Socially Distanced Chamber Events

From what I’ve seen, most socially distanced (or “physically distanced” for you extraverts) best practices include:

• spacing people 6 feet a part
• wearing masks
• not shaking hands
• proving individually wrapped foods (if any), including to-go boxes & bottled water
• offering hand sanitizer & other PPE
• using floor tape or instructional signage (as necessary)
• limiting or sanitizing multi-touch items/places (like microphones, check-in/out, etc)
• cleaning & disinfecting more
• updating their terms & conditions
• hosting events outside
• live-streaming the event for those at home (if relevant)

Note – you’re supposed be doing multiple things, not just one. See the ‘swiss cheese model’:

Attempt at organizing this page:

• Take out / Taste of
• Drive Thrus
• Beer & Wine
• Scavenger Hunts
• Shop/Support Local
• Golf Tournaments

Already Outdoor Community Events

Just add more distance in between attendees for regular events like:

• Music in the park
• Movies in the park
• Drive-ins

“Take Out” Taste of

Rancho Mirage Chamber usually hosts a ‘Taste of” event. This year, they pivoted to promote getting Take Out instead of dining in.

They still were able to promote local restaurants, offer great deals for locals, support local nonprofits, and get sponsors.

Drive Thrus

CarBQ

A lunch fundraiser, Lakeland Chamber sold tickets for group meals and offered delivery or curbside pick-up.

Drive Through Donations

El Dorado Hills Chamber was a supporting arm of a local Fund/Food Drive. The event was held in a large parking lot during a set time. People could drive through, pop their trunk, and volunteers would remove donations from their car for them.

Logically, the next event is a drive-thru mobile food pantry. See Robins Regional Chamber.

Drive Through Food Fair

Coweta Chamber organized a drive through food fair.

They streamlined what they could, handling menu orders & payments on behalf of the food trucks.

2020 Drive-Thru Tailgate Member Appreciation BBQ

Prince Albert & District Chamber made their BBQ Member Appreciation event a drive-through set up to keep everyone safe.

The event was free for members, but pre-registration was required, and no shows were charged a $25 wasted food fee.

Drive Thru Trunk or Treat

Attendees will remain in their vehicle and are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes while they drive through the park. (via Facebook)

Recommended: 30 Fun Drive-Thru Event Ideas

Dranks

Brewfest in a Box

Instead of their usual in-person Brewfest, El Dorado Hills Chamber will instead be pre-selling a physical box of goodies.

It is limited to 250 people and includes a DIY tasking kit for 4 with: 6 specialized craft beers, snacks, and vip swag. And yes, they still have sponsors.

Wine Tasting

Attendees pre-purchased the included wines from a local member. Then they watched Live on the Niles Chamber Facebook Page for a guided tasting.

Scavenger Hunt & Geocaching

Social Distanced Scavenger Hunt

Berea Chamber of Commerce

Cost: $9-18, included list of clues, to-go dinner voucher, prizes

How it worked: participants followed list of clues & posted selfie w/ the answer inside a Facebook Event. They also tracked their own points & tasks on a written sheet and turned it in when they picked up their dinner (curbside & to go).

Geocaching – Wichita Falls Chamber

I know they have it, but at the moment, this is the only video I could find relating to it…

Geocaching is pretty similar to a scavenger hunt, but clues tend to include coordinates. To learn more, visit Geocaching.com.

For either idea, you can either set up a timely contest, or just let it exist for people to explore in their own time.

If you are doing it passively, I recommend writing a blog post like “10 Things in City You Must See” and create a lead magnet that serves it as a downloadable checklist and/or serves the first clue of your hunt.

Virtual Easter Egg Hunt

Folsom Chamber – My understanding is that they hid an egg at some local businesses. You would find it and then message the info to the chamber to be entered in a raffle.

Some other ones I’ve seen is there is 1 gold item hid at a business each day during the contest. The first person to find it in-store wins the daily prize.

Really you could do this with any holiday or theme, like Charlie the Chamber Elf.

Shop/Support Local

Window Walk Gallery at The River

Rancho Mirage Chamber

This event is outdoors, and held daily so that people can come & enjoy in their own time. That means there will be less of a crowd at one time as they naturally space out their visits.

Think of it as an outdoor art gallery – art is hung in the windows of the businesses along the river/street. It will support local artists when a purchase is made, and can help get potential customers at new businesses as they walk by.

CHAMBER CA$H

Another non-event that I wanted to mention is El Dorado Hills Chamber‘s Chamber Ca$h. With funding help from their Premier Partners, they created a cash-back program when you do business with their members.

Golf Tournament

There’s now a few already occured golf tournaments from 2020 you can check out:

• 2020 Wacky & Wild Golf Tournament – COVID Version
• Chamber Challenge Golf Tournament
• 24th Annual Golf Classic – Greater Valley Chamber
• Niles Chamber Annual Golf Outing
• 2020 28th Annual Coweta Chamber Golf Tournament

Generally speaking, some changes you might consider include:

• Following COVID best practices like conducting verbal health screenings, discouraging handshakes, enhanced sanitizing/cleaning schedules, and practice physical distancing.
• Have less registrations/players available
• No/low contact sponsorship opportunities, check-ins, food, etc.
• Updated contracts, terms & conditions
• Assigned tee times to space out players
• Encourage walking or offer personal golf carts
• Sanitizing equipment, frequently touched surfaces before/after each player
• Providing individually boxed meals
• Skipping the in-person after party and announcing winners later, online, or on Facebook Live

PS: Check out the Chamber Pros Facebook Group for tip, ideas, & resources.

Additions & corrections welcome! Please comment below w/ info & links below.