ATTACHMENT 2
April 04, 2024 Lake Forest Chamber of Commerce
Annual Report
Reporting period May 1, 2023 - June 1, 2024
Goals and Objectives:
The Lake Forest Chamber of Commerce accomplished the following towards its continued growth and development initiatives:
Executive Board and Office Staff Organization:
Annual executive board member elections were held and several new board members along with several new positions to the board were added. Title changes to the board positions were also implemented this year.
Over the past several years, the chamber has positioned itself for future growth and has taken on additional events and commitments that require the use of paid staff. This year the board has elected to staff an hourly paid position to increase membership growth and chamber outreach, which is slated for this summer. The Chamber also updated its Bylaws.
The 2023-2024 LFCC Executive Board:
CEO/President: Mary Visconte
Chairman of the Board: Steve Smith
Chairman of the Board Elect: Vacant
Treasurer: Connie Visconte
Designated Financial Chair: Jeremy Olson
Secretary: Janet Berger
Membership Sales Director: Randy Weiskittel
Membership & Events Liaison: Jeff Patrick
Chief Ambassador: Diana Ramirez
Technology Director: Andrew Brenhaug
Corporate Liaison Director: Vacant
Government Affairs Director: Jeff Bott
Digital Media Director: Vacant
Communication Director: Ildiko Takata (On Leave)
LFCC Paid Office Staff:
CEO/President: Mary Visconte
Executive Assistant/Office Manager: Natasha Patrick
Membership Services: Patrick Cooper
Membership at Large Director: Lisa Allen
Membership:
The Chamber has continued emphasis on Membership and in turn participation has increased this past fiscal year. We believe opportunities from the city that allow the Chamber to be more involved with the public attribute to our increased membership and we would urge the city to continue working with us on economic programs such as the Money Match.
The Chamber current membership as of April 4, 2024 is: 297
Digital Media:
The Chamber continues to update and utilize its new website since its inception in April 2020. Social media is also heavily marketed for the Chamber, its members, and the partnership with the city. Examples of marketing through the digital media platform are member discounts, upcoming events for the Chamber, upcoming local City events, new memberships and members that renew.
Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Chamber website are used multiple times, every day. With the help of our staff, the Chamber Instagram has grown to have over 1000 followers, while the Facebook page is nearing 2000 followers. Our constant use of social media and digital media marketing is increasing our online footprint and exposure to the community. The Chamber puts a lot of effort, energy, & funds towards its digital marketing campaign. The Chamber also puts out weekly CEO/Chairman of the Board email messages/e-Blast(s) full of upcoming events, business resources, business tips, & more at a rate of 52 times a year! The Chamber will also send out additional e-Blast(s) if important events are coming up that require further marketing.
Chamber Events:
The Lake Forest Chamber has hosted and executed the following events for the contract period of May 2023 to June 2024:
Ribbon Cuttings:
The Chamber offers ribbon cuttings for new members that are opening a new business in the city and for current members who would like to celebrate a key accomplishment with their business. This is offered as one of the many membership benefits as it helps to promote the business, the members, the Chamber, and the City of Lake Forest.
Ribbon Cutting Events for 2023-2024:
● 3rd Place Coffee
● Biolase
● Cinemark
● Curry Pizza House
● De Lucia’s Italian Restaurant
● Emeritus DX
● Fantastic Sams
● Kumon Foothill Ranch
● Lollipop Dental
● Mathnasium
● Mobility City
● Passport Services
● Re/MAX Dashing Properties
● Rudy’s Christmas Trees
● Reborn Cabinets
● Taste Catering
● Visionworks
● Walmart
● Angela Kang Acupuncture
● Bubbly Paws
● Elks Lodge
● Goodwill OC
● The Den
● Soul Aloe
● Yoga Six
● Fetch Pet Care
● Sonesta Simply Suites
● Presotea
Mixers and Networking Events:
The Chamber offers members a chance to highlight their business by giving them the opportunity to be the host to one of the monthly networking events slated by the Chamber. Most of these networking events happen in the evening for about two hours.
Hosting a business mixer is another tremendous benefit the Chamber offers to its members. It gives the members an opportunity to display their business to over 300 businesses, generate leads, and gain visibility in the city. The Chamber manages the marketing and the registration of the hosted events and offers these additional membership benefits to any business that would like to host a networking mixer:
● Company logo recognition as Event Host on the Chamber website ● Company logo and link recognition as Event Host on the Chamber’s extensive email advertising campaign
● Extensive social media promotion leading up to the event ● Opportunity for two-minute presentation at the mixer
● Tabletop display in a prominent, high-visibility location at the event ● Copy of all business cards collected at the event
● Company spotlight in the Chamber’s e-newsletter
The Chamber also hosts a mixer with the City of Lake Forest as part of its contractual agreement. This is hosted at the new City Hall. This also provides the city the opportunity to market it facilities to the business sector for revenue gaining opportunities.
