Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel
Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

In This Issue
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PURCHASE YOUR ANNUAL MEETING TICKETS
BE IN OUR MEMBER PHOTO ESSAY
RESERVE AD SPACE FOR 2015 OPPORTUNITIES
COMPLETE YOUR BUSINESS LISTING FOR THE GUIDEBOOK
HOST A BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
COMING SOON: FEATURED MEMBERS ON OUR WEBSITE
DONATE TO OR VOLUNTEER FOR THE HOLIDAY AUCTION
Chamber News September 2014

THANK YOU TO OUR NEWSLETTER SPONSORS

      

 

      

 

UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS

 

September 10
Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Wells Reserve at Laudholm

September 24
Business After Hours
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Port Inn Kennebunk

October 8
Business After Hours
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage / Residential Mortgage Services, Inc.


 
TOUR BUS SCHEDULE
 

The current schedule of tour bus arrivals to Kennebunkport can be viewed on our website. Chamber staff is available to meet the buses, answer questions and distribute guidebooks and maps. Some tour bus visitors have even stopped by the visitor center in Lower Village to get more information to plan a future vacation to the Kennebunks!

 

 
MEMBER NEWS
 

Did you know that members can add press releases, accolades and other news to GoKennebunks.com? Sign in to your listing and share updates on your business!

 

 
BUSINESS RESOURCES
 

The Chamber's website, GoKennebunks.com, has resources for businesses, including IRS tax information for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Visit our website to learn more.

 

 

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2013-2014 Board of Directors
  

Chair 

 David "Duffy" Cluff

Duffy's Tavern & Grill


 Vice-Chair

 Laura Dolce

York County Coast Star 


 Secretary

  Christopher Doiron

Biddeford Savings Bank


 Treasurer

Eileen Brogli

Kennebunk Investment Services


 Past Chair

 Sarah Lindblom

Captain Jefferds Inn


 Senior Trustees

  Vicki Lyons

Southern Maine Health Care


 Todd Shea

Town of Arundel


 Board Members

 

Michelle Moore Allen

Bath Fitter of Maine


 Mark Birmingham

Coldwell-Banker 


 Sandra Bisson

Peoples United Bank


  Damien Callahan

Port Inn Kennebunk


Kim Chilton

Bank of America

  

Beth Geary

Kennebunkport Resort Collection


 Tina Hewett-Gordon

The Nonantum Resort


 Kerrie Leclair

Animal Welfare Society


Ken Mason

Seaside Inn


 Matthew Williams

Hodsdon & Ayer


 Rick Wolf

The B&B Team


 Linda Zuke

Weirs Motors

 

Staff

 Denise Clavette

Executive Director

director@gokennebunks.com 


 Traci Freed

Membership & Marketing Manager

members@gokennebunks.com 


Dawn Brennan-Daly

Chamber Operations Coordinator

info@gokennebunks.com 


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Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce

 

 Administrative Offices & Tourism Information  Center

16 Water Street

 Downtown Kennebunk

207-967-0857

 

Tourism Information Center

1 Chase Hill Road

Lower Village Kennebunk

  

Mailing Address

PO Box 740

Kennebunk, ME 04043

 

www.gokennebunks.com 

info@gokennebunks.com 

 

 A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

 

Greetings,

 

I hope your summer has been fun-filled, exciting and you've found time to enjoy the beauty of the area we call home ~ to our residents and businesses alike.  Our gorgeous, sandy stretches of beach are filled with people enjoying the sun, playing, running and relaxing.  And Kennebunk - Kennebunkport - Arundel, especially Dock Square, Lower Village, and downtown Kennebunk, are filled with tourists shopping, dining, and staying at our historic inns, hotels, resorts, motels, cottages, rentals and campgrounds.  Our visitor centers, located in Lower Village and at 16 Water Street, Kennebunk reflect this exciting energy, with people stopping in for area information, assistance and even relocation information!  Did you know that within the past year, over 11,000 people visited our centers? 

 

Tourism provides a huge economic boost to our area businesses, and being part of the Chamber makes your business a front runner in being known and visible to our tourists.  According to the Maine Office of Tourism Visitor Tracking Research 2013 Calendar Year Annual Report, produced by a DPA, May 2014 - an excess of 11 million visitors came to the area (Maine Beaches) in 2013 and spent more than $1.5 billion, with retail sales and restaurant / food accounting for 86% of that revenue. 

