The Oceanside Chamber was recognized with a Special Merit for website excellence at the 2022 Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) conference. The annual conference, which occurred the first week of February, provides Chamber professionals educational opportunities through quality programs and speakers designed to increase skills and overall knowledge of the chamber industry. Chamber CEO, Scott Ashton, and Workforce Development Coordinator, Victoria Carlborg, attended the 3-day event. Besides educational opportunities, the annual conference recognizes the “best and the brightest” in the chamber industry through a variety of special individual awards. W.A.C.E. also presents special recognition to chambers in the areas of newsletters, e-newsletters, websites, marketing materials, and best new programs.
The website award was based on the following criteria:
• Overall Design – overall impression of the look and feel of the website, graphics, ease of use and navigation, support of chamber brand, photography, feature rich, content prioritized by use and importance, etc.
• Content – overall quality, timeliness and relevance of information, clear concise text, high quality photography, no typos or bad grammar, addresses primary audience(s), etc.
• Search Engine Optimization – does the chamber website appear on the first page listing of major search engines like Google, etc.
When asked about the award recognition, Chamber Communications Coordinator, Hana Gilbert, said, “This recognition is a huge accomplishment for the Oceanside Chamber. Receiving feedback from our chamber peers on how to improve the site was important to us. However, receiving the Special Merit Award truly sent us over the moon. We launched our website in August of 2021 in hopes that the redesign would convey the Chamber’s mission, vision, and overall brand. With links to our strategic priorities including business advocacy, economic recovery and workforce development, we hoped visitors would have a better understanding of the Chamber’s role within the City and the work accomplished through an investment in the organization. We are happy to have accomplished this and will continue to use our website as a valuable resource. Thank you W.A.C.E.!” You can check out the Oceanside Chamber’s website at oceansidechamber.com.
About the Western Association of Chamber Executives
The Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) is the premier organization for education and professional development for chamber executives and staff. W.A.C.E. now represents over 780 chamber professionals in 21 Western states and Canada. The association is designed to promote and enhance the professional development of chamber of commerce executives and is the largest state or regional chamber of commerce executives association in the United States.
About the Oceanside Chamber
The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce represents, supports, and promotes the interests of all businesses within the City of Oceanside. The Chamber works with neighboring Chambers to support business interests in North County, San Diego, and adjacent communities. The Oceanside Chamber strongly promotes the community and serves as the voice of business by advocating for and speaking on behalf of Oceanside’s businesses, promoting pro-business policies and laws, supporting the need for a trained, skilled and educated local labor force, and stimulating economic and workforce development sufficient to support the needs of the local business community and its employees.
