Spotlight

Last week at the annual #ACCEAwards Show, nearly one thousand chamber professionals and friends of the industry gathered at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in downtown Long Beach, California, to celebrate winners of many special awards, including Chamber of the Year. 

Chamber of the Year, sponsored by MemberClicks, is the most prestigious and competitive award presented by ACCE and is the only globally-recognized industry award that honors top chambers of commerce. 

Category One:

Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce 
Murray, Kentucky

Category Two:

Longview Chamber of Commerce
Longview, Texas

Category Three:

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
Asheville, North Carolina 

Category Four:

Greater Louisville Inc. 
Louisville, Kentucky

Those honored with the Chamber of the Year designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, business development and quality of life. 

Chambers of commerce interested in competing for the award first must qualify by participating in a vigorous multi-stage process. Organizations entering the Chamber of the Year competition must meet minimum thresholds in at least three of five key performance areas, including net revenue, net assets, membership account retention, and membership dollar retention.

Qualifying for Chamber of the Year is a rigorous process. Chambers compete based on meeting key performance criteria on the ACCE Annual Operations Survey. Qualifying chambers enter the competition with a written application addressing all aspects of organizational operation and programmatic work. Applications are scored by peer chamber executives to determine finalists. Winners are selected from among finalists based on an in-person interview before a panel of experienced chamber professionals.

Tags: #ACCE19, #ACCEAwards, Awards, Chamber of the Year

On July 15, at the #ACCEAwards Show in Long Beach, California, three organizations — Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce (Ga.), Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce (Ark.) and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. (Ind.) — were recognized as this year’s Best in Show winners in ACCE’s Awards for Communications Excellence competition.

They represent the finest entries in each of the three total annual budget categories: under $1 million, $1 to $3 million and above $3 million.

Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce
Dalton, Georgia
"When You're in D-Town" 

Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
Bentonville, Arkansas
BecauseBentonville Campaign

Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Electric Works Campaign: Regional Video | Website | Advocacy Brief

ACCE’s Awards for Communications Excellence program is designed to showcase top communications and marketing work of chambers of commerce and similar organizations. Several thousand award entries have been submitted since the launch of the organization’s Awards for Communications Excellence, which is now in its thirty-fifth year.

“Those involved in marketing and communications for chamber organizations must develop materials that can compete with Fortune 500 companies, with half the staff and budget,” says ACCE President and CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. “These annual awards provide a way to recognize the innovative work that chambers across the world are creating. It is not every day that a company’s communications work not only benefits the organization but is creates materials that advance the community or region that they support.

A panel of communications and marketing executives from six North American chambers of commerce evaluated entries, which were organized by category — based on the chamber’s annual budget — and entry type: advertising and marketing, campaigns, digital and publications. 

Tags: #ACCE19, #ACCEAwards, Awards, Awards for Communications Excellence, Best in Show, Communications

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives today announced winners of its Communications Excellence awards program.

Last week, six marketing and communications leaders from Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee gathered at #ACCEHQ to carefully review more than 160 award submissions. We thank our judges for joining us in Alexandria, Virginia, and lending us their eyes and expertise for this year's competition: Jeremy Henderson (Chattanooga Chamber); Joe Pellman (Indy Chamber); Jennifer Gerlock (Frederick County Chamber of Commerce); Mia Jankowiak (Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce); Kyle Oppenhuizen (Greater Des Moines Partnership) and Alesha Henley (St. Louis Regional Chamber).

These entries highlight some of the freshest and most innovative marketing and communications work coming from ACCE member organizations of all types and sizes.

Each submission was organized by type — advertising and marketing, campaigns, digital and publications — and by the submitting organization’s total annual budget range: under $1 million, $1 to $3 million and above $3 million.

In addition to awards listed below, three “Best in Show” awards will be presented at the 2019 Annual Convention in Long Beach, California. Learn more about the Awards for Communications Excellence here.

