The Geneva Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce  was formed in 1937 and is a membership based

association comprised of businesses & professionals who have joined together to serve as the "unifying force" which supports the interests of commerce and the Geneva Lake area community.  The area's economic well being is directly related to the caliber of work done by the Chamber.

      The Chamber's mission is to advance the commercial, civic and economic interests of the Geneva Lake Area to its' potential.

Benefits and Objectives of the Chamber include:  

A.    The Chamber is based on voluntary membership by businesses and individuals in the area, who first and foremost look to the Chamber to achieve goals which cannot be achieved by individual businesses.

            Examples include:

1.      Area promotion/advertising/public relations

2.      A business voice in local/state/national decision making

3.      Long term area goal identification

4.      Identify and correct area problems

5.      Develop business and industrial opportunity

6.      Establish and promote an area identity

7.      Establish a data bank of current, correct and understandable information

8.      Work with the local, state and national public sector.

B.     Secondary,  the Chamber seeks through application of primary benefit programs to establish direct tangible and identifiable value to the Chamber of Commerce

memberships.

            Examples of these activities include:

1.      Publication and distribution of business directories of members only.

2.      Maxwell Street Days / Moonlight Madness sales, etc.

3.      Call Three Network and Retail Theft Network.

5.      Business referrals (restaurants, shops, services, motels).

6.      Social Networking

7.      New business greetings and photo sessions.

8.      Member brochure distribution at the information center.

9.      Maintenance of a full time information center / Nationwide 800 lines.

10.  Business assistance (establishment, marketing, brochures, hours etc).

11.  Area beautification (lakefront, city entrances, downtown, parks).

      In addition, the Chamber's collective credibility has been lent to a number of specific causes which, as a consequence have resulted in the establishment of:

      Convention & Visitors Bureau

      As a division of the Chamber, the Bureau focuses its' efforts on the promotion of the tourism industry.  In that capacity, they organize Winterfest, place advertising, host travel writers, generate publicity, and give the public the information they need to choose Lake Geneva as their travel destination.

      Downtown Lake Geneva Business Improvement District 

      The BID was created by the City of Lake Geneva at the request of downtown businesses.  The BID enabling state legislation is clear on the structure, met hold of operation and activities a BID can undertake.  In Lake Geneva, the BID has enhanced the appeal of Downtown Lake Geneva through streetscape improvements, sponsored events such a s Oktoberfest, placed advertising, and influenced decisions involving the downtown area.  The goals of the BID operating plan are:

   -to enhance downtown through advertising, special events and promotions

   -to continue the street improvements program of light, benches and trash receptacles

   -to administer the compliance of the BID through state Law

The BID is administered by the Chamber Executive at no cost to the BID in order to maximize the BID's effectiveness.

   Geneva Lake Development Corporation

    The Development Corporation was established as a private entity designed to work with the public sector to maintain and enhance the City of Lake Geneva.  The Development Corporation works with a Board who has retained the services of an Executive Director to administer the corporation's  Program of Work.  Previous and current projects include advertisements of commercial and industrial sites and continuing development of the business park.

   Beautification Committee

      The mission of the Beautification Committee is to survey and evaluate properties and locations for the purpose of developing beautification recommendations in keeping with the historical heritage and natural beauty within the city of Lake Geneva.  Recent projects include the sale of bricks in Front to the Riviera and stone wall signs at the entrances to downtown of Lake Geneva. 

      By working under the Chamber umbrella, significant progress in these areas have been made which otherwise would not have happened.

HOW THE CHAMBER IS STRUCTURED

      A Board of Directors governs the Chamber and is the policy making body of the Chamber.  Its members represent the business and professional leadership of the community. The Board consists of 12 Chamber members.  The chairman chairs the monthly meetings, which  occur on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m. at the Harbor Shores Hotel.  

      The Executive Committee consists of the Chairman, Vice Chair, Treasurer and President, and 2 additional Board members as designated by the Board.  The Executive Committee exercises the  powers of the Board between Board meetings.

      A professionally trained staff manages the day to day operations of the organization's business affairs and maintains all member benefits.  The President reports directly to the Board of Directors.

      The Chamber has several subcommittees, which are responsible to report activities on a monthly basis to the Board of Directors.  The Ambassadors are such a committee.

      As the Ambassadors are part of the structure of the Chamber, the group will follow Chamber protocol and directions provided by the Board of Directors

HOW THE CHAMBER IS FINANCED