3 minutes
Last month, $320 million/26,000-member Belvoir Federal Credit Union, Woodbridge, Va., hosted its first Small Business Mixer for local business owners to network and learn.
“I planned the event with a conference-style theme for an afterhours mixer,” says Amy McConnell, marketing and public relations manager. “We had elegant cocktail tables spread throughout the lobby (with minimal seating to encourage networking), vendor booths, catered food and beverage, along with innovative technology.”
The credit union took advantage of the branch lobby’s multiple screen options to broadcast PowerPoints and even a video showcasing the CU’s business services.
“Since the event was held in our branch lobby, we enabled every computer monitor, TV screen, remote teller station remote screens, and iPad (which were on the cocktail tables) to project the same presentation simultaneously. In all, we had 17 screens that initially displayed an animated welcome PowerPoint presentation, which showcased the agenda, vendors/partners, and our door prize sponsors. Then, the speaker’s slides were displayed when he was presenting. After the presenter finished, another animated PowerPoint presentation was shown with the remaining items on the agenda, a reminder to stop by vendor booths, and another thank-you to the sponsors for the door prizes.
“I also created a business video that was modern and demonstrated how credit unions could help small businesses grow and thrive,” McConnell adds. “I worked with IT to project this video onto the ceiling in the middle of the lobby. Coupled with the faint background music playing over the speakers throughout the event, it added a modern, conference-style appeal to the evening mixer.”
From marketing efforts for the event, the credit union created a database of 200+ local businesses, which were invited to the event. This was the first Small Business Mixer the CU hosted since it launched business services in June 2014. With 50 attendees and a 78 percent response rate from RSVPs, the night was considered a success.
The CU set up a vendor area, with booths highlighting its products and services and other local companies, including:
- business checking from Belvoir Federal,
- business lending from CU Strategic Partners (the business lending credit union service organization that Belvoir Federal partners with)
- Belvoir Financial Services (for investments),
- CUES Supplier Member The Members Group, (for business credit cards), and
- Accurate Printing (a local printing company).
Six door prizes (with such offerings as amusement park and baseball game tickets, Starbucks gift cards and more) were donated by vendors and partners of the credit union, including GEICO, Comcast, Enterprise Car Sales, and local media outlets.
In addition, at the end of the two-hour event, each attendee received a Belvoir Federal branded padfolio for their business endeavors.
“The intention of the Small Business Mixer was to promote the business products,” says McConnell. “I think offering a relaxed setting where small businesses can absorb the information they want from different educational topics, along with showcasing vendors who help small businesses prosper, is a great endeavor for other credit unions to offer their business and potential business members. We are a credit union helping members with businesses succeed by offering products and services that will help to save money, be more productive, and create relationships via networking that can aid in the development and growth of their business.”