Grand Awards

These award winners represent the finest entries in each entry category in each of the three total annual budget categories. Winners of the Grand Award go on to compete for the Best in Show, which recognizes the best piece in each of the three categories. 

Advertising and Marketing

Champaign County Chamber of Commerce
Champaign, Illinois
Dr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Photo 1, 2, 3, 4 | Facebook Invite

Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce
Huntsville, Alabama
Second Chance Job Fair: Flyer | Handout

Campaigns

Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
Bentonville, Arkansas
BecauseBentonville Campaign

Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Electric Works Campaign: Regional Video | Website | Advocacy Brief
 

Digital

Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce
Dalton, Georgia
"When You're in D-Town" 

Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
Lincoln, Nebraska
"Lincoln, We Chose It" Video

Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
Kansas City, Missouri
A New Website for the KC Chamber: www.kcchamber.com

Publications

Mason Deerfield Chamber
Mason, Ohio
Mason Deerfield Chamber's New Member Packet

Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce
Eugene, Oregon
Open For Business Magazine Rebrand

Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
Irving, Texas
2018 Irving-Las Colinas Chamber Annual Report

Awards of Excellence

A limited number of Awards of Excellence are presented; winners are selected from submissions of each entry type, from each category. Their work represent communications excellence in the chamber profession. 

Advertising and Marketing

Greenville Chamber
Greenville, South Carolina
Marketing Materials

Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky
Business Spotlight

Campaigns

Buffalo Niagara Partnership
Buffalo, New York
Adaptive Reuse Campaign

Edmonton Chamber of Commerce
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2019-2022 City Budget Campaign

Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce
Fort Collins, Colorado
Bringing Business Home Campaign

Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce (dba: Greater Gainesville Chamber)
Gainesville, Florida
Rebranding Florida's Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce

Goshen Chamber of Commerce
Goshen, Indiana
Design & Brand Touchpoints

Greater Green Bay Chamber
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Startup Hub Launch

Loudon County Chamber of Commerce
Leesburg, Virginia
50th Anniversary Rebranding Campaign

One Acadiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Regional Celebration

Salt Lake Chamber
Salt Lake City, Utah
Housing GAP Coalition Campaign

Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Springfield, Missouri
Yes for OTC - Yes on A & B Advocacy Campaign to Pass Property Tax Renewal and Increase Proposals

The Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce (dba: The Chamber)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Rebranding the Chamber

Digital

Aiken Chamber of Commerce 
Aiken, South Carolina
Geofence Targets D.C. Market

Association of Washington Business
Olympia, Washington
AWB News/AWB Amplified

Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga Works

Community Development Foundation
Tupelo, Mississippi
Ignitecast - The Official Podcast of the Ignite Leadership Conference by CDF

Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce
Eugene, Oregon
Bold Leadership 2019 - Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce

Goshen Chamber of Commerce
Goshen, Indiana
Walk and Talk with the Chamber FB Live Weekly Series

Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Create Great - GR Chamber Year in Review

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Boston, Massachusetts
City Awake Website

Greater Des Moines Partnership
Des Moines, Iowa
"I'm Up" Music Video

Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Digital Marketing Strategy

Greater Houston Partnership
Houston, Texas
A Redesigned Houston.org

Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce
New Braunfels, Texas
Success Flows Here: Feature Film Highlighting Chamber's 100th Anniversary

Greenville Chamber
Greenville, South Carolina
Online Tier Selector

Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce
Holland, Michigan
Digital Transformation: New Member Journey

One Acadiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Aligned for Impact Video Series - One Acadiana

St. Louis Regional Chamber
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis Regional Chamber: Making Social Media Trends

Southwestern Auglaize County Chamber of Commerce
New Bremen, Ohio
Our Community

Tulsa Regional Chamber
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa Creativity Database

Publications

Bossier Chamber of Commerce
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier Annual Manual

Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Annual Report

Buffalo Niagara Partnership
Buffalo, New York
2019 Advocacy Agenda

Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Atlanta, Georgia
New Georgia Economy Book

