South Shore Chamber of Commerce Wins Best In Show Award from National Chamber Association

ROCKLAND, MA AND ALEXANDRIA, VA, ISSUED AUGUST 31, 2022… The South Shore Chamber of Commerce has been named one of three Communications Excellence Best In Show winners by ACCE, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. ACCE is the leading national association for chambers of commerce and economic development organizations representing over 1,600 members, and more than 9,000 industry professionals.

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce initially won the 2022 Award for Communication Excellence for “Overall Best Campaign” for their Hello! South Shore campaign. Hello! South Shore is a regional destination marketing campaign that was created and designed to assist the regional recovery from the economic impact of COVID-19. After receiving a Regional Pilot Project Grant through the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, the Chamber partnered with local towns, businesses, and organizations to create a series of excursions that ran throughout the summer. The excursions were designed to spotlight arts, culture, history, outdoors, food, shops, recreation, holiday events, farmers’ markets, and neighborhoods across the South Shore. 

The campaign was the first to formally promote the South Shore region. It’s companion website www.hellosouthshore.com encouraged 600,000+ residents to think of “local” as more than their own neighborhood or town and promoted broader exploration. This was accomplished through an exciting and robust marketing campaign—launched in less than six weeks— spotlighting discovery and the many excursions across the 25 cities and towns the chamber represents. The Chamber enlisted local business members for campaign creation including logo and creative development as well as media placement. The campaign launch spanned three months during the summer of 2021 with 125 unique communications produced and delivered through email, radio, social media, billboard, magazine, and other forms of media. The website, www.hellowsouthshore.com, is still very much the hub for all the excursions and places to visit in the region. 

As a result of this groundbreaking campaign for the South Shore Chamber, Hello! South Shore reached nearly a million impressions in just 13 weeks. The project also provided countless local businesses, organizations, and events the much-needed support they deserve as they recover from operational losses due to the pandemic.

The Best In Show Award was announced live at the ACCE Annual Convention held July 27 in Indianapolis. The Hello! South Shore campaign competed against major metro chambers and regional chambers in 3 other award categories including Digital Media, Website, Print & Electronic Publications. 

“Effective communications and storytelling are crucial to supporting a chamber’s mission and showcasing its impact,” said ACCE President & CEO Sheree Anne Kelly. “The South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s innovative efforts to help drive engagement and make a difference in the region it serves are inspiring and very deserving of this recognition.”

“Looking ahead and beyond recovery, the Hello! South Shore project is directly linked to our larger economic and community development goals as part of the South Shore 2030 Plan,” explained Peter Forman, president & CEO of the 121-year-old chamber. “If you’re thinking about a campaign to brand your region, think local. Marketing the assets of your community to outsiders falls flat if the local businesses and residents don’t recognize and value those assets first.”

A panel of communications and marketing professionals from ten U.S.-based chambers of commerce evaluated entries submitted for this year’s competition. Entries were organized by category — based on the chamber’s annual revenue. Judges presented 13 Awards of Excellence and three Best in Show awards.

About the South Shore Chamber of Commerce
The South Shore Chamber of Commerce is the largest, not-for-profit business organization in the region and holds a 5-Star Accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Funded by members and partner businesses for over 120 years, our mission is to cultivate a stronger South Shore economy by encouraging a robust and diverse business climate; and by supporting the local members and communities we represent.  We know when businesses succeed, our communities succeed. To learn more, please visit www.southshorechamber.org or call 781-421-3900.

About the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) is the professional society supporting the people who lead local, regional, statewide, and international chambers of commerce and related business and economic development organizations. Our membership includes more than 1,600 business/civic organizations worldwide. We provide our members with information resources, thought leadership, education programs, original research, benchmarking, retirement security, and access to a network of peers. For information, visit www.acce.org.

Special thanks to all the local businesses and organizations that participated in
Hello! South Shore:

Abby Park
Alba Quincy
Alba on 53
Alma Nove
Anna's Harborside
The Artisan Pig
Barrel House Z
bia bistro
Black Tie Barber Shop
Board 143
Braintree 4th of July Committee
Burke's Alewerks
Burton's Grill
Buttonwood Books
Caffe Tosca 
Carmela's
Captain John Boats
Clandestine Kitchen
College Hype
The Company Theatre
Cushing Café
Derby Street Shops
East Coast Printing
edible South Shore
Epicurean Kitchen
Gerard's Turkey Farm
Glow Beauty Boutique
Greenside Grille
Hawk Visuals
Hemlock Ink
Hollywood Agency
Hotel 1620
Hull Lifesaving Museum
Idle Hour
Inn at Scituate Harbor
Island Creek Oysters
Jac's Café
Joye
Lenny's Hideaway
Leone Marketing Solutions
Levitate
Liv Creative Cuisine
Locally Yours
Lucca South Shore
Lucky Finn
​Main Street Media Group
Mamma Mia's
Marshfield Community Media
Mill Wharf
Mono Mono Boutique

Moonrise Cinemas
Nantasket Flatts
Novara Restaurant
Nona's Homemade
North South River Watershed Association
Off the Wall Kidz
Olde Salt House
PaddleSurf MA
The Parrot
Peace N Quiet Sailing Charters
Players Sports Bar & Grill
Plimouth Patuxent
Plymouth County Development Council
The Quarry
Quincy Farmers Market
 The Red Lion Tavern
Salty Harbor / 3 N 3
Salty Whale Cohasset
Sand & Water
Sandpaper Factory Goods
The Sandpiper Company
Sarcastic Swine BBQ
Second Wind Brewing
Slacktide Coffee Roasters
South Shore Arts Center
South Shore Conservatory
South Shore Home Life Style
South Shore Music Circus
South Shore Pottery Shop
Spin 350
Stars on Hingham Harbor
Starland Sportsplex & Fun Park
Stellwagen Brewing Company
Three Buoys & a Mermaid
The Tinker's Son
Three V
Trident
Tosca
Untold Brewing
Uva Wine Bar
Vela Juice Bar
Wahlburger's
The Weathervane Golf Club Tavern
Welch Company
Wildlands Trust
YupSup
Zef Cicchetti