More Events Moving To In-Person Formats

As we progress towards summer and more and more vaccinations are complete, it is great to see in-person events and networking activities continue to ramp up with the Chamber leading the way for the business community. We had our Gala, in-person, using two locations while also providing an at home Zoom option, complete with dinner and abiding all the protocols in place at that time. If you missed it, you missed a great event!

I want to give a shout out to The Poughkeepsie Grand and Revel 32 for helping us to create an in-person experience that provided for a safe, sit down, cocktail hour and follow on dinner and awards ceremony for 100 people in each location. I was personally able to attend the cocktail hour, dinner and awards at Revel 32 and walk over to the Poughkeepsie Grand for a nightcap and experience the reverse drawing from there. What a night, and so great to be out and about with friends and colleagues once again!

April’s breakfast, a hybrid affair that brought in-person attendance up to 80, saw us achieve a milestone with all speakers appearing in-person for the first time since February of 2020. As I’ve noted previously, as the vaccine rollout continues, keep in touch with your Chamber calendar as things are moving and changing quickly. I think we may have taken it for granted, in the pre-COVID world but, networking is back and people are already seeing the dramatic effect in-person meetings can have on their networking productivity.

Down the road, be on the lookout for more innovatively produced signature events, such as The Nussbickel Annual Golf Outing, The Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival, Forty under 40 Awards, all moving towards a more festive, in-person atmosphere as rules continue to change and allow for more and more personal interaction.

It has certainly been a difficult year to say the least. As the pandemic continues to fade, I look forward to seeing you out and about at the next breakfast, ribbon cutting or signature event. If you haven’t yet, sign up for the DCRCOC, text alerts feature, it’s the easiest way to keep up with the Chamber calendar. Simply text “Dutchess” to (833) 814-8535 and we’ll proactively keep you up to date. What are you waiting for, get vaccinated, get out there and join us as we move Hudson Valley business forward!