Greater Des Moines Partnership
Des Moines, Iowa
Quarterly Board Reports

Mason Deerfield Chamber
Mason, Ohio
Mason Deerfield Chamber's 2018-19 Community Profile & Relocation Guide

Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville 2018 Regional Economic Development Guide

Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
Rogers, Arkansas
The Good Life Destination Guide

Salt Lake Chamber
Salt Lake, Utah
Utah's Growth: Today's Actions Create Tomorrow's Future

Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Springfield, Missouri
Community Leadership Visit Report 2018: Chattanooga, TN

Tags: #ACCEAwards, ACE, ACE Awards, Awards, Awards for Communications Excellence, Communications, Marketing

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives today announced finalists for the 2019 Chamber of the Year competition, sponsored by MemberClicks.

Finalists for 2019 Chamber of the Year are (sorted by category):

Category One:

Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce 
Murray, Kentucky

Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce
Wooster, Ohio

Effingham County Chamber of Commerce 
Effingham, Illinois

Category Two:

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Kalispell, Montana

Longview Chamber of Commerce
Longview, Texas

Grapevine Chamber of Commerce
Grapevine, Texas

Category Three:

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
Asheville, North Carolina

Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce
Bowling Green, Kentucky

Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership
Ocala, Florida

Category Four:

Salt Lake Chamber
Salt Lake City, Utah

Greater Louisville Inc. 
Louisville, Kentucky

Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
Irving, Texas

In the final phase of the competition, a judging committee conducts in-person interviews with leaders representing each finalist chamber. One winner from each category will be named at the 2019 ACCE Annual Convention in Long Beach, California.

Learn more about Chamber of the Year here.

Tags: Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce, Effingham County Chamber of Commerce, Grapevine Chamber of Commerce, Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, #ACCE19, Greater Louisville Inc., #ACCEAwards, Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Longview Chamber of Commerce, Awards, Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce, Best Chambers, Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, Salt Lake Chamber, Chamber of the Year, Top Chambers of Commerce, Chamber Professional

Eleven chamber of commerce leaders from eight states have recently joined an elite roster of professionals who have earned the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) designation.

Since the first CCE designation was conferred some 40 years ago, more than 500 chamber professionals have become certified. More than 250 people have an active certification today.

ACCE celebrated this year’s Certified Chamber Executives — Steve Baas, Marvin Bond, Lisa Hermes, Tony Howard, Jamee Jolly, Christine Kennedy, Sandra Lindquist, Roy Nascimento, Lynn Olberding, Jodie Perry and Erin Williams — in Des Moines at the #ACCEAwards Show on Wednesday, July 18.

“The CCE program assesses and tests the applicant's knowledge of core chamber management areas —management, planning and development, membership and communication, and operations,” says Bob Quick, CCE, president and CEO of Commerce Lexington Inc. and 2017-18 CCE commission chairman. “Chamber professionals who are designated CCEs have rightfully earned this outstanding recognition through hard work, countless hours of dedication to their field, and leadership of their chamber to achieve the chamber’s goals. We are proud to have this year’s class join a long tradition of professional excellence.”

Congratulations, from your friends at ACCE!

Steve Baas, CCE          
Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs & Public Policy    
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
Milwaukee, Wis.

Marvin Bond, CCE      
Vice President of Investor Relations        
Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
Irving, Texas

Lisa Hermes, CCE       
President & CEO              
McKinney Chamber of Commerce
McKinney, Texas

Tony Howard, CCE     
President & CEO              
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
Leesburg, Va.

Jamee Jolly, CCE         
President & CEO              
Plano Chamber of Commerce
Plano, Texas

Christine Kennedy, CCE           
COO and Executive Vice President           
Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance
Lynchburg, Va.

Sandra Lindquist, CCE               
Executive Vice President & COO
New Orleans Chamber
New Orleans, La.

Roy Nascimento, CCE               
President & CEO              
North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
Fitchburg, Mass.

