Ribbon Cuttings

Ribbon cuttings

A ribbon cutting is one of the many ways that you can market your business as a member of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Whether it is to commemorate a grand opening, an anniversary, other celebration or special day, a renovated office, a new or additional location, or anything else worth highlighting, the Chamber staff will assist you in planning your event.

A ribbon cutting consists of:

• Chamber staff and members being present at your physical location during your ribbon cutting celebration.               

• The date and location of your ribbon cutting is highlighted in our monthly newsletter, The Bottom Line, during the month of your event.  This newsletter is distributed to our members as well as inserted in the Poughkeepsie Journal with a readership of more than 50,000 people.

• A ribbon cutting should be scheduled at least six weeks in advance to receive the maximum amount of media exposure. While it is possible to schedule the event in a shorter timeframe, the amount of exposure received for the ribbon cutting will be limited.

• The ribbon cutting is listed on our community calendar in our website, www.dcrcoc.org, as well as the Chamber events calendar.

• The ribbon cutting is listed on the mass email to our members on the week before the event.

• The ribbon cutting is promoted on our radio shows prior to the event.

• A list of all ribbon cuttings is distributed to all guests of the Contact Breakfast for the present month.

• An updated list of scheduled ribbon cuttings is included in the new member packets each month.

  * If you wish to have a certain number of people at your ribbon cutting in addition to the above, we can also design, print and mail a postcard invitation to a selected group of members.  We will also take the RSVPs and make any necessary follow-up calls to insure your requested attendance at your event.  This type of ribbon cutting is available at a special rate.  There are also media packages available for your ribbon cutting if you are interested.

There are some important details to consider before planning your live ribbon cutting:

• You must be a member of the Chamber. New members will be charged $100 for a ribbon cutting, which will be deducted from the membership renewal the next year. This applies only to members who have signed up as of May 4, 2015. National chains (not franchises) will be charged $250.

• We encourage you to attend one or two ribbon cuttings prior to organizing your own.

• We recommend you allow a minimum of six weeks for the planning of your event so the Chamber can market it properly.

• Ribbon cuttings are scheduled during the business day and not after 4:30 p.m. We recommend that ribbon cuttings are scheduled during weekdays, preferably during lunch hours, or at the end of the business day as to allow the business community to attend more easily.  Participation from the business community and elected officials is less likely during the weekend.

• We encourage you to utilize fellow Chamber members to cater refreshments for attendees.

• We encourage you to invite your customers, family and friends.

Once you are ready to plan your ribbon cutting, please complete and submit the registration form.

A representative from the Chamber staff will contact you to assist you in organizing your event.

Note: If a member requests more than one ribbon cutting within a year, the member will be charged $275 for each additional ribbon cutting. If a member cancels a ribbon cutting within the week of the event, the rescheduled ribbon cutting will cost $275.