ARTICLE
As any long time Santa Cruz resident knows, we walk to a different drum beat. We take life seriously but our out-worldly view catches new residents and visitors by surprise. Why? Santa Cruzans see the world from the inside out; because of the beauty of our natural environment, our passion to promote and protect our beaches, the Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains - it creates a spirit that fills the air. When asked “Why is Santa Cruz so unique and different,” the general response is something along the lines of “We don’t want to be like those techie folks from Silicon Valley who move too fast and don’t enjoy the ride.” That laid back life style translates into the last minute decisions when thinking about what to do as local event after local event careens onto our calendars. Yes, Santa Cruz county residents have so many choices when it comes to events to attend - from art events, music venues in every music genre imaginable, sporting events like Warriors games, college and high school sporting events to active participation sports with groups of friends — think mountain and road biking, surfing, roller blading, tennis, golf (disc golf too), running on our beaches or up some mountain trail that occur on a regular basis. The culture of Santa Cruz permeates the lifestyle that draws us here. Whether you are a business person, from public sector or an employee, we bleed ocean blue. We are truly blessed to call Santa Cruz County home. Yet, for those of us in the Chamber business world, and those of us who must plan events weeks to months in advance to ensure we have selected the right venue, the right time of day and week, and provide the best content options so YOU can come to listen, learn, and engage with issues, programs, policies and projects - we are at the mercy of those souls who wait until the last minute to buy a ticket. Tom Peters noted that the best book on sales ever is the Art of the Sale; “Who knows, but it surely is the best I’ve ever read, Peters stated, “As a gazillion-mile traveling salesman myself, I learned an amazing amount about who I am and what I do from this book. We all live by selling: ideas or products or peace in our time. The Art of the Sale is perhaps unique—a marvelous book about selling, and life, and who we are and how we tick. And the case studies are dazzling.” The Art of the Sale requires a different approach in Santa Cruz (we are not a case study — because so many laid back Santa Cruzans can pick and choose their activities at the last minute and safely secure their tickets). Your Chamber works on the edge of time, space, venue to make the event just right for our members and the community. Quality content matters — a good topic, speakers or just a place to network. For event planners — this can be a challenge as all the preparation in the world does not mean Santa Cruzans will show up. That is changing. Our regular “Business After Hours” events draw good crowds for networking. Attendees nosh on appetizers and enjoy a beverage while meeting their Santa Cruz Business Community peers. Who does not want to spend a couple hours on a mid-week day visiting with friends and colleagues having a fun evening to break up the work week? Over the course of the last two years, the Chamber has produced more events than ever and our events now are so well attended that last minute registration will be a thing of the past. In June 2017, the Chamber hosted State Senator Scott Wiener on the Friday before the July 4th weekend. The event sold out yet we let the casual last minute person attend despite the fact that lunch was not going to be available to them. In Sept. 2017, the Chamber held our annual Community Leadership Visit to seven Bay Area cities on the topic of housing— we had two full buses of Santa Cruz County leaders eager to participate. Again, last minute registrations were able to just squeeze in. In the fall and winter of 2017 and 2018, the end of the year events sold out with more people in attendance than the host member anticipated. Imagine a parking lot of over 300 plus people eager to be a part of Santa Cruz County Bank’s Ribbon Cutting of its new Headquarters. That Ribbon Cutting was top of the charts. Other events hosted by the Lighthouse Bank, Bay Federal Credit Union, the Dream Inn, Shoppers Corner and too many to recite here have also drawn larger crowds than in past years. At the Chamber’s Annual Gala in 2017 and 2018 — the Coconut Grove filled up with over 320 and 330 attendees energized for a fun night. Again, last minute registrations were allowed as people squeezed in to one of Santa Cruz County’s premier events. Now we are in 2019, the 130th year of your Santa Cruz Area Chamber, so be prepared for some special events this year. Our Annual members’ meeting hosted at the Dream Inn was yesterday morning. The event sold out over a week before the event. We were forced to apologize to the slew of last minute people who called to say “I want to attend.” “Sorry,” we replied, “but we are sold out and no seats are available” and placing over 20 people on a waitlist was all we could do. The words “SOLD OUT” will be a frequent response to those who wait until the last minute to register for their seat. Your Chamber staff works diligently to secure the proper sized venue, the right food for appetizers, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and content driven programs that make you want to return at the next event. As you think about your event calendar this year — also remember that behind the scenes so much activity is in play to make the event a Value Add for you, our members. Getting your ticket in advance assures that everybody wins, so don’t wait until the last minute! See you at our next event around the county. The next major Chamber event is the Annual Business Expo at the Cocoanut Grove on March 13th! Booths are filling quickly, so reserve yours today!