 

Closer to home, as in our Chamber office home, we are very excited to embark on a journey to hire a public and media relations firm / consultant to help promote our area as a year round place to visit, live and work in.  The Chamber wrote and was awarded a $10,000 grant to support this initiative.  Matching funds committed toward this project will be $5,000 from the Chamber and a total of $5,000 from partners Amtrak / Downeaster, Kennebunkport Resort Collection, The Nonantum, Port Inn Kennebunk and Inn at English Meadows.   We thank all who are involved in making this project a reality. 

 

As always, with an open-door philosophy, the Chamber welcomes you to stop by.  We would love to hear from you.  If you have ideas, concerns, or need help navigating through business resources and information, feel free to call me or set up a time to meet.  I would be more than happy to help.  

 

Best regards,

 

Denise M. Clavette, Executive Director

   

GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE ANNUAL MEETING!

 

Purchase tickets for the Annual Meeting and Awards before they are sold out! Tickets are $35 per person and include a light dinner catered by Kitchen Chicks. Cash bar available. Contact Dawn Brennan-Daly at 

207-967-0857 or info@gokennebunks.com by September 5, 2014 to purchase your tickets. It promises to be a great evening!

 

  

CHAMBER MEMBER PHOTO ESSAY

  

The Chamber is creating a photo essay of member businesses to display at the Annual Meeting. If you have not already sent a photo of you and/or your staff in front of your business or sign, please email your photo to 

Dawn Brennan-Daly at info@gokennebunks.com by September 5, 2014. 

 

RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE TODAY!

 

   

2015 Advertising Opportunities for Chamber Members!

 

Maine Invites You: Maine's official travel planner has a print circulation of 300,000 and more online. The guide is featured at 625 high-traffic locations throughout New England and the Middle Atlantic states and distributed at national and international consumer travel shows. 

Deadline to Advertise: October 1, 2014

 

Experience the Kennebunks: The official guidebook of the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel community focuses on area attractions and businesses with extensive use of photography. The guidebook is distributed to 70,000 people worldwide plus more online and is the primary fulfillment piece for visitors, trade shows and tour buses.

Deadline to Advertise: November 1, 2014

 

Chamber Map of the Kennebunks and Arundel: This area map is a great resource for visitors, residents, businesses and people relocating to the area. With a print distribution of 13,000, the map is distributed to cruise ship tour bus visitors and at Chamber visitor centers, area businesses, points of interest and transportation centers. 

Deadline to Advertise: November 1, 2014

 

Download advertising specs, rates and contracts.

 

Call Traci Freed at 207-967-0857 to reserve your ad space today! 

 

COMPLETE YOUR BUSINESS LISTING IN EXPERIENCE THE KENNEBUNKS GUIDEBOOK

  

Chamber members receive a complimentary business listing in the Experience the Kennebunks guidebook. Please download the listing form, complete your business information and return the form by November 1, 2014 to Traci Freed at members@gokennebunks.com.  

2015 BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

  

Host a Business After Hours event or participate as a business partner! Business After Hours in 2015 will be held on the third Wednesday of the month. The cost to host an event is $395. A new feature at selected Business After Hours is the addition of business partners. Business partners pay a $50 fee to have a display table at the event. 

 

If you are interested in hosting a Business After Hours or participating as a business partner, please contact Dawn Brennan-Daly at 

207-967-0857 or info@gokennebunks.com.  

FEATURED MEMBERS ON CHAMBER WEBSITE

  

Beginning in October, the Chamber will randomly select three members every two weeks to be featured on the home page of our website, GoKennebunks.com. Featured members will provide the Chamber with photos and a short article highlighting their business that will be posted to our blog. This is a great opportunity to showcase our member businesses and promote what they are doing in the community!

HOLIDAY AUCTION DONATIONS & VOLUNTEERS

  

Our Holiday Auction on November 19th is one of the Chamber's annual fundraising events and we need your help! If you would like to donate auction items or volunteer to help with the event, please contact 

Dawn Brennan-Daly at 207-967-0857 or info@gokennebunks.com.  

 

At the Annual Meeting, we will have a sneak peak of items and unique experiences that have already been donated for the auction!