I'm posting this from the Amtrak station in Martinez,California. (The picture is from dinner last night) We've got an hour layover waiting for our train back home to Fresno. "We" meaning myself, Sally Dove, Claudia Moorefield, Ellie Huston, Bev Stoccketti and Chris Jue - some of the best Ambassadors a Chamber staff person could ever ask for.
We spent the day at the Northern California Ambassador Rally in Berkeley. What a great opportunity for me to spend time learning about my counterparts from other cities. You might be able to network with other financial people, other retailers, and other businesses who are in the same niche or the same industry as you. Sometimes we're not thrilled about the competition, but you've got a lot of opportunities to learn from what they're doing well (and what they're doing wrong).
Because of the unique nature of Chambers of Commerce (just a few per city), I don't have the chance to network with my peers very often. So this was a special treat. I renewed friendships with Chris Phipps of Richmond and Sue Thurmon from Gilroy. I made new friends, meeting energetic Irish Robertson from Anderson, experienced Dawn Wilson from Pleasanton, open-minded Charlotte Mills from Danville, and super-energy Kevin from Berkeley.
One thing I learned is that not many of these Chambers are on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn ... yet. In the not to distant future, you'll be able to learn almost as much about your local chamber through social media as you will through their brochures and websites.
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