As any long time Santa Cruz resident knows, we walk to a different drum beat. We take life seriously but our out-worldly view catches new residents and visitors by surprise. Why? Santa Cruzans see the world from the inside out; because of the beauty of our natural environment, our passion to promote and protect our beaches, the Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains - it creates a spirit that fills the air. When asked “Why is Santa Cruz so unique and different,” the general response is something along the lines of “We don’t want to be like those techie folks from Silicon Valley who move too fast and don’t enjoy the ride.”
That laid back life style translates into the last minute decisions when thinking about what to do as local event after local event careens onto our calendars. Yes, Santa Cruz county residents have so many choices when it comes to events to attend - from art events, music venues in every music genre imaginable, sporting events like Warriors games, college and high school sporting events to active participation sports with groups of friends — think mountain and road biking, surfing, roller blading, tennis, golf (disc golf too), running on our beaches or up some mountain trail that occur on a regular basis.
The culture of Santa Cruz permeates the lifestyle that draws us here. Whether you are a business person, from public sector or an employee, we bleed ocean blue. We are truly blessed to call Santa Cruz County home.
Yet, for those of us in the Chamber business world, and those of us who must plan events weeks to months in advance to ensure we have selected the right venue, the right time of day and week, and provide the best content options so YOU can come to listen, learn, and engage with issues, programs, policies and projects - we are at the mercy of those souls who wait until the last minute to buy a ticket. Tom Peters noted that the best book on sales ever is the Art of the Sale; “Who knows, but it surely is the best I’ve ever read, Peters stated, “As a gazillion-mile traveling salesman myself, I learned an amazing amount about who I am and what I do from this book. We all live by selling: ideas or products or peace in our time. The Art of the Sale is perhaps unique—a marvelous book about selling, and life, and who we are and how we tick. And the case studies are dazzling.”
The Art of the Sale requires a different approach in Santa Cruz (we are not a case study — because so many laid back Santa Cruzans can pick and choose their activities at the last minute and safely secure their tickets). Your Chamber works on the edge of time, space, venue to make the event just right for our members and the community. Quality content matters — a good topic, speakers or just a place to network. For event planners — this can be a challenge as all the preparation in the world does not mean Santa Cruzans will show up. That is changing.
Our regular “Business After Hours” events draw good crowds for networking. Attendees nosh on appetizers and enjoy a beverage while meeting their Santa Cruz Business Community peers. Who does not want to spend a couple hours on a mid-week day visiting with friends and colleagues having a fun evening to break up the work week?
Over the course of the last two years, the Chamber has produced more events than ever and our events now are so well attended that last minute registration will be a thing of the past.
In June 2017, the Chamber hosted State Senator Scott Wiener on the Friday before the July 4th weekend. The event sold out yet we let the casual last minute person attend despite the fact that lunch was not going to be available to them.
In Sept. 2017, the Chamber held our annual Community Leadership Visit to seven Bay Area cities on the topic of housing— we had two full buses of Santa Cruz County leaders eager to participate. Again, last minute registrations were able to just squeeze in.
In the fall and winter of 2017 and 2018, the end of the year events sold out with more people in attendance than the host member anticipated. Imagine a parking lot of over 300 plus people eager to be a part of Santa Cruz County Bank’s Ribbon Cutting of its new Headquarters. That Ribbon Cutting was top of the charts. Other events hosted by the Lighthouse Bank, Bay Federal Credit Union, the Dream Inn, Shoppers Corner and too many to recite here have also drawn larger crowds than in past years.
At the Chamber’s Annual Gala in 2017 and 2018 — the Coconut Grove filled up with over 320 and 330 attendees energized for a fun night. Again, last minute registrations were allowed as people squeezed in to one of Santa Cruz County’s premier events.
Now we are in 2019, the 130th year of your Santa Cruz Area Chamber, so be prepared for some special events this year. Our Annual members’ meeting hosted at the Dream Inn was yesterday morning. The event sold out over a week before the event. We were forced to apologize to the slew of last minute people who called to say “I want to attend.” “Sorry,” we replied, “but we are sold out and no seats are available” and placing over 20 people on a waitlist was all we could do. The words “SOLD OUT” will be a frequent response to those who wait until the last minute to register for their seat.
Your Chamber staff works diligently to secure the proper sized venue, the right food for appetizers, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and content driven programs that make you want to return at the next event. As you think about your event calendar this year — also remember that behind the scenes so much activity is in play to make the event a Value Add for you, our members. Getting your ticket in advance assures that everybody wins, so don’t wait until the last minute! See you at our next event around the county.
The next major Chamber event is the Annual Business Expo at the Cocoanut Grove on March 13th! Booths are filling quickly, so reserve yours today!