Chamber Events
The Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce hosts a number of well attended and fun community events.
Parade of Lights
A fun community event to kick off the Christmas season is the Annual Parade of Lights, held on the first Friday in December each year. Floats representing a wide variety of organizations and businesses, vividly decorated with hundreds of lights, drive through the residential streets of Vanderhoof after dark. Families come from near and far to take part in this festive evening, which includes Midnight Madness at downtown retailers.
Please register your parade float at the Chamber office. (No entry fee.)
Parade of Lights, 7:00 pm, December 4, 2009
Midnight Madness
In connection with the Parade of Lights, most downtown retailers remain open until midnight that same evening, offering many great sales. Come out for some fun community time, and bag some great deals while you are at it!
Annual General Meeting
The 46th Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce AGM was held on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at the Village Inn Banquet Room. A delicious meal was provided, courtesy of Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines, for the 53 people in attendance, both Chamber members and guests.
Roger Harris, Vice-President of Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines was scheduled 
to address the meeting, but was unable to attend due to an unexpected committment. Kevin Brown made a very informative presentation in his absence. The Enbridge Northern Gateway Project involves a new twin pipeline system running from near Edmonton, Alberta, to a new marine terminal in Kitimat, to export petroleum and import condensate. You can go to their website www.northerngateway.ca for more details on the project.
The business meeting which followed was marked by the election of the Board of Directors for the upcoming year. There were 4 new Directors elected to fill vacated positions, 4 Executive positions saw new faces, and one Director was re-elected for another term. The twelve member Board is listed on the About the Chamber page.
Biennial Trade Show
Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce Biennial Trade Show: May 22 - 23, 2009 "Going Green, Living Green" was a huge success. The next Trade Show will be held in 2011. This event is an excellent opportunity for businesses to promote themselves, with a reduced rate for Chamber Members.
Why You Should be an Exhibitor:
- Sales
- Create image
- Market research
- Maintain image
- Qualify prospects
- Create customer list
- Relate to competition
- Reach unknown buyers
- Meet buyers face-to-face
- Shorten buying process
- Introduce a new product
- Recruit new personnel
- Improve market share
- Distribute product samples
- Contact potential new customers
- Contact with present customers
- Demonstrate products in action
- Demonstrate non-portable equipment
- Discuss technical issues with customers
- Identify new applications for existing products
- Change buyer's perceptions of your company
Spring Swing
The annual Spring Swing is an event for Chamber Members to get together, eat, socialize and simply have fun. A way to welcome in spring. Information about our last Spring Swing can be found on the 2009 Spring Swing poster, or contact the Chamber.
Pumpkin Walk
Annually on Halloween evening, the Great Pumpkin Walk is sure to please with hand-carved pumpkins and the annual fireworks display that lights up the entire Nechako River Valley. Attended by thousands of residents, the Pumpkin Walk is a safe and convenient place for families to spend Halloween night.
Many Vanderhoof businesses and residents volunteer their evening to stoke the campfires and give out candy to the children. The Pumpkin Walk starts at 5:00pm. Vanderhoof's only fireworks display caps off the evening, firing away at 8:00pm.
This event is made possible solely by donations from the generous businesses and individuals of the Vanderhoof area, as well as the countless volunteer hours by friends of The Walk.
