Trendsetters 2020 | Page 36

> Connect Business After Hours Event makes networking fun and easy By Derrek Vaughn “Networking seems like a scary thing but it shouldn’t be, it should be fun and easy,” said Chloe Wade, membership and events director for the Valdos- ta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce. Business After Hours is the key event to make this networking fun and easy. “From our member surveys this is the number one thing that people really appreciate that the chamber does for them,” Wade said. “It’s a way for people to show off their business.” 36 Trendsetters | Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce As the event became popular with chambers across the nation, the Valdosta-Lowndes chamber adopted the event in 1990 and has been facilitating them ever since. Business After Hours are hosted by different cham- ber member businesses throughout the year. They are generally held 5-7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Lauren Pope, director of communications and marketing for the chamber, said securing a particular month can sometimes be competitive among members