October 4th, 2007 marked the first morning that the Rancho Cucamonga Chamber of Commerce (RCCC) held their weekly Business Connection Network (BCN) mixer at Central Park. The BCN was formerly conducted at the Etiwanda Gardens. Because people are creatures of habit, the change was welcomed with the anticipated moans & groans, which were obvious manifestations of growing pains (of the more verbal chamber members.)
BCN Difference #1: Price
Along with the move, the entry fee to the BCN increased to $6 versus the former price of $5 per chamber member.
BCN Difference #2: Location within Rancho Cucamonga
The Community Center at Central Park is more centrally located in Rancho Cucamonga. Etiwanda Gardens, on the other hand, is found at the eastern borders of Rancho Cucamonga near the 15 freeway. Norm Mackenzie, the President/CEO of RCCC, voiced that the decision to move to the Central Park Community Center was based on the centrality of the park’s location.
BCN Difference #3: Breakfast Menu
The BCN is now being catered by Angelina’s Cafe v.s. Etiwanda Gardens’ in house catering company Stone Mountain Catering. Unlike the Etiwanda Gardens facility, the choice of restaurant/catering services is given to the client. RCCC has contracted the breakfasts served at the weekly BCN to chamber member, Michelle of Angelina’s Cafe. Michelle will be serving the basic breakfasts with a different twist each week. The regular menu at Etiwanda Gardens included coffee, orange juice, fruits and assorted sweet rolls, breads & muffins. In contrast, Angelina’s cafe provided the usual fruit, assorted breads, coffee but also included croissants stuffed with scrambled eggs & bacon.
BCN Difference #4: Attendance
The final business count in attendance at the October 4th BCN was 100: an increase to the average 88 chamber members.
BCN Difference #5: Room Size
Although I did not personally measure the room, visual and auditory clues gave away the fact that the room was truly smaller than what the BCN is used to. First of all, several members were seen bumping chairs with one another. Second, there was only one narrow walking path from the door to the buffet table that extended right in front of the hosts’ speaking area. And third, numerous “I’m sorrys” and “Excuse me’s” were being heard throughout the room whenever members accidentally bumped into another. The perception that the room was smaller could also be attributable to the higher number of chamber members in attendance that morning.
BCN Difference #6: Microphones
At Central Park, only one wireless microphone was provided for the hosts. The other microphone had a cord which caused some humorous maneuvering amongst the chamber members during business introductions.
BCN Difference #7: Flyer Table Placement
The flyer/info table was placed inside the room at Central Park versus the hallway like in Etiwanda Gardens. This ate away at valuable space which could have gone towards creating extra elbow room around member seating. In order to utilize the space more effectively, the best place for the flyer/info table is in the hallway.
Overall, the experience at the Central Park location was positive. I think it was mainly because Angelina’s Cafe actually provided us with scrambled eggs and bacon which were nonexistent at Etiwanda Gardens! Although there were a few mumblers & grumblers, one can look at it as a way for chamber members to break the ice and begin building a personal relationship. We’ll see how next week goes….
