If Not The Chamber, Then Who? Manatee Chamber of Commerce [Infographic]

Understanding everything the Chamber does can be a daunting task. CR8INC's newest infographc helps simplify the message.  

I had been considering creating an infographic for the Manatee Chamber of Commerce for a while now but had no real direction or insight as to how to do it in a way that not only stood out visually but would also help the Chamber tell their story and increase awareness of all the different things they do. When Tom Seguin came to me to ask about doing an Infographic for the Manatee Chamber of Commerce I got really excited. We had recently done an Infographic for Suncoast Gems and as the new Chairman of the Board he thought it would be the perfect tool to help him spread the word about the Chamber and all of their offerings. 

The purpose of an Infographic is to present a lot of information in a very clean, simple and visually appealing manner. Being an active member of the Chamber of Commerce I understand most everything they do. I am involved in a number of their different initiatives and committees so I totally understand the value of a membership. To the less informed though, the chamber is often seen as one of two things:

A networking organization: many people think the Chamber of commerce is all about networking but as this Infographic depicts, there is much more to the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. There are more than 25 different committees and 108 initiatives for people to get involved with. 

An organization for large businesses: another common misconception is that the Manatee Chamber of Commerce is only for larger companies. As you will see in the infographic below, more than half of chamber businesses have less than 5 employees and more than 80% have less than 25 employees. The chamber is a voice for large business, but I would argue that it is an even stronger platform for the smaller businesses that make up the majority of its membership.

As the Chairman of the Board, Tom wanted CR8INC to create an Infographic to help overcome some of these common misconceptions about the chamber. His goal as the Chairman is to broaden the reach of the Manatee Chamber and help people understand that there are a number of things that would simply not get done if it were not for the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. Bob Bartz (President of the Chamber) has a great quote that really served as the inspiration for much of the infographic. "If not the Chamber, the who?" I think that quote says a lot all by itself and was the main reason we used it as the headline for the infographic. 

The infographic takes you on a journey through the different accomplishments and some stats about the Chamber that most people might now know. We tried to capture the culture of the infographic in the color scheme and the various sections of the infographic. From the outline of the county at the beginning of the infographic, to opening it up into the chamber boardroom and out to the Bradenton skyline as we wrap it all up. I tried to make sure that the infographic was as thorough at representing the Manatee Chamber as the Chamber is at representing their members. 

I thought I knew a lot about the Manatee Chamber of Commerce before starting on this project but through the course of researching and planning the Infographic I learned so much more about this great organization. They really are an amazing asset to the community, an unparalleled resource for small businesses and the heartbeat of the manatee county business community. It was an honor to work on this project and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. 

Pease feel free to share it with a friend, leave a comment down below or reach out to get your own Infographic. 

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