Recently, the chamber of commerce in my hometown of Nashville underwent a branding makeover. They redesigned their logo and changed their branding efforts from what had served them for the last 15 years.
I know a few folks over at the chamber, and they’re nice people, seeking to promote Nashville to visitors and locals alike. No doubt Nashville wouldn’t be where it is today without the hard work of the people there. And, lots of things need to rebrand every now and then. Granted, such an effort wasn’t done exclusively to attract and retain young talent, but I have to wonder:
Is the chamber model the best way to get and keep young professionals in your community?
When I use the phrase “chamber model,” I realize that not all chambers of commerce operate in a similar fashion, and initiatives vary from community to community. And, I realize that suggesting said model is broken is like saying our education system doesn’t work, or that online dating is stupid. While lots of systems have setbacks and hiccups, there are also net positives that make the efforts of nearly any endeavor worthwhile.
But I’m not just looking to make things worthwhile. I’m looking to make them remarkable.
While at the YP Summit in September, a, entrepreneurial young professional told me, “I’d never join my chamber of commerce. It’s too expensive. Besides, why would I want to go to some breakfast and listen to a random guy tell me about his mortgage business?”
And someone else said, “I don’t care about my chamber of commerce. They’re not talking to the people I want to talk to. I’m sure they’ll be obsolete in ten years.”
Talk about a need for a rebranding effort.
Chambers of commerce serve a purpose. Many help attract businesses looking to relocate. Chambers are the public relations experts for their city in other markets. But for a lot of young professionals, they seem relegated to the ranks of carnival barker, telling us about the wonders that await inside, without the intent of engagement.
If you want someone to move to your city and stay there for a while, you have to do more than paint a pretty picture. You have to help them find a brush and paint with you. A chamber can host all the breakfasts and networking mixers it wants. It can lure businesses and sports teams time and again. But until it understands that young professionals want more than one good job and some great diversions after work, they won’t really be pushing engagement.
In my opinion, chambers of commerce must be the face of engagement in their cities. Attraction isn’t good enough any more. Not when I can start a business more easily than ever. Not when it doesn’t matter what city I work in, making me a free agent to the community that best suits my values and dreams (and budget).
Of course, like most things young professionals get involved with, initiatives that are top down aren’t that appealing and are often bypassed for reasons of both speed and effectiveness. I don’t need to wait until the chamber (or my job or a nonprofit) schedules a mixer. I can do it myself with some friends and a cause.
I can start my own business, I can find people like me, and I can get involved a way that is relevant, quick and engaging. Unless chambers realize that they’ve got to not only get someone in the door but also give them a seat at the table, very soon, Millennials will be graduating, picking cities and moving around, completely unconcerned about a massive citywide effort aimed to lure them in.
And no new logo will help with that.
Many chambers have YP groups in an effort to engage young citizens. Next week, I’ll dive into what makes one of these groups remarkable.