• Opportunities
• President's Message
• Executive Director’s Message
• Membership Fees
• Merchant Discount

BACK TO THE ‘50S SHOW N’ SHINE

This extremely exciting event has been held for over 20 years on the Friday of Father’s Day weekend.  Hundreds of exhibitors from all over the province come to show off their vehicles to 1000’s of enthusiasts that have come to Melfort to do some shopping, see some amazing vehicles, enjoy some entertainment and satisfy their taste buds at any of the many food vendors.

Chamber Members are given the opportunity to sponsor Vehicle Class trophies and prizes for the exhibitors. Members are encouraged to get into the spirit by entering the best dressed business contest or having a promotional event of their own, such as Melody Motors;  Back to the ‘50s would not be the same without their “Human Truck Pull”.

MELFORT MILE-LONG PARADE

As a kick-off to the Melfort Exhibition, the Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Mile-Long Parade.  This is a great opportunity to promote your business by entering a float and getting into the fun and spirit of everything with the many lined up and down our city streets.

KIDS FEST

2011 is the first year of this amazing event. Hundreds of children and their parents come to enjoy an afternoon dedicated to kids. Games, crafts,  prizes, face painting, balloon twisting, story- telling, hay rides are just a few of the many events happening at the park free of charge. This event creates a great opportunity for members to sponsor events or provide small prizes for big smiles!

NORTHERN LIGHTS SHOWCASE TRADE & CRAFT SHOW

The Melfort and District Chamber of Commerce, along with the Melfort Kinsmen host the Northern Lights Showcase Trade & Craft Show.  This very successful, full-scale event of over 100 exhibitors has been heralded as “one of the best”. Attendance of over 2500 and significantly reduced rates for Chamber members, makes this an excellent opportunity to showcase your business. The Melfort Kinsmen graciously provide all the manpower needed to make set up and take down a dream for the exhibitors..

The holiday season is a special time for the Chamber as we coordinate the annual Light Up Melfort campaign. As a part of this promotion each Member is given the opportunity to sponsor a fully lit tree on Saskatchewan Avenue with your business name placed in front of your tree. It is a great way of saying Happy Holidays!

MEL-BEX AWARDS

Our Premier Event of the Year! Each year we recognize Melfort’s best during the Annual Mel-Bex Awards Gala Dinner. There are 10 Mel-Bex Awards presented as well as the Citizen of the Year Award.  Every Chamber Member is eligible to win one of these prestigious awards and this of course can greatly increase public awareness of your organization. We are very proud to celebrate the success of our Members.

MEMBER TO MEMBER UPDATE

Each week a Member to Member Update is distributed to all members via e-mail or fax.   This update contains highlights and promotions that any member would like the Chamber to promote to the rest of the membership free of charge.

BUSINESS FOR OPENERS

The Chamber hosts a series of breakfasts throughout the year featuring a guest speaker and breakfast buffet.
These are an excellent networking opportunity and a great way to start any day.

COMMITTEES

All Chamber members are given an opportunity to commit their time and energy to any of our active committees.  Every event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce needs committee members to give their new, refreshing ideas and to help organize and see the events through.

To the Members of the Melfort and District Chamber of Commerce

It was a year of learning and planning and executing new ideas, which I feel will sets the stage for a bigger and brighter year ahead.

We went through a changing of the guard in regards to our Executive Director, with Lori Fettes leaving us in the summer and Candis Harper taking over the duties in August, an addition to the chamber that is just starting to reap the benefits of Candis joining the team. She has an extensive knowledge of operating organizations like our Chamber and brings to the table enthusiasm and ideas that we are looking at moving forward with in 2009.

We re-implemented the member to member fax/ email feature that keeps members update on different member activities, and the response has been great.

As for the Chamber itself, membership is growing slowly but hopefully we can increase that with some of the new and improved initiatives we have ran over the past year. It was unfortunate that the Car Show in the summer of 2008 was cancelled due to inclement weather, but planning and some new ideas to be looked at for 2009 will hopefully move the event to another level.

The Trade Show was a success in October and already the committee is planning new twists and ideas to keep the momentum growing and provide new and additional opportunities for businesses in our area and ideas, products and services for the residents who attend.

I think our biggest impact happened over the Christmas season, with the hard work and volunteer support from the Mustangs and the City of Melfort we revitalized the Christmas Tree Light Up campaign on Saskatchewan Ave. Bring in more sponsors and with the new lights purchased a beautiful addition to the festive season. As well the Moonlight Madness launch in November was a big success, great weather, excellent turnout and community participation to kick off the Christmas shopping season in Melfort, we should also note the events success also is related to the participation of many business members and none members who jumped back on the band wagon, ideas are already in place to enhance the 2009 version.

Some things we will be looking at in the upcoming year will include a special event fundraiser for the chamber to be determined but expected in Early November.  As well as a potential huge community activity that is just in the discussion stages with an early 2010 window.

As well the chamber is looking at the tourism aspect of our operation in conjunction with the City of Melfort, and we will keep you posted on developments.

In closing our past year was one of growth, and the new-year ahead looks to be more of the same as we strive to make Melfort a great place to call home.

Grant Schutte, President

Hello, my name is Nicole Gagné, and I am the Executive Director for the Melfort & District Chamber of Commerce.  Although I have only been a citizen of Melfort for a short period of time; I am fortunate enough to become a part of a wonderful community and active Chamber that is as exciting and diverse as the members of the community itself.   

This has created the opportunity for me to see the city as a tourist and as a new resident; a great position to be in when looking for ways to bring new visitors to Melfort, creating a successful atmosphere for the businesses to thrive.  I have brought with me over 20 years of business experience that enables me to see the strengths and hurdles facing each organization and use my new, fresh ideas to help make the business community even stronger.  The new businesses moving into vacant or new buildings as well as other existing companies looking to expand is proof of the economic prosperity of the region and the strength of the business sector itself.

If you are not already a member, I encourage you to become a part of this committed and passionate group.  Not only do you gain membership in a strong and active Chamber, gain promotion and marketing; but also the ability to help plan Chamber activities, invites to ‘Chamber Only’ sponsored events and the opportunity to join the Chamber Group Insurance Plan.

I am proud to represent the businesses of the Melfort & District Chamber of Commerce. If you have any questions or require further information, please stop in or contact me.

Nicole Gagné
Executive Director

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Membership Fee

** all payments received before January 31st of the membership year are eligible for a 10% discount.

WARNING!

your business or service. Referrals from our phone calls, chamber directory listings, and website exposure could also result in additional business brought to your door. Your prolonged support of the chamber helps us support community initiatives and economic development which in turn improves the quality of life in this great city.

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