Lynn Olberding, CCE 
Executive Director          
Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce
Marshalltown, Iowa

Jodie Perry, CCE          
President            
Richland Area Chamber of Commerce
Mansfield, Ohio

Erin Williams, CCE      
President & CEO              
O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries
O'Fallon, Mo.

Learn more about the Certified Chamber Executive designation and meet our CCE Commissioners.

Tags: #ACCE18, #ACCEAwards, Certified Chamber Executive

Last week at the annual #ACCEAwards Show, nearly one-thousand community-builders gathered at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines to celebrate winners of many special awards, including Chamber of the Year.

Sponsored by MemberClicks, Chamber of the Year is the most prestigious and competitive award presented by ACCE and is the only globally-recognized industry award that honors top chambers of commerce for exemplary work.

Category One
Des Moines Downtown Chamber
Des Moines, Iowa

Synopsis 1: Leadership Education and Advancement Pipeline (LEAP)
Synopsis 2: Downtown DIG (Development Insights Group) Program

Category Two
Round Rock Chamber 
Round Rock, Texas

Synopsis 1: Implementing the Workforce Realization Occurring Cooperatively Strategy
Synopsis 2: Implementing the REV UP Round Rock Strategy

Category Three
Plano Chamber of Commerce
Plano, Texas

Synopsis 1: Business Center & New Chamber Facility
Synopsis 2: Public Policy and Advocacy

Category Four
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
North Charleston, S.C.

Synopsis 1: Bridging the Talent Gap
Synopsis 2: Local Area Chambers

State/Province Category
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii

Synopsis 1: Manufacturing in Hawaii Initiative
Synopsis 2: 2017 Hawaii on the Hill

This year's competition drew entries from chambers throughout the U.S. and Canada. To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into five categories based on: annual revenue, membership, area population, and several other factors.

Learn more about Chamber of the Year here.

Tags: #ACCEAwards, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Chamber of the Year, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Des Moines Downtown Chamber, MemberClicks, Plano Chamber of Commerce, Round Rock Chamber of Commerce

ACCE’s Awards for Communications Excellence, sponsored by Golden Openings, Inc., celebrate top-notch marketing work that effectively communicates policy work, the accomplishments of the chamber of commerce, community advancement and economic development initiatives, membership attraction and retention, events and more.

The top three entries — one from each size category — are presented the Best in Show award.

At the #ACCEAwards Show in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 18, three organizations — Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce (S.C.), Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce (Mo.) and Champaign County Chamber of Commerce (Ill.) — were recognized as this year’s Best in Show winners.

Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce: Quarterly Report Series 

Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce: Springfield Region Digital Brochure

Champaign County Chamber of Commerce: Chamber Zone 

Judges of this year’s Communications Excellence awards selected one entry — submitted by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce (Neb.) — to receive a specially-created recognition called the “Total Eclipse” award. The entry was honored for its creative execution and attention-grabbing results for the advertising surrounding the Great Solar Eclipse in 2017, which included various signs scattered throughout Lincoln in August 2017.

Lincoln Chamber of Commerce: Eclipse Seasonal Signs

In addition to celebrating winners of the Best in Show and Total Eclipse awards, Grand Award winners took to the stage and Awards of Excellence winners were recognized. (Check out this blog post, where we announced Grand Award and Award of Excellence winners.)

Tags: #ACCE18, #ACCEAwards, Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Communications, Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Marketing, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Membership Achievement Awards! These chambers of commerce (listed alphabetically) are in the top 10 for their total revenue range in one or more of these categories: member retention of accounts, member retention of dollars, or new member retention of accounts. These statistics were compiled from ACCE’s Fiscal Year 2017 Operations Survey via Dynamic Chamber Benchmarking (DCB). DCB is open year-round for survey participation, but for the Membership Achievement Awards, chambers who submitted FY 2017 data through March 23, 2018 were eligible for the awards.

