Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and Berkshire Visitors Bureau Will Publish Updated Community Map
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Sales for the community street map being produced for the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and Berkshire Visitors Bureau are underway, according to Michael Supranowicz, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce President & CEO and Lauri Klefos, Berkshire Visitors Bureau President & CEO. Both organizations are working with VillageProfile.com, inc.®, which has been working with the Chamber since 2005.The 25,000 printed copies of the map will be published this summer. The Berkshire Chamber and the Berkshire Visitors Bureau will distribute the map in Albany, NY, Boston, Hartford, in metro New York and Rhode Island as well as a lure piece for business relocation.
This project includes the Village Profile® Mobile Map Publishing Program™, the only one of its kind available to Chambers of Commerce. In addition to the printed version, the map and all advertisements will be online at the Village Profile® Community Profile Network® website (www.villageprofile.com) soon after they are published, and will also link from the Chamber's website.
The community map is interactive, which means it can be wirelessly accessed at www.vpmobile.us via laptop and desktop computers, PDAs, smart phones, web-enabled cell phones and most other mobile devices, and allows users to link directly to advertisers' websites, as well as direct-dial advertisers in real time.
The Village Profile® community portal garnered nearly 24 million hits in 2008 and 2,342,900 page views -- nearly 1.7 million of which were unique page views. The vpmobile.us site had 4,333,000 hits in 2008. Since 1996, the site has seen nearly 220,000,000 hits from Internet locales around the world and from all manner of users: education, government, business, individual, organization, and of course, .coms.
“This publication will be the first point of contact for families and businesses relocating to the area and will be a valuable reference for visitors, as well as longtime residents,” stated Supranowicz. “We are excited to collaborate with the Berkshire Visitors Bureau on the creation of this new, community map.”
“Our two organizations believe that this joint project will yield a truly comprehensive piece that will be used for business recruitment and retention as well as by tourists and visitors,” said Klefos. “Our research has shown that consumers want, and need, a map to guide them throughout Berkshire County.”
Advertising in the Chamber publication has even more advantages. According to a national study recently conducted by the Atlanta-based marketing company, The Schapiro Group, "consumers are 63 percent more likely to buy goods and services in the future from a company that they believe is a member of the local chamber" and "they are 44 percent more likely to think favorably about" the business.
The report further concluded that, "When business decision makers believe that a business is a chamber member" they are "59 percent more likely to buy goods and services from it."
Businesses interested in advertising should call Village Profile® representative Robert Monahan at the Chamber office, 413-499-4000 x17.
About Berkshire Chamber of Commerce
The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce was first accredited in 1999. In 2004, the Berkshire Chamber was awarded a 4-STAR accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Accreditation Program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizes chambers and their staffs that have defined, reached, and maintained superior performance standards and have contributed to the good of their communities. The purposes and objectives of the Corporation shall be to promote and advance the economic, civic, and social welfare of Berkshire County. In February 2001, the Chamber merged with the Northern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and changed its name to the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Today, it is the largest organization of its kind in Berkshire County, and one of the largest Chambers in the state.
The Chamber was established to identify and serve the needs and interests of the business community creating an environment conducive to the growth and development of business.
About Berkshire Visitors Bureau
Incorporated in 1938, the Berkshire Visitors Bureau is the official, state-recognized tourism promotion agency for Berkshire County. It is composed of nearly 800 member businesses that benefit directly or indirectly from the Berkshire tourist trade.
