April 15, 2012
Windsor Chapter meeting exemplifies relevance
By Helen Hassard
Membership and Chapter Coordinator
At Landscape Ontario home office everyone is asking, “How can we make sure we are relevant in local communities?”
The answer may be found right in our own association. Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of attending some great local Chapter events that were not only relevant, but extremely engaging for all who attended.
One event I’d like to share with you had all the elements of a great event, and for a small Chapter the meeting’s attendance was impressive. To give you an idea, membership in the Windsor Chapter is around 40 companies. The meeting I refer to had 28 people in attendance.
The particular event was held on Feb. 23 at Dominion Golf Course in LaSalle, and was geared toward safety, a universal topic of the utmost importance. The Chapter board promoted it through LO home office, but also sent email reminders to their own contacts. Chapter organizers also encouraged St. Clair College to bring out horticultural students, our future members, to learn what LO Windsor Chapter is all about.
Kara Gibbons from Toro sponsored the dynamic presentation that included passing around actual products, which is a great move for selling to a hands-on industry.
The presentation started after food orders were taken (yes the Chapter provides a free meal to members, who may choose from a pre-set menu) and members had time to catch up with each other.
After the meeting, I had the pleasure of chatting with some of the St. Clair College students, as well as some former students now working for LO members. They seemed to enjoy the event and wanted to know how to learn about future events that they were able to attend. I happily took their emails and returned to Milton to add them to the enews list (something we are happy to do for anyone reading this, who may not be receiving our weekly enewsletters).
Overall, the energy and enthusiasm that I took from this Windsor Chapter meeting, and the people I met on my trip, made the six hours spent in the car that day well worth it.
Call at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or email helen@landscapeontario.com, or tweet me about it at @LOMembership. I would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Membership and Chapter Coordinator
At Landscape Ontario home office everyone is asking, “How can we make sure we are relevant in local communities?”The answer may be found right in our own association. Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of attending some great local Chapter events that were not only relevant, but extremely engaging for all who attended.
One event I’d like to share with you had all the elements of a great event, and for a small Chapter the meeting’s attendance was impressive. To give you an idea, membership in the Windsor Chapter is around 40 companies. The meeting I refer to had 28 people in attendance.
The particular event was held on Feb. 23 at Dominion Golf Course in LaSalle, and was geared toward safety, a universal topic of the utmost importance. The Chapter board promoted it through LO home office, but also sent email reminders to their own contacts. Chapter organizers also encouraged St. Clair College to bring out horticultural students, our future members, to learn what LO Windsor Chapter is all about.
Kara Gibbons from Toro sponsored the dynamic presentation that included passing around actual products, which is a great move for selling to a hands-on industry.
The presentation started after food orders were taken (yes the Chapter provides a free meal to members, who may choose from a pre-set menu) and members had time to catch up with each other.
Fantastic speaker
Mike LeSelva of WSPS is a fantastic speaker, who easily could find a home on the comedy network; not something you tend to say about presenters of safety messages. The Chapter also made sure to promote the Winter Blooms show in March and other Chapter events, giving anyone interested a chance to become involved.After the meeting, I had the pleasure of chatting with some of the St. Clair College students, as well as some former students now working for LO members. They seemed to enjoy the event and wanted to know how to learn about future events that they were able to attend. I happily took their emails and returned to Milton to add them to the enews list (something we are happy to do for anyone reading this, who may not be receiving our weekly enewsletters).
Overall, the energy and enthusiasm that I took from this Windsor Chapter meeting, and the people I met on my trip, made the six hours spent in the car that day well worth it.
Call at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 354, or email helen@landscapeontario.com, or tweet me about it at @LOMembership. I would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.