COLUMBUS, Ind. — The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce hopes to offer an uplifting message of resilience to local businesses amid an unprecedented economic climate as it prepares to hold an annual meeting that in many ways will be unlike any other in the organization’s 130-year history.
In the past, the chamber’s annual meeting has been held at The Commons and the former Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, among other locations, and drawn crowds of hundreds.
This year, however, the Chamber’s 111th annual meeting will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 18 after being rescheduled from March 25 due to the pandemic, and will be largely online for the first time to protect the health and safety of participants, staff and chamber members.
The meeting will feature keynote speaker Charlotte Westerhaus-Renfrow, associate faculty chair and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Management and Business Law at the Kelley School of Business – Indianapolis.
Frey said the theme of resilience was already planned before the pandemic but has taken on a new meaning over the past few months. The chamber had initially planned to have Westerhaus-Renfrow talk about resilience at the Women and Leadership Lunch in May, which also was canceled due to the pandemic.
A group mainly comprised of sponsors and Chamber board members will attend the meeting in person at The Commons, 300 Washington St., but will be required to wear masks and seating will allow for physical distancing, said Cindy Frey, executive director of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.
Tickets for in-person seats are no longer available, but tickets to attend the event online can still be purchased for $50 on the Chamber’s website at business.columbusareachamber.com/events/details/annual-meeting-2020-digital-tickets-3557.
While the event may look different and fewer people can attend in person, much will remain the same and will feature awards for local businesses, a keynote speaker and “a celebration of the community and a celebration of excellence,” Frey said.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
