Manitowish Waters Chamber Of Commerce

Dear Prospective Member of the Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce:

The Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce, incorporated in 1939, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting its members and community to maintain and enhance the economic well-being of the area and strengthen its number one industry -- tourism. The Chamber operates on an Oct. 1 – Sept. 30 fiscal year.  On October 1, 2009, the Chamber will embark on its 71st year!

The Chamber can play a major role in generating travel to & revenue within the community based on its promotional efforts. You already know that in a tourism-based community and county, working together to support local business is a win-win for everyone. The turnover of dollars in our community impacts virtually everyone: restaurants, accommodations, gas stations, gift shops, realty offices, banks, building & trade, repair shops, etc. Surely there are different levels of benefit depending on the type of business you operate — some more reliant on local business than tourism – but we all appreciate the increased dollar flow from tourism! The tourism industry in our community, county, and state is vital to these economies. The Chamber’s number one objective is to promote its members and the area --- ultimately putting the membership before vast number of inquirers and driving them to the Northwoods. You will easily see how far your membership dues can reach for quite a minimal expense. (For example, full membership dues for a business located in the township of Manitowish Waters averages $300 annually --- that’s just $25 per month!) The Chamber Board and staff continue to put forth enthusiastic energy to ensure positive promotion of the area. The more members and volunteers, the more this organization can do for you’re your business, the community, and the folks who come to enjoy the Manitowish Waters area! Don’t miss out on your connection to a network of 130-plus members and the strong advertising tools the Chamber offers!

• Annual visitor guide -- 30,000 copies of the 2010 guides will be ready by Christmas. This 36-page directory of members serves as one of the main promotional tools of the Chamber. Full members receive a 50-word description and are offered display ad opportunities. Association members receive an organization name listing and contact number in the guide, while Associate members are listed by name. The guides are distributed at the Chamber, area businesses, through postal mailings, at Chambers and Visitor Centers throughout Wisconsin, trade shows, direct inquiries of the Chamber & Vilas County Tourism (phone, mail, e-mail, walk-ins), and through website inquiries – www.manitowishwaters.org  *We encourage you to join before November 1 to be included in the visitor guide. Members joining after guide completion will be listed on an insert to each guide.
• The Chamber website has risen to be our top advertising tool, providing detailed information about our members and community. Full members have a detailed listing on the website, and can also link their website to the Chamber site (which receives a growing average of over 200,000 hits and 7,000 unique visits per month)! Association and Associate members are also listed on the Chamber’s website.
• The Manitowish Waters DVD still remains available for sale at the Chamber for just $5. The DVD was produced in 2005, and includes a sprinkling of everything Manitowish Waters has to offer as well as its history. It’s a great piece to have on hand or share with a friend. Complimentary copies continue to be distributed to travel writers, promotional gift requests, and at our cranberry marsh tours.
• The “Taste of Manitowish Waters” dining guide continues to be a highly popular publication since our area has an abundance of eating establishments! Our Chamber-member restaurants continue to be the “talk of the town,” and a new guide (15,000 copies) is produced every other year (newest edition is out for 2009-10).
• Select advertising placements are made each year in various media. Also, from print, radio, internet and TV mediums that choose to share the information we give them about our area and events, we can’t say enough about the priceless free publicity that helps boost our visitor traffic. We also value the strong campaign that Vilas County Tourism runs each year, and the presence our Chamber has on the county’s website: www.vilas.org.
• Manitowish Waters will continue to be a “Choice Destination” by Discover Wisconsin through spring 2012! The Chamber has contracted a 2-year marketing campaign with Discover Mediaworks! Our first airing (of three) on DW will be April 3-4, 2010, giving us Midwest TV exposure. We’ll receive superb presence on www.discoverwisconsin.com, on statewide radio programs, at trade shows, and a video clip player linked to the Chamber website.
• The Town of Manitowish Waters graciously provides office space for our year ‘round Chamber within the Community Center, and we continue to provide the best customer service, full-time hours, inquiry database, informational website and timely, detailed mailings!

