Think Differently
Getting Ready For the Happiest Place on Earth
Today I am getting ready to embark on a journey that will be both fun and educational and memorable because I am going to the happiest place on Earth…DISNEYLAND! This year the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) will be hosting its annual conference in Disneyland and I am all packed and ready to go for a week of meeting and greeting my childhood favorite characters, as well as learning how to D-Think our Chamber in order to bring more innovation and value to you our members!
W.A.C.E.Conference
This conference will be especially memorable for me because I will be graduating from the W.A.C.E. Academy during the conference. Academy is a 3 year training program for Chamber professionals that involves training in management, operations, finances/budgeting, and many other critical areas for running a Chamber. I always wanted to enroll in Academy and thanks to the support of my board, I had the priviledge of attending the last three years.
Think Differently
Think Differently is the theme of this year’s conference and it is especially fitting for what I want to encourage you to do to improve your professional life. Professional development has always been on my priority list because early on in my profession I understood that there was so much I needed to learn in order to successfully run a healthy and viable Chamber. I have been with the Chamber for over 12 years and through my time I have constantly wanted to learn something new that I can use to improve our Chamber. Anyone in any profession needs constant growth and development. If you are not learning something new every day you are falling behind. The worst mistake we can make as professionals is “getting comfortable” with the way run our companies or businesses. Time are changing, technology is innovating, and our lives are going by faster than ever; start thinking Differently!
When was the last time you attended a business conference or registered for a workshop? If it’s been awhile, you might want to rethink how much time you are dedicating to improve YOURSELF and find a class, seminar, or training that will re-energize you!
Today, I am not only excited to see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and all the princesses in the happiest place on earth; I am excited to be able to bring back with me a piece of knowledge that can bring positive changes and improvements to our Chamber. Look forward to my next blog where I will share what other Chambers around the west are doing.
Wish me good luck!
Until next time and remember, Think Differently every day!
-Sofia Valenzuela, CEO, Tracy Chamber of Commerce