The Chamber also collaborates with several local chambers in the area to put mixers/events. This is a terrific opportunity for additional exposure, revenue, and partnerships with the neighboring cities as well as added benefits for its members
Digital Media Events:
The Chamber continues to utilize its digital marketing to provide additional benefits to its members and increase its exposure in the city. The Chamber hosted several events using its digital media marketing platform.
Digital media events for the contract year of 2023-2024:
● Social Media Workshops: This provides the members an opportunity to meet and learn from experts on how to use digital media to help increase their business exposure ● Business Expo (Marketing Tool Kit Workshop): This provides members an opportunity to learn from business experts on topics such as marketing, networking, and social media/online presence. Members will be given personalized business advice and social media consultations on top of receiving a headshot and a 30 second commercial they can use. We also have resource tables present who will give resources and advice to members on better marketing their business. This is one of the best events for giving tangible tools and resources to businesses to learn digital marketing.
● Digital Media Training & Seminars: The Chamber offered many topics such as: Business Plans, Marketing Plans, Marketing Tips & Tricks, Social Media Plans, & Business Strategy. We post these on social media and share them in our weekly e-newsletters.
Contracted Chamber/City Collaborative Annual Events:
The City of Lake Forest, the Economic Development Department, the City Council Members, and the City Manager's Office collaborate with the Lake Forest Chamber of Commerce to present several marquee events throughout the year.
This provides the members many additional benefits as well as gives them the opportunity to meet with their elected officials and city staff. The partnership with the City of Lake Forest and the Chamber has been very successful year after year. The Chamber looks forward to a continued long-term partnership and appreciates all the efforts the city puts forth for its members.
Contracted events for 2023-2024:
● Business Seminar & Expo
● New Business Reception
● Social Media Workshop
● State of the City
● Legislative Luncheon – Law & Order O.C.
● Job Fair
● Taste of Lake Forest
● Concerts in the Park
● Business Appreciation Luncheon
Chamber Hosted Title Events and Additional Hosted Events:
The Chamber offers even more benefits to its members and the local community by hosting several title events throughout the year. The Chamber continues to discuss with its board on new ideas and events that increase exposure for the Chamber, its members and the city.
Title Events for 2023-2024:
● Legislative Updates
● Elf Yourself Charity 5K
● Pups & Pints
● Quad Mixers
● L-Chamber Mixer
● Party of Five Mixers
● Meet Your Congresswoman Young Kim
● Meet Your Assemblymember Diane Dixon
Additional Chamber Sponsored Events for 2023-2024 included:
● Coffee Chats with the Chamber (Bi-weekly meetings)
● Partnered with SBDC to assist businesses with available resources ● Holiday Mixer
● Continued to promote and answer questions about the City BOGO gift card program ● Our website offers a community calendar for event postings and now will offer marketing opportunities for our members.
● SCORE Seminar Training Events
● Continued education for our CEO: W.A.C.E., C.C.C.O.C., and online training ● Other multi-chamber mixers
Financial Summary:
The Chamber has been running a deficit most months during the pandemic. The Chamber is going to put a big emphasis on increasing membership and increasing sponsorships. The Chamber is working on some new events to help market the Chamber brand and continue to provide benefits for its members.
As of March 30th, 2024, the financial summary for the Lake Forest Chamber:
Current Period (March 2024) Profit/Loss: -$13,368.33
Fiscal Year total March 2024 Profit/Loss: $8,196.91
While Covid is no longer a detriment to the Chamber’s operations, the ramifications are still affecting our ability to attract new members. While membership has increased, we believe that better economic conditions would have allowed us to draw more members. Given that our largest target for members is small businesses, economic challenges have made it difficult for businesses to prioritize membership with the increasing costs of supplies and staff. However, we anticipate growth in chamber participation as economic difficulties ease and the city continues working with the Chamber. As the city continues to see economic growth and the development of new business, we believe the chamber will grow too.
Prepared by:
Connie Visconte - Treasurer
Natasha Patrick - Executive Assistant/Office Manager
Mary Visconte - CEO
Lake Forest Chamber of Commerce