Our Chamber event successes have impacted the area!

• While the Chamber organizes the July 4th celebration’s parade and community center festivities, as well as promotes the celebration, it is truly a community effort with a number of local organizations involved to help round out the day’s activities, including the Skiing Skeeters water ski show and Town’s fireworks finale. Several of our Associate members have made generous donations toward the expansion and popularity of this holiday celebration and we thank you!
• The ‘Taste of Manitowish Waters’ has certainly established itself at the Lion’s Pavilion, thanks to our Chambermember dining establishments who take the time to offer a ‘taste’ of their culinary creations!
• Our annual Sidewalk Sales (held the same day as the ‘Taste of MW’) continues to bring great traffic to our retail members and the community!
• The Chamber’s annual Cranberry Colorama celebrates the start of our fall color and cranberry harvest season. The Chamber produced a limited edition 10th anniversary cooking contest cookbook in 2008 – all about cranberries! The annual Christmas Wreath & Garland Sale continues to be a nice fund raiser for the Chamber.
• Continued partnership between the Chamber & M.W. Cranberry Growers Assn. to offer free cranberry marsh tours The Chamber has been a major sponsor of the Discovery Center’s Birding Festival the past five years, and sees the value in promoting and being involved with this niche-market event … one that highlights the birding opportunities in our immediate area and Northern Wisconsin region to a growing number of birding enthusiasts!
• Marvel in Manitowish Waters continues to offer low/no cost family-fun activities & programs between Christmas and the New Year regardless of the weather. Several organizations have arranged special activities during the week to help round out a very nice calendar of things to do! Come out and participate this year, Dec. 26-31!
• KUDOS to the active organizations that put on events for locals & visitors alike! The Chamber works for you to promote these events and enjoys having so much to share about great things to do and see in our area!
• Promotion of our area through partnerships with the Vilas County Chamber, Vilas County Tourism & Publicity Department, Governor’s Lac du Flambeau Area Promotion, and ‘Hwy. 51 – It’s All About the Journey’ partnership helps expose our name even further in a very economical manner … and helps share information with everyone involved.

Don’t forget about these offerings your Chamber provides to its members:

• Weekly inquiry lists (from Vilas County Tourism & Manitowish Waters Chamber)
• Member listing on Chamber’s website with web link
• Ad opportunities in the annual MW visitor guide / Bi-annual dining guide
• Member-only event participation & promotional opportunities through the Chamber, County or Dept. of Tourism
• Ad opportunities in select print publications (seasonal and special event ads)
• Vilas County Tourism advertising; Ad opportunities in the V.C. travel guide and Vilas/Oneida County map
• Representation on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s website & in its publications
• Monthly MW Chamber newsletter with advertising insert opportunities
• Literature and/or business card placement in the Chamber office; Guest Hospitality Binders for all businesses
• Annual Fall Dinner and Board Elections
• Volunteer opportunities, including the Board of Directors & special events
• Use of the Chamber’s copier & fax machines (minimal fee)
• Invitations to workshops, seminars & other meetings to help advance your business and personnel training
• Invitations to quarterly Chamber PAARty membership gatherings (Prizes, Appetizers, Announcements, Refreshments) and opportunities to host!
• Membership decal for your window to proudly distinguish you as a Chamber member
• Full-time director devoted to year ‘round promotion of M.W. Chamber members and the community!

Let’s work together … to strengthen our local economy, enhance our living environment, and build our tourism industry which is so important to our Northwoods area. I look forward to promoting your business and providing our residents and visitors a great place to live and vacation! Please feel free to call me at 715-543-8488, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or stop by the office with questions.

Sincerely,
Jodi McMahon
Chamber Director

Full Member (Business) Application

Full Member Dues Structure

Association / Associate Member Application