Over 100 years ago, one of the most important organisations in New Zealand opened its doors; New Zealand Chambers of Commerce. With 30 Chambers in New Zealand, supporting over 22,000 businesses members, the organisation influences and inspires New Zealand business through training, advice, information and support.
Our Student Intern, Xanthe Garahy, recently had a chat with Waikato Chamber of Commerce CEO Chris Simpson. She found out all about the Chamber and how they came to be a part of the Soda Co Working space.
Chris said Waikato Chamber of Commerce had one simple yet effective purpose; to shamelessly promote business.
“It’s all about hyper localizing information, so rather than just talking about a sort of aggregate New Zealand Inc perspective, we’re just really focused on how we can support Hamilton and Waikato business.
“It’s about being out there with the members, finding out what they are doing, what they want to achieve, what they want to be and how we can actually help support that.”
Chris credited much of their online engagement to LinkedIn, where himself and his coworkers post relevant content to inspire and inform members of the Waikato Business Community.
Chris did not hesitate when it came to praising how Soda Inc and the coworking space had helped facilitate the reach and engagement of the Chamber. Having over 140 desks and 35 companies within the space “fosters a great community feel; something the Chamber works hard to establish across the Waikato”.
The Chamber “are unequivocally supportive” of anything in the innovation space for business, which makes it easy for them to get behind Soda and encourage the success of our programs and events.
Make sure you check out the Chambers upcoming events: The Waikato Business Expo, and The Waikato Business Awards – where Soda Inc won the Not for Profit Award in 2018.