OPINION: Simply defined, a chamber of commerce (or board of trade) is a form of business network, for example, a local organisation of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community.

Port Douglas, like most small towns, has a chamber of commerce which has a limited membership base and is perhaps not as active or visible as many would prefer.

However, there could be dramatic winds of change if the community endorse what is being proposed at tomorrow night’s annual general meeting (AGM) being held at the Sheraton Mirage. An appropriate venue considering the resort put Port on the map in the 1980s with Christopher Skase’s grand creation.

A key element at the AGM will be the launching of a Transformational Change Strategy. One suspects the chamber will be looking to increasing membership; enhancing its engagement with other chambers and business organisations; and most important of all, issuing a clear message that its major goal is to further the interests of business.

The Douglas Chamber of Commerce’s principal challenge is to increase and retain membership. But, members want a return on their investment (ROI); they want to see how the chamber is working for them and in turn they will then put something back to ensure a win-win.

But this involves having the resources to achieve this and if the chamber wants to go to the next level, they need to produce an achievable and workable plan.

The chamber also needs to look at its membership structure. A consideration is having Business Members – those who are active in the business community – and non-Business members, who still have an interest in the business community and are retired or semi-retired. Membership fees for the latter should be considerably less and in the region of $75 versus the current fee of $200.

Chambers of commerce rely on their members and committees. Too often, it’s always a ‘handful’ of members who do all the work and eventually they lose interest because there is no guaranteed support base. Also, many of the members have businesses and families and can therefore only allocate so much time to the chamber.

It’s for this reason the chamber needs to look beyond the business community and expand their mix of members. If they can deliver a message tomorrow night which is wholly endorsed by those in attendance and continue to sell that message, the chamber can look to a brighter future and seize the moment.

But they have a lot of work to do and require strong and dynamic leadership for this to occur.