In 2014 I was invited to attend the Select Travelers Conference. It was suggested that we attend by our Chamber member Hoosier Park Racing and Casino. We were just getting "our feet wet" with taking groups to special out of town events. We had taken our Chamber members to sporting events, comedy shows, horse racing, and to the Indianapolis Colts training camp. There was this new idea of Chamber travel just dawning on the horizon...
For years Bank Travel has been very successful. Banks would offer their travel clubs to clients that opened an account within their banks. These bank travel clubs would take their members to destinations all over the world. Now a days, this idea has been declining with the banks becoming larger and more nationally wide spread. Enter the Chamber of Commerce...Chambers from all over the USA are now offering deep discount travel packages as a Chamber membership benefit. Chambers are offering trips to international and domestic locations throughout the year.
This year we started our new Chamber Travel Club called "Chamber Journeys". We will offer 2-3 deep discounted travel packages a year to a wide variety of destinations. In 2015, we have 3 trips scheduled. We have a trip to Italy already scheduled and ready for departure for March 2015. We also have a trips to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in October 2015 and a trip December 2015 to the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade. These travel packages include air/land fares, baggage handling, taxes, hotel accommodations, entrance to attractions, and meals. These all can be booked by contacting or stopping by the Chamber office.
Recently I returned from this year's Select Travelers Conference with some new and exciting ideas and destinations. We have taken the data from our annual survey of Dec 2014 and from members comments in determining our future destinations. In 2016, the Chamber will be visiting 2 more destinations. In the Spring of 2016 we will be traveling to Nashville, TN. We hope to include visits to: the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium, The "American Pickers" Store, Historical RCA Studio B, Marcy Jo's Mealhouse, and much more. We will have details on the Nashville trip in the next coming months. More info will follow on our Fall 2016 destination which is still in the works.
"Chamber Journeys" and the Alexandria Monroe Chamber of Commerce is trying to provide quality benefits and in turn would like to make your Chamber membership have more "bang for your bucks". Bringing people together and providing valuable benefits to our members and to the citizens of "Small Town USA".
-Jeff Bryan, Executive Director of the Alexandria Monroe Chamber of Commerce
