MEMBER BENEFITS WORKING FOR YOU
BREADTH OF MEMBERSHIP AND FOCUS OF MISSIONThe Williamstown Chamber of Commerce’s growing membership represents businesses and organizations with a vested interest in Williamstown and the Northern Berkshires, with representation in all business sectors. The Chamber’s broad-based membership is comprised of businesses throughout the Northern Berkshires, Southern Vermont, Eastern New York, and beyond. The Chamber is committed to serving the needs of its members through fostering business collaboration, tourism promotion, future planning, providing access to information resources, and advocating for its members in government matters. The Chamber brings businesses and tourism entities together as a single voice, supports quality and excellence, and helps to enhance the area’s economic prosperity.
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIESMonthly Chamber meetings and business-after-hours Networking Nights, hosted by Chamber members, provide important opportunities for making contacts with fellow business members. Chamber membership provides you with a diversity of businesses with whom to network and collaborate. Capitalize on these connections to increase new business and improve your bottom line. Through Chamber membership, you have the opportunity to meet people with goals similar to yours and become further involved in the Northern Berkshire business community.
REFERRAL SYSTEM
A year-round referral system, with a well-trained, service-oriented staff, directly benefits members. The Chamber is committed to serving and promoting its members. Referrals are provided weekdays through the Chamber Office, 7 Denison Park Drive, Williamstown. In addition, from June through October, volunteers at the Visitors Booth, located at the junction of Routes 2 and 7, provide tourism information and referrals to visitors.
MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
WILLIAMSTOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE’S WEBSITE
The Chamber’s re-designed website provides comprehensive content and user-friendly design to meet the needs of visitors and businesses. The website offers an all-inclusive guide to Chamber members, cultural and recreational attractions, special events, and important business community news and developments. Your business’ listing on the Chamber’s website, which includes a hyperlink to your website, is a benefit of Chamber membership and provides a tremendous marketing opportunity. Sponsorship/advertising opportunities on the website are another marketing advantage for members. In addition, highly popular tourism sites such as the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism in Boston, and MassCountryRoads.com link to the Chamber's website. These links allow viewers worldwide access to your business.
WILLIAMSTOWN CHAMBER’S GUIDE & MAP
The Chamber’s Guide & Map is the most widely distributed tourism guide in the area and significantly expands your business’ marketing reach throughout the Berkshires and beyond. The Chamber receives requests worldwide for its Guide & Map. With its detailed maps and comprehensive listings of all Chamber members updated yearly, the Guide & Map enjoys an annual distribution of 25,000. This important marketing vehicle is distributed via the Chamber office, cultural attractions, Chamber members, in particular lodging establishments, restaurants, and real estate agents, Williams College, the Visitors Booth at the corner of Routes 2 & 7, the Information Center at 100 Spring Street, the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, and other area chambers of commerce.
SPONSORSHIP / ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES ON CHAMBER’S WEBSITE
The Chamber provides sponsorship / advertising opportunities for members’ businesses on its re-designed website. With the website’s high volume of daily traffic, members are encouraged to take advantage of realizing the advertising potential and marketing reach of the internet.
COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES
Your business can expect discounted rates in Chamber-sponsored cooperative advertisements. We help members obtain greater exposure in order to effectively and economically promote their businesses.
INSERTS IN THE NORTHERN BERKSHIRE BUSINESS NEWSLETTER
Advertise your business or service to over 500 readers through an insert in the Chamber’s monthly Northern Berkshire Business Newsletter. The newsletter has a broad geographic distribution and offers a prime advertising vehicle for your business. Contact the Chamber for pricing and publishing details.
CHAMBER GROUP HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCEYour business can access health and dental insurance at a chamber rate through your Chamber membership. Managed by Health Services Administrators (HSA), we currently have access to Aetna Inc., Assurant Employee Benefits Dental, Delta Dental of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare, Health New England, Insurance Partnership Program, Neighborhood Health Plan, Tufts Health Plan, and United Healthcare. HSA now provides a Flexible Spending Account to employer groups wishing to participate in a pre-tax benefits plan, saving money for both employees and employers. In addition, you can apply for special assistance with health insurance costs through the state run Insurance Partnership Program (Qualifying IPP is based on set salary guidelines.)
INFORMATION RESOURCES
MONTHLY NORTHERN BERKSHIRE BUSINESS NEWSLETTER
Available on the Chamber’s website and sent to members via e-mail, the Northern Berkshire Business Newsletter offers an important resource for business information, upcoming events, and Chamber news. The newsletter enjoys a diverse readership of local businesses, community members, and readers nationwide who want to stay informed of the latest developments and news from the Northern Berkshires.
INFORMATION BOOTH
The Information Booth is open 365 days a year and is staffed from June through October by service-oriented volunteers. The volunteers provide tourism information and referrals to visitors. They also assist lodging establishments with filling unexpected vacancies. The booth is exclusively for Chamber members’ promotional materials. As a service to our visitors, we offer a selective number of programming guides to non-member cultural and historic attractions.
INFORMATION CENTER
Located at 100 Spring Street in the B&L Building, the Information Center is frequented by visitors and community members. Open year round, the Information Center exclusively displays Chamber members’ brochures and publications. A bulletin board is available for the community to post events and notices.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESThe Chamber encourages active participation by its members in shaping the course of the Chamber and the Northern Berkshire community. Consider volunteering your time and talents through involvement in one of the Chamber’s committees: membership, marketing, programming, sponsorship/fundraising, lodging and restaurants, Holiday Walk Weekend, or Bay State Winter Games.
MEMBERSHIP INVESTMENT IS DEDUCTIBLEYour membership investment is tax deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense.
