Chamber business collaborative drew a good crowd

By Chuck Gibson

LOVELAND, OH (March 10, 2023) – There were people to greet you as you walked in and people all around to share information and swag.

The 2nd annual Eastside Business Bash organized by the collaborative effort of the Milford-Miami Township Chamber and Little Miami River Chamber Alliance was by any measure a success. The idea is to make business to business (B2B) connections as well as connecting customers to businesses (B2C) all in one convenient gathering place. On Thursday, March 9, 2023, they gathered at the Little Miami Brewing Event Center in Milford, Ohio from 4-7 p.m. There were 45 businesses spread throughout the center ready, willing and able to share their wares.

There was no admission for the public to attend. Andrea Brady, Executive Director of the Milford Miami Township Chamber was excited to see the people coming through the door.

“It’s been great, busy early,” said Brady. “We’ve had 150 people come through already.”

That was at the one hour and thirty minute mark of a three-hour event. She pointed out they are keeping an exact count at the door this year to give them a better idea of the total turnout. There is no question seeing a good turnout brings a smile to both, Brady and Cee Cee Collins, President of Little Miami River Chamber Alliance. The question is: what kind of response is that for the businesses?

“The businesses seem happy,” Brady said. “I’ve talked with four or five in the last half hour. They’re pleased with the crowd and they’re pleased with the quality of conversations they’re having.”

The numbers for turnout at the inaugural event one year ago tallied about 200 for the whole day. At 150 through the door with 90 more minutes remaining this year, Brady was confident the 2nd annual Eastside Business Bash would exceed the first year. She expects the collaborative event to continue in the coming years.

“The partnership has been great with Little Miami River Chamber,” said Brady. “They’re a small chamber; we’re a small chamber so combining gives more businesses the chance to get out there.”

Not to mention the benefits of sharing the cost of producing the event. Both chambers get an equal amount of spaces for businesses to participate. Brady says they learned some lessons in year one, made some changes to streamline and helped the flow of traffic. Cee Cee Collins made note of the changes too.

“We have limited capacity for the businesses,” said Collins. “One of the goals this year was to get more of the community and other businesses that weren’t participating to come and visit.”

After walking around during the first couple hours, Collins came back with a positive feeling they accomplished that goal. She was also excited to hear the count was 150 people halfway through the event. 

“I’m thrilled to hear that,” Collins said. “We love working with Andrea and the Milford Chamber. It’s just a great win. You know we’re east side so we gotta stick together. We’re all trying to make sure businesses do well.”

The businesses seemed to be making good connections. With a good consistent flow of traffic, they had ample opportunity to have good conversations and share their stories offering solutions for customers and other businesses.

One of the most interesting stops along the way was the remote On Brand Podcast Studio. They were podcasting live interviews with business people and the visitors during the event. Darsey Stump, Self Care Counseling, LLC, was not one of the 45 participating businesses, but came and made some good connections as she prepares for her Loveland grand opening later in March.

“It was really awesome,” said Stump. “I’m jealous we didn’t get a table because I think being able to pull to towns together to feature different businesses you get to meet businesses and people we didn’t know. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was an awesome way to connect with other businesses.”

Cee Cee Collins echoed the sentiment businesses and visitors were enjoying the event.

“They seemed to really be enjoying it,” she said. “They are seeing the increased traffic as well; they’re liking that. I just really appreciate them sticking with us. We kind of changed some things up with the layout from last year. I think that worked for everybody.”

For more information, visit the Milford Miami Township or Little Miami River Chamber websites.