Ambassadors of the Chamber ensure member satisfaction and retention. They also help staff events and act as mentors for new members. This month, Commerce spoke with the ambassador chairs, Jana Davison and Jennifer Morris.
Q: Why are you committed to the Chamber’s Ambassador Program?
Davison: I’m an account executive for Cariten Healthcare, and with my children, I got involved in the Ambassador Program to channel some of my energy toward giving back to the business community. The Ambassador Program allows me to network, to get to know the business decision makers, and it satisfies my desire to be involved in my community.
Morris: My main reason is because the Knoxville Chamber is the main driving force of the economy in the Knoxville region. The Chamber’s work relates to my work at the Knoxville Convention Center, and this is my opportunity to be involved.
Q: Why are you involved in the Chamber?
Davison: Any businessperson can find value in a Chamber membership. But it’s not just the membership in the Chamber that is important – it’s the membership and the involvement. New members need to attend the New Member Reception because that event summarizes how the Chamber can help your business. I think the Chamber membership and the Chamber involvement give you such a wealth of knowledge and value. If you are involved there is no doubt that the Chamber membership will be valuable.
And the New Member Reception is not just for new members. I like to come to get a refresher on the Chamber benefits. It’s a very non-threatening, informative avenue for information.
Q: What’s is your most important role as an Ambassador?
Morris: Making sure as a group we keep reaching out to the community the way we do – through ribbon cuttings, attending events, and welcoming new members. It is also key that we keep introducing new ideas for the organization.
Davison: I carry a Chamber membership with me all the time. When I’m on a sales call, I often encourage my clients to join the Chamber. I think it is important that we, as Ambassadors, approach potential new members and expose them to the benefits of Chamber membership. We also need to invite people to events with us and get them actively involved in the Chamber.
Q: You mentioned “new ideas.” Can you explain what those are?
Morris: Mostly what I mean is bringing new things to the Ambassador Program and to the Ambassadors. We bring in speakers to brief the volunteers on what is happening in the city and county. We want to make sure that we keep all the Ambassadors up to date on what’s happening because we are voices of the Chamber.
Q: Ambassadors are really involved in the Chamber. So, what do you think the Chamber is doing well and what do you think the Chamber can do better?
Morris: I think the organization has done a good job as the driving force for Knoxville’s economy.
Davison: Two really good things come to my mind – events and communications.
The events are really amazing. They are varied. They reach everybody in some way or another and appeal to everybody’s interest.
I love the weekly email digest and our involvement in the Business Journal. Anything you want to know about – membership- or business-wise – is in one of those two publications.
Those two things are also the most visible reasons someone ought to be a member of the Knoxville Chamber.
One thing I’d like to see the Knoxville Chamber do more is work jointly with other chambers in the region. Maybe that can just be through the Ambassador programs, or maybe that’s by planning an occasional event together. I’m not sure how that would work, but I’d like to see an association of chambers and an interaction of all those different memberships.
Morris: Speaking for the Ambassador program, we are planning on organizing some conversations or exchanges with other chamber volunteer programs across the region and the country. I think there are some lessons learned we can draw on from others. And there are some things we can share.
Q: What Chamber benefits do you think members ought to know about that they don’t know about?
Morris: I don’t think they understand all the things that are included in the Chamber membership or what they mean. When a business joins the Chamber, the representative is told about all the benefits that are included, but until they actually attend something or serve on a committee, they don’t see the value of the membership.
I also think too many members think in short-term value instead of long-term value. Many expect a quick, no-effort return on the membership dues. But, things in business rarely work that way. Very few sales or new client relationships come quickly. You have to work those, and you have to work your Chamber membership too. You’ve got get up from your desk and get out there and go to Chamber events or get involved in other things to make sure your membership provides you a return.
Davison: Yes, the Chamber is doing its part by offering great benefits and organizing great events, but you have to do your part, too.
