The Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce and Community Futures kicked off their 2015 Seminar Series with a sold-out “lunch and learn” session last week.
John Devitt, the chamber’s general manager, said the sold out Jan. 20 lunch showed there was a desire in the business community for the educational series, which the Chamber and Community Futures collaborated on in an effort to help local businesses grow themselves.
That first seminar brought in Colin Parker, Lonestar Sales Performance, to talk about how to close a sale without being pushy, which might seem like a basic concept for experienced business leaders.
“We all come from different backgrounds and so sometimes these things are good as refreshers,” said Devitt, pointing out that Chamber membership doesn’t just apply to business owners or managers, but their staff as well.
“We have scheduled different opportunities that are more targeted towards owner operators and also targeted towards employees, so we can benefit members on both sides of the coin,” said Devitt. “This is a partnership we have created with community futures, because we both want to offer more learning opportunities.”
Devitt said the chamber and community futures have a series of seminars planned through to June, covering topics like sales, brand building and tax implications for small business.
“Over the next several weeks there will be a combination of lunch and learns, but once a month we will have a full day session that will get deeper into a certain topic,” said Devitt.
Participants can register for the Chamber Seminar Series through their website at penticton.org or by contacting Michele Montgomery at 250-492-4103. The sessions are also open to the public and there is a registration fee.
The next lunch and learn session is scheduled for Jan. 28.