What Could Happen if You Just Walked in the Door?
What happens when you combine fabulous food, a room filled with tables packed full of creativity, a stormy night, and hundreds of people? Well in Bellevue, you get the opportunity to make deals and form sustainable connections and relationships.
Every January there is something I look forward to – no, it isn’t New Year’s resolutions or holiday bills. It’s the semi-annual Bellevue Chamber Business Showcase! I know you are probably wondering why since I have been to a lot of them. It’s the same response I will give you on why I enjoy every member connection opportunity. I get to hear amazing stories, hear testimonials and see connections happening in real time, the basis of long term business relationships.
Here are a few of the things I heard at the Showcase last week:
“Wow! What an amazing array of appetizers and a great facility!” Lots of compliments to the staff at the Red Lion Hotel Bellevue – you outdid yourselves!
“I got a coupon and message from The Seattle Times that told me to be here (even if it was raining) and they were right. I met a lot of interesting people.”
“My wife and I just moved to Bellevue two weeks ago. We lived in New York City for ten years, looked all over the U.S. and decided Bellevue is where we wanted to live and be part of the community!”
One of our Exhibitors Michael Langhout, Langhout International, LLC commented “this was a great event for my company. As a new member to the Chamber, we elected to staff a booth and sponsor a prize drawing. This provided an excellent opportunity to meet numerous new contacts, and learn about their plans and challenges. We had many visitors to our booth and we are excited to participate again at the next conference in June.”
I do believe in karma, but I also believe that a well-organized event and a lot of encouragement to attend generate a lot of stories and opportunities. Along with those opportunities, being at the right place and at the right time is always half the battle. The other half of the battle is telling the story of your company by answering these questions: What specifically do you do? What problem you are solving that makes life better? How do you add value? Who is your perfect customer? How was your company started?
The Bellevue Chamber’s mission is to provide resources in an environment that promotes the success of our member businesses. Help us shine the spotlight on your company! Tell us your story – give us your elevator pitch. Let us know the answers to the questions above so we can connect you and showcase your company. As business leaders, we know your time is valuable and the Chamber offers many benefits that you can receive without direct participation. We also know that just by walking in the door, you have access to potential business leads, referral sources, customers, or information to help your business.