Dollars listed based on the chamber’s annual revenue

Up to $450,000

Member Retention

Anson County Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Cortland County Chamber of Commerce (N.Y.)
Dorchester Chamber of Commerce (Md.)
Fitchburg Chamber Visitor and Business Bureau (Wis.)
Gardner Edgerton Chamber (Kan.)
Minden-South Webster Chamber of Commerce (La.)
Rowan County Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce (Ont.)
Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce (Pa.)

Dues Retention

Cadillac Area Chamber of Commerce (Mich.)
El Dorado Chamber of Commerce (Ark.)
Gardner Edgerton Chamber (Kan.)
Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce (Mont.)
Minden-South Webster Chamber of Commerce (La.)
Muskego Chamber of Commerce and Tourism (Wis.)
Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)
Plymouth Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)
Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)
Wells County Chamber of Commerce (Ind.)

New Member Retention

Charles County Chamber of Commerce (Md.)
Fitchburg Chamber Visitor and Business Bureau (Wis.)
Greater Smithfield-Selma Area Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Marion Area Chamber of Commerce (Ill.)
Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce (Ga.)
Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce (Ky.)
Muskego Chamber of Commerce and Tourism (Wis.)
Richmond County Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)
Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)

$450,001 to $900,000

Member Retention

Dixon Chamber of Commerce and Main Street, Inc. (Ill.)
Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)
Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Iowa)
Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Wis.)
Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce (Mont.)
Putnam County Chamber of Commerce (Fla.)
Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Westmoreland Chamber Of Commerce (Pa.)
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)

Dues Retention

Dixon Chamber of Commerce and Main Street, Inc. (Ill.)
Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)
Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce (Pa.)
Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Wis.)
Putnam County Chamber of Commerce (Fla.)
Shoals Chamber of Commerce (Ala.)
Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Wayne County Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
West Des Moines Chamber (Iowa)
Wilmington Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)

New Member Retention

Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce (N.J.)
Granbury Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce (Ariz.)
Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Iowa)
Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce (Iowa)
Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Wis.)
Pocatello Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce (Idaho)
TwinWest Chamber of Commerce (Minn.)
Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
West Des Moines Chamber (Iowa)

$900,001 to $2,000,000

Member Retention

Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association (Colo.)
Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce (Wyo.)
Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce (La.)
Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)
Ludington and Scottville Chamber of Commerce (Mich.)
Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce (N.J.)
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)
Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce (S.D.)
Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce  (S.K.)
Vail Valley Partnership (Colo.)

Dues Retention

Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (Pa.)
Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)
Ludington and Scottville Chamber of Commerce (Mich.)
Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance (Va.)
Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce (N.J.)
Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (Fla.)
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce (Wis.)
Texas City-La Marque Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Vail Valley Partnership (Colo.)

New Member Retention

Columbia Chamber of Commerce (Mo.)
Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (Pa.)
Frederick County Chamber of Commerce (Md.)
Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association (Colo.)
Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce (Kan.)
Halifax Chamber of Commerce (N.S.)
Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Ludington and Scottville Chamber of Commerce (Mich.)
Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce (N.J.)
Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce

$2,000,001 to $5,000,000

Member Retention

Community Development Foundation (Miss.) 
Greater Green Bay Chamber (Wis.)
Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Kalispell Chamber of Commerce (Mont.)
Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce (Kan.)
North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce & CVB (S.C.)
Ohio Chamber of Commerce
St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce (Mo.)
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce (Fla.)
Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)

Dues Retention

Buffalo Niagara Partnership (N.Y.)
Community Development Foundation (Miss.) 
Greater Green Bay Chamber (Wis.)
Greater Louisville Inc. (Ky.)
Knoxville Chamber (Tenn.)
Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce (Kan.)
Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry 
Ohio Chamber of Commerce
St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce (Mo.)
Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)

New Member Retention

Alliance Southwest Louisiana
Buffalo Niagara Partnership (N.Y.)
Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)
Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Wis.)
Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Greater Louisville Inc. (Ky.)
Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce 
Louisiana Association of Business & Industry
Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce (Kan.)
Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)

Above $5,000,000

Member Retention

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce (Idaho) 
Greater Cleveland Partnership (Ohio)
Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce (Okla.)
Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (Neb.)
Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce (Ala.)
Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce (Ill.)
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (Wash.)
Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce (S.D.)
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia (Pa.)

