Western White Mountain Chamber

Basecamp of the White Mountains in New Hampshire

Board Members & Staff

  Our Chamber has proudly been serving the Western White Mountain’s businesses and communities for over 60 years. Not only are we one of the strongest chambers in the North Country – we’re also one of the strongest tourism-based chambers in New Hampshire. We draw visitors whose fond memories and […]

 

Our Chamber has proudly been serving the Western White Mountain’s businesses and communities for over 60 years. Not only are we one of the strongest chambers in the North Country – we’re also one of the strongest tourism-based chambers in New Hampshire. We draw visitors whose fond memories and time spent in our towns of Lincoln, Woodstock, and Franconia Notch contribute to our area’s economic vitality year after year. Our progressive approach to dues and destination marketing funding gives our organization a stable and sustainable foundation to support and represent our local business community as tested over the past few years.

Your Chamber’s mission is to connect businesses and people to create a thriving community. There are a lot of reasons to be proud of the ways in which your Chamber reached this goal again this year. Our intrepid two-person staff, hard-working volunteers, dedicated Board of Directors, and committee members have accomplished the following, in no particular order:

– Our Destination Marketing (DM) program promotes our area through advertising, events, and collaborative efforts with organizations – all with a goal of increasing occupancy and visitor spending in our region.

– In-person events returned for 2022 with strong participation from visitors and locals. Murder Mystery was back for a one-day event in early May, drawing over 100 participants with room for growth next year. The collaborative week-long event, White Mountains Bicycle Week, returned for a second year in the first week of June and featured family-friendly bike related rides and outings around town. The in-person Rubber Duck Regatta was cancelled on Labor Day due to inclement weather, but increased interest leading up to the event has resulted in fresh ideas for 2023. The newly created Western White Mountains Scavenger Hunt was a success in its inaugural season with nearly 400 participants and ideas to monetize the challenge moving forward.

– We continue to work with the team at LGA Media Group on marketing initiatives and creative messaging.  You’ll find samples of digital and print ads, as well as results, highlighted in our annual report.  We’re pleased that website traffic is up by 52% and Facebook and Instagram stats are on the rise. We’re also creating more member-based blogs and driving more traffic through our content ads.

– We continue to build alliances with State and regional agencies.  Our strong partnerships with the NH Division of Travel & Tourism (NHDTTD), New Hampshire Travel Council (NHTC), and Business Industry Association (BIA) help keep our organization and members at the forefront of happenings in Concord and beyond.  Kim was recently asked to join the Board of Directors for the NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, which is another great opportunity for networking and the sharing of resources.

– We welcomed 9 new members to the Chamber in FY2022 and have already welcomed 4 more since the end of September.

Remember that your real benefit comes from volunteering, meeting participation, attending Business After Hours, supporting giveaway requests, and showing up any way you can.

So, although this past year was filled with challenges and uncertainties involving staffing, workforce housing, and increased cost of goods and expenses, we remain confident about the road ahead.  The Western White Mountains is well positioned to continue living, working, and playing in a prosperous and sustainable community.  Thank you for your membership investment and for your participation!

Kate

Kate Wetherell, President
Western White Mountains Chamber of Commerce
Operations Manager, White Mountains Attractions/Lost River Gorge

Current Board Members

Staff
Kim Pickering, Executive Director

Ashley Spooner, Marketing & Membership Associate