Block and Banner Ads are now available for members only on this website. Prominent placement will be given on a first come basis. Ads start at $50 for block size for three months. Average Daily Website Visitors for May to date is 1994!

The deadline is approaching for the Annual Dinner – Don’t be left out of our biggest “After Hours” of the year! Reservations are due in the Chamber office by May 21. You can still be part of the festivities and promote your business at the same time by:

• Placing an ad in the program
• Donating an item for the raffle
• Providing a promotional coupon or small item for the gift bags given to attendees

Our Sponsors to date include PSNH, Granite State Credit Union, Centrix Bank, Amerident Dental Associates, Eaton & Berube, and Home Theater & Beyond.

Call the office at 673-4360 or email May Balsama directly at may@souhegan.net for more information.

The following will be honored at our 22nd Annual Award Dinner on June 3 at the Alpine Grove:

Business of the Year – Beaver Brook Assoc.

Small Business of the Year – Eaton & Berube Insurance

Business Leader of the Year – Matthew Bernard

Volunteer of the Year – Karen Keating, St. Mary’s Bank

SV History Recognition Award – Jessie Salisbury

Future Business Leaders – Jonathan Gual (HBHS), Kyle Lampinen (MRHS), Connor Jackson (MHS), Eric Nelson (SHS), Chris Len (SHS), Liza Roy (WLC), and Steven Heck (WLC)

Our Sponsors to date include PSNH, Granite State Credit Union, Centrix Bank, Amerident Dental Associates, Eaton & Berube, and Home Theater & Beyond.

It is not even June but already the buzz is beginning for the 2010 Southern New Hampshire Expo to be held at The Dome at Hampshire Hills on October 21, 2010. Sponsors are pledging their support, exhibitors are reserving booth space, the restaurants are warming up their grills and activities are being planned.

If you have exhibited at the Expo before you know the impact of having the opportunity to meet over 3500 potential customers face to face in an afternoon.

If you are a new exhibitor and have questions, give us a call at 603.673.4360 and one of our Expo Committee members will give you a call to help you plan for a successful event.

Remember the first fifty exhibitors to sign up for space will receive a free month’s ad on the Chamber website.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Tips for a Great Trade Show

Pre-show:

• Use pre-show promotions to attract booth traffic.
• Send a pre-show email to your clients and prospects located close to the show
• Send free tickets to clients and prospects
• Post the trade schedule on your website with a link to sign up for appointments

At your booth:

• Run presentations or video loops on large monitors
• Give a free sample of your product
• Have a raffle, sweepstake, money machine or game
• Offer a show special or discount

Why Attend the 2010 Souhegan Valley Business Expo?

By Barbara Allen, Allen Remodeling

How many places can you go to intThe Souhegan Valley and find experts from virtually every conceivable industry? Only one —- The Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce Business EXPO. Each October, over 3,000 consumers and members of the local business community gather in Milford to attend The Business EXPO. They come for the following reasons:

• Information on the latest products and services
• Advice for the challenges of running a business
• New business contacts to grow business
• Meeting and socializing with potential customers
• Opportunity for networking and closing sales

This Years Business EXPO, October 21, 2010 from 2:00 to 7:30 pm, is the place for opportunity by bringing experts from manufacturing, health care, financial, construction, printing, continuing education and host of other industries all in one place. In addition to having over 220 booths of experts, you can expect to:

• Gain tangible leads
• Discover products/services to improve productivity
• Build connections for future growth
• Discuss challenges/receive advice on issues facing your business

From One of Our Visitors 2009 …
“I enjoyed the Expo and plan to attend again this year. Maybe even as an exhibitor! The show had so much to offer attendees, both from a business and personal standpoint. As a real estate agent, I found it helpful to meet those in the mortgage business, as well as caterers who could help me provide food for open houses. My son, who was 12 at the time, loved it because he enjoys sampling food and playing the games that some of the exhibitors had. There was something for everyone!”
Susanne Lynch, Virtual Homes Real Estate

Expo Exhibitors Committed to Date

Absolute Mechanical Systems
Allen Remodeling
Amherst Family Chiropractic
Blazing Signs
Boyd & Boufford
C1M Photography
Cabinet Press
First Colebrook Bank
Hitchiner Manufacturing, Inc.
Home Theater and Beyond
Innovations
Mary Kay
Milford Applied Tech
Nader Moavenian, DDS, PA
NH Dept of Fish and Game
Ocean Bank
Owens Corning
PSNH
Penguin Windows
St. Mary’s Bank
TD Bank
Town of Milford
Wadleigh Memorial Library

You can now purchase your tickets to the Annual Dinner online. Our 22nd Annual Dinner and Award Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Alpine Grove in Hollis, New Hampshire. Cocktail Reception begins at 5:30pm, Dinner and Awards at 7:00pm. The Chamber will be honoring the outstanding businesses, leaders, and volunteers for 2010, and recognizing future business leaders. Tickets for the event are $40 per person – click here to buy your tickets.

Rise and Shine Your Way to Success with our monthly Member Breakfast! Join us June 17th at Milford Coffee and Provisions, Elm Street, Milford beginning at 7:30 am. Your hosts will provide “Wake Up Refreshments”, time to network with members and guests followed by our featured speaker, author and radio host, Mike Bonacorsi, CFP, on the topic Retirement Planning is More than the Value of Your 401k! More information will follow, but mark your calendars now and RSVP so we can plan on you. Space is limited!

By the way, SVCC would like to launch a breakfast series in the coming months and is looking for members interested in either opening their place of business to hold one, sponsoring one held elsewhere, or contributing to content. Please contact the SVCC office. We have our first Sponsor for June! )

The May After Hours will be hosted by The Norwoods Group, 46 Rte 101A, Amherst from 5:30 – 7:30 pm on Wednesday, May 26th. Mark your calendars and don’t be left out!

Once More we are changing the date of the New Member Orientation – There appear to be too many conflicts with our date for next week.  We WILL meet on Monday, May 17 at 7:30 AM.  Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for an update on New Member Services, How to Navigate our Networking and After Hours events, How to join a Committee at the Chamber and increase your network and contact with our business community!  We are looking forward to seeing you.  Please RSVP so we can plan on you.  May