Dues Retention

Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce (Idaho)  
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce (S.C.)
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber (Ohio)
Greater Cleveland Partnership (Ohio)
Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce (Okla.)
Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (Neb.)
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce (Ala.)
Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce (S.D.)
Tulsa Regional Chamber (Okla.)

New Member Retention

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Association of Washington Business
Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce (Idaho)  
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce (S.C.)
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber (Ohio)
Greater Cleveland Partnership (Ohio)
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (Wash.)
Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce (S.D.)
Tulsa Regional Chamber (Okla.)

Tags: #ACCEAwards, Awards, Membership, Membership Achievement Award

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives today announced finalists for the 2018 Chamber of the Year competition, sponsored by MemberClicks.

Finalists for 2018 Chamber of the Year are (sorted by category):

Category One:

Des Moines Downtown Chamber 
Des Moines, Iowa

Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce 
Valparaiso, Indiana

Category Two:

Conway Area Chamber of Commerce
Conway, Arkansas

Greater St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce 
St. Charles, Missouri

Round Rock Chamber
Round Rock, Texas

Category Three:

Greater Green Bay Chamber 
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce 
Humble, Texas

Plano Chamber of Commerce 
Plano, Texas

Category Four:

Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce 
North Charleston, South Carolina

Greater Louisville Inc. 
Louisville, Kentucky

Tulsa Regional Chamber 
Tulsa, Oklahoma

State/Province Category:

Chamber of Commerce Hawaii

Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce

In the final phase of the competition, a judging committee conducts in-person interviews with leaders representing each finalist chamber. One winner from each category will be named at the 2018 ACCE Annual Convention in Des Moines, Iowa.

Learn more about Chamber of the Year here.

Tags: Tulsa Regional Chamber, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, Des Moines Downtown Chamber, Greater Green Bay Chamber of Commerce, Greater Louisville Inc., Greater St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce, Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, #ACCE18, Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce, #ACCEAwards, Plano Chamber of Commerce, Awards, Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of the Year

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives today announced winners of its Communications Excellence awards program, sponsored by Golden Openings, Inc.

In June 2018, five marketing and communications leaders from Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C. gathered at #ACCEHQ to carefully review more than 150 award submissions. We thank our judges for joining us in Alexandria, Va., and lending us their eyes and expertise for this year's competition: Sybil Topel (Chattanooga Chamber); Ken Brady (Charleston Metro Chamber); Anna Stokes (The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia); Susan Farhang (United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) and Elaine Gilligan (Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce).

These entries highlight some of the freshest and most innovative marketing and communications work coming from ACCE member organizations of all types and sizes.

Each submission was organized by type — advertising and marketing, campaigns, digital and publications — and by the submitting organization’s total annual budget range: under $1 million, $1 to $3 million and above $3 million.

In addition to awards listed below, three “Best in Show” awards will be announced during the #ACCEAwards Show on Wednesday, July 18 at #ACCE18 in Des Moines, Iowa.  

Grand Awards

Advertising and Marketing

Champaign County Chamber of Commerce (lll.)
Chamber Zone         

Salt Lake Chamber
Utah Tax Modernization

Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce (Mo.)
Springfield Region Digital Brochure

Campaigns

Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Preserving Public-Private Partnerships in the Chamber Industry – Legislative Advocacy Campaign - Strategic Plan, Written Testimony, Oral Testimony, and Fact Sheet

Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (Mo.)
A Better KCI

Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce (Ark.)
Love, Little Rock Campaign - Website and Video

Wilmington Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Choose Cape Fear - Website and Video

