Welcome to our new blog page! Our chamber is making every effort to stay ahead of the technology curve and add value for members whenever we can. To that end, we have started this blog where we hope to share items of interest and more detailed member news on a regular basis.
We also have a very exciting announcement to make. Our chamber members are now listed in an app for smart phones, and as far as we can tell, we’re the only chamber in New England with this amazing marketing tool! To download the free app, just go to MyChamberApp on I-Tunes!
We need to move some members around as they were placed in the wrong categories when the data was downloaded, but that work should be done by the end of next week (Aug. 6). So many people are using apps to find what they need—from maps, to restaurants, to calculators! I predict the next surge in technology will be the development of thousands of apps. I’m sure I’m not the first to predict this, but I’m sure I’m the newest convert!
Before leaving for a two week road trip to Kentucky, I bought a new I-Phone. I had never used apps before. I was amazed at the information that was available right at my fingertips! I used the apps on my new I-Phone GS3 to find hotels, attractions, bathrooms, restaurants, gas stations—you name it.
One afternoon we were looking for a place to stop for lunch–a place that locals go to. We found the Sunset Grill listed, so we jumped off the highway and headed inland. After 5 minutes on a rural paved cow path, we began to think we had made a mistake—maybe the app was wrong?? We continued on for another few miles and then low and behold, the trees gave way to a beautiful riverfront with a huge marina on one side and the Sunset Grill on the other! We enjoyed a fabulous lunch with a mixed crowd of motorcyclists and golfers—just the kind of place we were looking for!
And as we sat gazing across the river, we noticed an elegant building peeking up out of the treetops. Our waitstaff informed us that we were looking at the Belterra Casino in Indiana. Well, using the maps app on our I-Phone, we made our way over to the casino for an hour of entertainment before hitting the road again! What a fun diversion!
So apps are the newest travel and recreation tool and they’re hot! They work! Download our chamber’s app now so you’ll have our directory right at your fingertips! Now I understand why telephone books are going the way of the dinosaur!
I’m so proud of our great staff for taking on my challenge when I got back from my roadtrip to get us on an app so our members could take advantage of this hot new marketing opportunity. And in two weeks, they did it! And it’s another FREE benefit of membership! Spread the word, add it to your web page, and don’t forget to include your GPS coordinates to your address information. My next blog post will be about GPS usage and your business. Happy summer!
Cathy Goodwin, Pres. CEO