News Items - Greater Marion Area Chamber of Commerce
Shop Southern Illinois wins national award
A program designed to urge area residents to complete their holiday shopping in Southern Illinois has garnered national recognition.

A program designed to urge area residents to complete their holiday shopping in Southern Illinois has garnered national recognition.

Shop Southern Illinois, a cooperative effort of 17 area chambers of commerce, placed second in the third annual national Chamber Innovation Award Competition, a program which celebrates and shares inventive ideas from chambers across the nation. Nearly 100 entries were received from Chamber organizations across the nation. Awards were announced at the annual conference of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives held this week in Savannah, Ga.

Shop Southern Illinois featured a website where area residents could learn some of the reasons why it is important for Southern Illinoisans to shop locally and where they could take an online pledge to do most of their own holiday shopping in the region. By making the pledge, participants were entered in weekly drawings to win prizes which were donated by businesses.

A full marketing plan supported the program. Local and regional media ran promotions as public service announcements free of charge. The campaign included television and radio commercials featuring Southern Illinois University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Barry Hinson, who urged area residents: “Don’t cross the river and don’t go online. Do your holiday shopping right here, where we all win.”

Southern Illinois Chambers cooperating for the effort included Benton/West City, Carbondale, Carmi, Carterville, Chester, DuQuoin, Hamilton County, Herrin, Jefferson County, Marion, Metropolis, Murphysboro, Nashville, Pinckneyville, Saline County, Union County, and West Frankfort.

“It’s very exciting to have our Shop Southern Illinois program recognized on a national scale,” said Les O’Dell, executive director of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce. “The effort is the ultimate in regional cooperation -- 17 chambers and businesses all over the region all working together with one goal: making area residents mindful of the importance of supporting our own communities and region.”

Marion Chamber of Commerce members who contributed items to the Shop Southern Illinois program included: 

  • Wesley's Custom Graphics (Shop Southern Illinois decals)
  • Krispy Kreme (one dozen donuts a month for a year)
  • 17th Street Bar & Grill ($125 gift certificate)
  • Black Diamond Harley Davidson ($250 gift certificate)
  • Pepsi MidAmerica (GRAND PRIZE: a year's supply of Pepsi)
"We are in the early stages of planning the 2016 Shop Southern Illinois campaign and we are looking for more great prizes to give away this year," said Dalus Ben Avi, executive director of the Marion Chamber of Commerce. "We want to continue to remind our area residents to not travel outside of our region or go online to do their holiday shopping."

To donate a prize to the Shop Southern Illinois campaign, please call the Marion Chamber of Commerce office at (618) 997-6311 or email director@marionillinois.com.

Area Chamber leaders plan to continue the two-year-old program in 2016 and are pledging to use the $500 cash prize from the competition as prize money for this year’s Shop Southern Illinois campaign. 

Published: 08/12/16