Digital

Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce (Ind.)
Valpo Chamber Video Newsletter Highlights

Indy Chamber
The New IndyChamber.com

Round Rock Chamber (Texas)
Skilled Trades Image Campaign

Publications

Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce (S.C.)
Quarterly Report Series - Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4

Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce (Colo.)
Northern Colorado Prospers Quarterly Report  

Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
2018 Membership Directory, Relocation & Island Guide

Awards of Excellence

Advertising and Marketing

Lincoln Chamber of Commerce (Neb.)
Lincoln Beer Tour

Lincoln Chamber of Commerce (Neb.)
YP Week

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce (Va.)
Superhero 5K 2018 Marketing

Plano Chamber of commerce (Texas)
Plano Chamber Story – Member Testimonial Campaign

Robins Regional Chamber (Ga.)
SOAR

Campaigns

Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal
Metro Cities Chambers for NAFTA 2.0 - Press Releases 1/18/18 and 1/22/18

Detroit Regional Chamber
Detroit Regional Chamber Campaign for Civility - 2017 Mackinac Policy Conference Summary, 2017 Mackinac Policy Program Book, Detroiter Magazine October 2017, 2018 Detroit Policy Conference Program Book

Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce (N.Y.)
Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Rebrand Bash

Greater Des Moines Partnership (Iowa)
Economic Development and Talent Attraction Digital Marketing Campaign

Greater Des Moines Partnership (Iowa)
Maximizing Momentum 2022: Investor Campaign for the Greater Des Moines Partnership

Greater Oklahoma City
Safer Streets, Better OKC Campaign

Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce (Mich.)
Grand Rapids Chamber Rebranding Campaign

Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce (Fla.)
Minority Business Accelerator

Huntsville/Madison County Chamber (Ala.)
2017 School Tax Renewals

Jefferson Chamber of Commerce (La.)
LiveWell Jefferson Campaign

Lincoln Chamber of Commerce (Neb.)
Eclipse Seasonal Signs

One Acadiana (La.)
One Acadiana South Louisiana Branding Initiative

Sanford Area Growth Alliance (N.C.)
Prelude to Progress

State Chamber of Oklahoma
OK2030 Campaign

Tulsa Regional Chamber (Okla.)
Tulsa Regional Chamber Economic Development Campaign

Digital

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce (Ala.)
Eastern Shore Elf

Edmonton Chamber of Commerce (Alb.)
Digital, Blog, Brand Lessons Learned from the City of Champions Debate

Fayette Chamber of Commerce (Ga.)
Video: 2017 Chamber Accomplishments

Garrett County Chamber of Commerce (Md.)
Deep Creek Virtual Reality Experience

Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce (Mich.)
Grand Rapids Chamber Breakfast with Legislators Social Media Campaign

Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce (S.C)
AikenHasIt.com Digital Campaign

Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce (Ark.)
Small Business BingoFest

Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
New Website – www.IrvingChamber.com

North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
Chamber Video Testimonial Digital Campaign

Northwest Metroport Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Economic Development Video

Plano Chamber of Commerce (Texas)
Plano Chamber Building Blocks Emails

Round Rock Chamber (Texas)
PRO Round Rock

Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce (Fla.)
Riverside Dash 5K & 15K Event: Influencers/Race Ambassadors Campaign

Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce (Ohio)
EPIC Toledo Website

Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
Open for Business Podcast

Publications

Chandler Chamber of Commerce (Ariz.)
How We Stand – Chandler Chamber of Commerce

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce (N.C.)
2018 Visitors & Relocation Guide

Fayette Chamber of Commerce (Ga.)
Fayette Community Source Magazine

Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce (Ga.)
Annual Report

Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce (Ga.)
Gwinnett Chamber Annual Report

Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce (Ark.)
The Good Life Destination Guide

Learn more about ACCE's Communications Excellence awards here.

Communications Excellence winners: 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013

Tags: Communications, Marketing, #ACCEAwards, Awards, Awards for Communications Excellence, Branding