Annual Events

The Chamber of Commerce is busy year-round offering Recognition, Networking, Education, Advocacy, and Events to simply grow your business.  The following are the Annual Events you can count on:

• Business After Hours
  • It's business being done in a relaxed atmosphere.  Each month a member hosts the gathering on a Wednesday evening from 5:00-7:00 and provides hors d'oeuvres, beverages, door prizes, and if appropriate, tours for the group.  It’s a great way to reconnect with colleagues and expand who you do business with.
• Connecting Communities
  • Our Chamber covers all of Cortland County and the villages of Groton, Dryden, and Tully, even across our county lines.  When hosting a networking event in one of those towns or Cincinnatus or Marathon, we invite our membership and include the businesses of the host town to come as our guests.  It’s a fantastic way to encourage business to stay local and “Connect our Communities”!
• Legislative Breakfast
  • In early February we invite our two Assembly people and our State Senator along with the Chair of the County Legislature and Cortland City Mayor to join our membership for a breakfast gathering.  We have time to visit with our representatives one on one prior to a panel discussion.  Each elected official is given time to address the membership with their annual priorities.  At the conclusion, we open it up for questions from the membership.
• The “Best of the Best” voting from our community
  • In late winter we roll out the voting for three to four categories to allow the community to vote for their favorites.  Food items are the favorite to vote for but along with their favorite dish, people vote for the most outstanding business in other categories.  It’s a great way to call attention to all the good work our members do.  We announce the award winners in July.
• Business Showcase Preview Party
  • The largest business gathering in the County each year.  It happens the evening before the Showcase opens to the public.  A cash bar, 10-12 member restaurants to feed the crowd, prizes for booth displays, and all the businesses you wish to connect with are there for you.  We expect over 500 to attend and everyone to leave satisfied.  Sponsorships gain you additional recognition in print, radio, internet, television, and booth location.
• The Business Showcase
  • One of the Chamber’s signature events, attended by thousands of the public.  It follows the opening Preview Party and showcases our members to the community.  It’s a “trade show” type format with a tremendous variety of businesses and non-profits displaying.  Door prizes are given away to attendees and many booths have giveaways to showcase their business.  Throughout the day family-friendly entertainment is scheduled in the Molina Arena.  Radio, TV, Web site, mailings, signage, and social media are all used to advertise the event.
  • The Showcase! 2019 video
• GolfBake
  • The largest Golf Tournament in the County each year.  We fill two of our member courses and all gather at one location at the end of a wonderful day of golf to enjoy a full buffet dinner which includes our famous Clam Bake.  12,000 clams are consumed by a crowd of 300 +.  Cortland Beer Company is there with local favorites, door prizes are given out, and the top teams at each course receive prizes.  A putting contest, closest to the pin, longest drive, and skins round out the competition.
  • Miniature golf will now be included.  Play a round at Shipwrecked Golf and then join all golfers for the famous Clam Bake.
• Annual Dinner
  • In November the Chamber Annual Dinner takes place to celebrate the success of the year and plan for the year ahead.  During the dinner we honor members receiving awards.  Nominations are accepted for; Business of the Year, Non-Profit of the year, Heritage Award, Up and Coming Young Professional, and Citizen of the Year. A selection committee chooses the recipients to be honored.  For our business community, it’s the place to be for the fall!
• Holiday Party
  • To celebrate our Holidays, the Chamber hosts our networking event in December. The location rotates making use of The 1890 House, The Alumni House, The Cortland Country Music Park, and The CNY Living History Center.  At our most informal networking event, we ask members to stop by for food, a Holiday cocktail, and to wish your fellow members a Happy Holiday.  Held on a Wednesday evening in early December, it’s often our best-attended After Hours event of the year.