year must complete the survey questions in ACCE's?Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking?by April 1. Chambers that meet minimum requirements will be notified and invited to proceed with the Chamber of the Year application process. Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking is available all year long but only chambers that complete the Chamber Profile and Operations sections (with Fiscal Year 2021 data) by April 1 will be considered for eligibility. If you have any questions or need to set up an account to access the DCB, contact?Will Burns.

Be intentional with preparation.

Preparing for the Chamber of the Year application and interview process can be a daunting task. Focus on being intentional in the work your chamber does. Think about the interview process and the roles participating staff members will play. For example, the Charleston Metro Chamber had six practice sessions with mock interviews to run through their responses and get staff ready. As for the application, include everything you want the judges to see. It should be easy to read and tell the judges a clear story about your chamber.

Build a team, both internally and externally.

Applying for the Chamber of the Year is a huge undertaking and previous winners recommend if you have the staff capacity, avoid putting the process solely on one person. Build an internal team that is involved with Chamber of the Year and meets regularly to hold one other accountable. When it comes to an external team,?reach out to past winners?who aren’t in the running again this year, that are similar in size and revenue level to your chamber. Having an internal safe review panel with two or three peer chambers can help refine your application and give insight into the interview process.

Have a campaign to share the news ready to go.?

Winning Chamber of the Year can be a huge flashpoint of opportunity with your community and local media. After winning in 2018, Charleston had a social media campaign ready to launch as soon as its name was called. The chamber continues to use the Chamber of the Year logo to this day when doing community presentations or during intercity or leadership visits. Having communications pieces like a press release and social media campaign ready to go can ensure your chamber gets the most it can out of the award.

Want more information??Learn about the application guidelines and timeline, along with sample applications and a list of past winners, here.