May 25, 2020
Update from the President/CEO of the Nixa Chamber
PHASE 2 SOON: As we all continue to battle this COVID-19 world we live in, it is clear to see Nixa has been marching forward the best we can. Reality of it is, with more people staying home some of our local businesses have not only survived, they have THRIVED. In addition, there are businesses who continue to struggle, and some will likely not survive this pandemic. With phase 1 nearly complete of the Mayor’s strong recovery plan, we will see some slight changes coming soon regarding our next steps. Likely increasing the size of social gatherings for one. Increasing capacity has a different challenge.
The words social distancing and that magical 6’ circle will continue to haunt our restaurants for quite some time. Speaking to some of the local owners this past week, the issue is not the 50% of capacity. The limitations are seating patrons and keeping them socially distanced. The fact is, they are allowed by the current orders more in their restaurant however, the issue is square footage. There is simply just not enough room to seat people and keep everyone socially distanced. We are working on some plans to help with this battle. The same challenge also impacts churches, chamber events, school events and more. Essentially, every space in town needs to be double the size if not bigger just to get the numbers back pre-COVID 19.
As I travel and look around town, I am enormously proud of our business community and feel our businesses and churches are all doing what we can to make sure and not end up in the news.
CHAMBERS PLANS: Starting June 1st, your chamber will back open as close to normal as we can get. Our team will be working back in the office with the intensity to keep moving forward. Look for announcements very soon about LIVE events for Nixa Chamber Luncheons, Working Women in Nixa, Ribbon Cuttings and more. We are strategizing this week to make sure we can bring you effective, informative, fun, and safe events this Summer.
NIXPO and SUCKER DAYS: These two events have been on our hearts tremendously lately as we would really like to make sure and bring you these events. It is exceedingly difficult to plan events and not really know if we will even be able to host them. We had originally scheduled NIXPO for August 8th at the High School. After much consideration we have determined that Sucker Day’s (with a huge asterisk) will be re-scheduled for August 7th and 8th. Unfortunately, NIXPO has been cancelled for 2020. Everyone who had signed up for as a vendor or sponsor will automatically have a seat at the table for next year. The reason for the switch has to do with indoor vs outdoor event and the infrastructure we need like rides, games, tents, etc. were not available in September and October due to so many other festivals in the area. The biggest challenge will still be the words Social Distancing.
CLOSING: As a quick reminder, your Chamber team has been working extremely hard during this pandemic. We have strived to bring you virtually the tools, information and shows like Ask the Experts, Good News Nixa, Training in addition to online networking mixers, coaching, consulting and so much more. We ask you to keep us in your business plans as well and help us spread the word that Chamber is stronger than ever, and we continue to appreciate your financial support as well.
Sincerely,
Chris Russell
Nixa Chamber of Commerce
