By Amanda Zwanziger
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December 20, 2024
President’s Message to Indianola Chamber Investors Your investment in the Indianola Chamber of Commerce is so much more than a membership. It’s a partnership that strengthens our community, supports local businesses, and drives meaningful progress for everyone. Thanks to your support, we’ve accomplished incredible things together this past year. Some of our 2024 highlights include: New Businesses: Celebrated 25 new businesses opening their doors in Indianola. New Members: Welcomed 53 businesses to our Chamber community. Member Promotions: Successfully promoted Chamber member news and 543 member events, with a reach of over 300,000 on social media channels and an open rate of over 50% open rate in Chamber in communications. Impactful Events: Hosted events that brought members together and showcased the vibrancy of our community. Main Street Designation: Helped lead the charge to be one of two communities to earn the Main Street designation from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Tourism Launch: Welcomed visitors to Indianola through enhanced tourism marketing and our Experience Indianola campaigns, showcasing the best our community has to offer, including hosting bus tour visitors from multiple states that made a $50,000+ impact. RAGBRAI: Spearheaded efforts to bring over 20,000 RAGBRAI riders to the front door of our downtown business community. Advocacy: Advocated for local businesses by driving initiatives that support growth, visibility, and collaboration. Economic Growth: Provided support to developers who are bringing to Indianola over 500 housing units, commercial development, and attractions that will drive significant economic growth. These achievements are a direct reflection of the investment you have made in the Chamber’s work. Your support matters. It fuels everything we do. Here’s what’s new and exciting for 2025: Major Event Twist: We’re turning Summer Nights Live into something extraordinary— the Dad’s Rock Festival, taking place over Father’s Day weekend! With great band acts, fun experiences, and unique activities like a BBQ competition, Iowa's largest man cave, and more, we expect to draw visitors from all over. This is an incredible opportunity to bring a crowd and for your business to be part of this exciting event. Celebrating the Best of Indianola: At our Annual Chamber Celebration, in addition to a fun awards show recognizing 2024 award winners, we’ve added the Taste of Indianola, a unique experience and competition where a restaurant will be recognized as The Best of Indianola for 2025. This is a fantastic chance to experience the local culinary scene while celebrating our Chamber community. New Digital Marketing Summit: We will continue our popular Business Series events with the addition of a new Digital Marketing Summit. This educational event will help businesses stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital landscape and provide valuable insights for growing their online presence. Expanded Advertising Options: New this year, we’re offering enhanced advertising opportunities to include your brand in some of our most highly visible communications. This is a fantastic way to stay top of mind with Chamber members and the community. Tourism Packages: Through the Experience Indianola website and campaigns, your business or organization can shine in front of visitors and locals alike. 100% of the proceeds of the tourism packages will go towards advertising our community. If you are a tourism-friendly business or organization, we look forward to connecting with you to discuss the year ahead and ensure you have every opportunity to participate in this exciting initiative. Enhanced Investor Membership Levels: We’ve added even more value to our investor memberships, with additional advertising, social media promotions, and tourism marketing opportunities. These enhancements are packed with ways to help your business stand out. Be sure to explore our new 2025 Membership, Marketing & Sponsorship packet for information on how you can leverage the Indianola Chamber in 2025. The packet can be found HERE . Thank you for being an essential part of our Chamber family. We’re excited to make 2025 our most impactful year yet—with your partnership leading the way. Enjoy your holidays with your family and Happy New Year! Warm regards, Amanda Zwanziger Amanda Zwanziger President & CEO Indianola Chamber of Commerce 515-961-6269 amanda@indianolachamber.com
