NEOSHO AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce Receives Statewide Award for Innovative Communications Campaign

The Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce was recognized for excellence in member and community communications during the 2026 Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri Fall Conference, held October 22 at Margaritaville Lake Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks.

The Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri (CCEM) is the statewide professional association serving chamber professionals across Missouri. CCEM provides professional development, networking, resources and peer connections designed to help chamber leaders strengthen their organizations and communities.

Neosho received the Member & Community Communications Award for “More than Business: Making the Chamber Relatable.”

The campaign was built around a simple idea: Chamber communications can remain professional and meaningful while also being authentic, relatable and fun.

Throughout the year, the Chamber incorporated staff personalities, humor, member recognition and community storytelling into its communications. Creative reels gave audiences a behind-the-scenes look at Chamber life, promoted local businesses and transformed traditional activities such as ribbon cuttings into engaging social content. The Chamber also introduced daily member shoutouts to provide consistent visibility for local businesses.

The results demonstrated significant audience engagement, generating more than 4.4 million total views, 58,900 content interactions and 46 days of watch time during the year. One ribbon-cutting reel alone generated approximately 12,000 views and 23 shares.

Crystal Narr, CCEM Executive Director, stated, “This campaign reflected the Neosho Area Chamber’s belief that it can take its responsibility to members seriously without always taking itself too seriously—creating communications that strengthen member visibility while making the organization approachable and connected to its community.”

“At the heart of everything we do is building relationships and creating opportunities for our members. We’ve learned that sometimes the best way to connect with people is to simply be ourselves. Our team works incredibly hard, but we also love what we do, and we want that enthusiasm to come through in how we tell our members’ stories. If we can make someone smile, introduce them to a local business they didn’t know about, or help them feel more connected to our community, then we’re doing something meaningful. This recognition is really a reflection of the creativity, energy and heart our team brings to the Chamber every single day.”

— Lauri Lyerla, CEO, Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce