Member Benefits

Discover the Power of Partnership! Dedicated to promoting and developing the business community it serves, the Chamber is good for business, your business. Organized by Chamber departments, member benefits are listed below.       

Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
(828) 258-6102, E-mail

Brochure and Window Displays
Display your brochure or merchandise to the 150,000+ visitors that enter the Chamber’s Visitor Center annually. Window displays are available for additional fees.

Guides/Listings
Reach individuals and groups planning their visit to Asheville. The CVB’s Convention Services Department publishes various guides utilized by these groups. As a Chamber member located in Buncombe County, you may include a detailed listing of your business in any of these guides free of charge. Priced advertising is also available in several of the guides. Members in Buncombe County can be included in the Official Asheville Visitor Guide (used by hundreds of thousands to plan their trip in Asheville), the Wedding Guide, menu book display, restaurants for groups list, the One Day Meeting Guide, the Speakers Guide, outdoor activity list handbook and other themed lists such as antiques, nightlife, activities for children and hiking trails. To view these guides, visit www.exploreasheville.com/bureau.asp.

Relocation Packet
Reach the people thinking about moving to Asheville. More than 2,000 people purchase relocation packets from the Chamber each year. Filled with the Asheville magazine, the packets also contain member brochures and information. For additional fees, members can submit materials for inclusion in the packet and receive updated lists of subscribers.

Tourism Statistics
Get the facts. The Chamber maintains important tourism statistics essential to the hospitality industry.

Opportunities for Involvement  

Economic Development/Small Business & Entrepreneurship
(828) 258- 6117, E-mail

Business Plan Review and Counseling
Develop your business intelligently and with the right tools. In a fast-changing business world, attention to professional development and business plan renewal is vital. The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Department can counsel members in their business endeavors or can refer members to other qualified counselors, often offering free services.

Business Seminars and Workshops
Stay abreast of vital changes in the business world through business seminars, workshops and skill building training programs. Members can gain important business management skills at the popular Hot Tips Seminar Series. Many of the programs are free for Chamber members, others are offered for an additional fee.

Existing Industry Program
The Existing Industry Program at the Chamber is responsible for helping local companies prosper by connecting them with the resources immediately available in the area, providing assistance with problem-solving and expansion planning, including providing incentive information and encouraging buy-local and partnering.

Market Research
Keep track of the latest economic and demographic trends in the area with services provided by the Asheville Metro Business Research Center. Like having your own research department, the center can help you find the information you need to make accurate, timely business decisions. Much of what the center provides is free or offered at a discounted price for members. Information offerings include monthly economic indicators, economic and demographic briefs, a monthly e-newsletter, business directories and an annual economic outlook conference. 

New Business Start Up
Receive vital information for starting up a new business.

Opportunities for Involvement
 
Member Services/Communications
(828) 258-6114, E-mail

E-Newsletter
Get the latest Chamber news e-mailed to you each Tuesday and keep up with events, programs and additional benefits that your membership entitles you to.

SmartBuys Program
The SmartBuys Program is a package of exclusive benefits offered to Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce members. We've partnered with companies to negotiate special pricing on the products and services our members use most. By taking advantage of one or more of these offers, your business will see a return on your membership investment immediately.

Total Resource Campaign
The Chamber's annual sponsorship drive which funds its programs and events throughout the year. Members have the opportunity to become sponsors of a variety of events and programs increasing exposure of the member business.

Media List
Work the PR angle by using the Chamber’s media list to pitch story ideas and get the word out about exciting news to newspapers, journals, radio and TV.

Networking Events
Network and advance your business relationships by attending Business Before and After Hours, popular monthly morning and evening networking events. Take advantage of other various networking events and programs, including the Culinary Showcase, Professional Networking Groups and business expos, which the Chamber coordinates throughout the year.

Photo/Image Archives
Use images from the Chamber’s photo library to help promote your business.

Professional Networking Groups
Join one of the Chamber’s Professional Networking Groups. These groups consist of 30 Chamber member business representatives that meet weekly to share leads, contacts, business ideas and, most significantly, referrals.

Ribbon Cutting
Have an official Chamber ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate an opening, expansion or big announcement. This is a free ceremony for members, coordinated and attended by Chamber Ambassadors and given event coverage in The Asheville Report, thereby introducing your business to current business leaders and the community.

Asheville Magazine
Advertise or be featured in the Asheville magazine, a four-color high quality magazine distributed by the Chamber to more than 2,000 people requesting relocation packets annually. It is also available online and is distributed by members promoting the area to other potential relocators such as real estate clients. More than 15,000 magazines are distributed annually. Additional fees apply.

Mailing List
Direct mail the entire membership your marketing materials by purchasing mailing labels for the nearly 2,000 members. Mailing labels are $175 for a one-time use Excel list or $200 for printed labels (for members) or $475 for potential members. E-mail contact information is not made available through this program.

Referrals
A business thrives on referrals, and the Chamber makes them happen every day. Each year, more than 100,000 people visit the Chamber’s Visitor Center and thousands of people call the Chamber. All of these people are referred to Chamber members. The membership listing in the printed Membership Directory & Business Guide is another great way to receive business referrals. The guide is distributed to all members (nearly 2,000 businesses) and is used regularly by members to find vendors and service providers.

Web Referrals
An average of 360,000 people visit www.ashevillechamber.org which houses the Chamber’s online Business Directory. Receive referrals and Web site visits from potential clients visiting the Chamber’s Online Business Directory. Web enhancements to increase visibility in the online directory are available for additional fees.

Opportunities for Involvement
 
Workforce Development/Public Policy
(828) 258-6118, E-mail

Annual InterCity Visit
Positively impact area planning initiatives by attending the annual InterCity Visit. The InterCity Visit is an annual program organized by the Chamber to offer participating Chamber members a first-hand look at another city’s successes and challenges for community and economic development planning initiatives in the Asheville-Buncombe area.

Public Policy
Influence business regulations, policies and civic leadership at the local, regional, state and federal levels, and participate in leadership opportunities within task forces.  Meeting with our local, state and national elected officials in Asheville, Raleigh and Washington, D.C. will give you the first-hand opportunity to network with important decision makers and to influence and stay up to date with changing policy that impacts the marketplace. Programs include: legislative visits to Washington and Raleigh, the Legislative Weekend when Asheville hosts the North Carolina general assembly members and spouses, public policy forums, the Legislative Reception and City/County Quarterly Meetings.

Opportunities for Involvement

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