When are the milestones that justify celebrating with a ribbon cutting ceremony?

Why?

There are a multitude of reasons you may want to host a ribbon cutting celebration. The Chamber will highlight and promote your organization in multiple media outlets giving you the attention and recognition you deserve.  It also gives you the opportunity to thank your family, staff, professional advisors and the community for their support. The Chamber is happy to celebrate with you for one of the following milestones:

1. A grand opening OR a one year anniversary.
2. A milestone anniversary in increments of 5 years.  
3. A new location.
4. A grand re-opening after significant reconstruction.

WHY NOT?

Some examples of why we will not hold a ribbon cutting ceremony are:

1. New furniture or remodel
2. New partner in a firm
3. Addition of a partner name to a firm
4. Rebrand
5. New driveway
6. New sign

• Chamber staff and members being present at your physical location during your ribbon cutting celebration.              

• The date and location of your ribbon cutting is highlighted in our monthly newsletter, The Hudson Valley Business Scene, during the month of your event.  This newsletter is distributed to our members and the community via our email list over to 16,000 individuals.

• The Chamber will provide an emcee for the ceremony to move the program along professionally.

• The Chamber will provide ribbon and scissors.

• The Chamber will also promote the ribbon cutting following the event in a variety of sources which includes our newsletter and social media.

• The Chamber will provide a professional staff photographer and photos will be available for your post promotion.  You may take them from our photo album on Facebook and use them as you see fit.  Yes, royalty free!

• A text alert notifying our members of the ribbon cutting will be sent courtesy of The Law Office of Stephen E. Diamond, LLC. 

• The ribbon cutting is listed on our community calendar in our website, www.dcrcoc.org, as well as the Chamber events calendar.

• The ribbon cutting is listed on the mass email to our members on the week before the event.

• The ribbon cutting is promoted on our radio shows prior to the event.

• A list of all ribbon cuttings is distributed to all guests of the Contact Breakfast for the present month.

• An updated list of scheduled ribbon cuttings is included in the new member packets each month.

  * If you wish to have a certain number of people at your ribbon cutting in addition to the above, we can also design, print and mail a postcard invitation to a selected group of members.  We will also take the RSVPs and make any necessary follow-up calls to insure your requested attendance at your event.  This type of ribbon cutting is available at a special rate.  There are also media packages available for your ribbon cutting if you are interested.

IMPORTANT RIBBON CUTTING POLICIES

The decision to hold a ribbon cutting is at the discretion of the Chamber and all ribbon cuttings are subject to review, cancellation, or rescheduling for any reason.  We strongly advise against hosting ribbon cuttings during the winter months due to inclement weather.  We do not reschedule ribbon cuttings due to inclement weather or for any other reason during the same calendar year.  Status updates will be posted on the Chamber’s website and Facebook pages accordingly. 

A ribbon cutting should be scheduled at least six weeks in advance to receive the maximum amount of media exposure. While it is possible to schedule the event in a shorter timeframe, the amount of exposure received for the ribbon cutting will be limited.

WINTER MONTH POLICY:

Any ribbon cuttings scheduled during the winter months may be canceled due to weather conditions and is at the sole discretion of the Chamber. 

The Chamber strongly urges our membership to avoid hosting a ribbon cutting celebration during the winter months due the possibility of inclement weather.  However, if you wish to proceed with your ribbon cutting during this time-frame, you will be risking the ability to notify your attendees of such cancellation and rescheduling.  Also keep in mind, historically, attendance for any event held during the winter months may be lightly attended due to outdoor conditions – regardless of indoor location.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

A cancellation of a ribbon cutting due to weather, or otherwise, will result in an inability to notify the public of such a cancellation.  For six weeks leading up to the event, the Chamber offers significant advance promotion of ribbon cuttings on the radio, newsletter, social media, flyers, mailers, website and other.   The Chamber does not have the ability to notify all individuals who plan to attend, hence the Chamber cannot be responsible for notifying its membership with a specific notification, in any form, of such cancellation or rescheduling.  If in the event a ribbon cutting is canceled, for any reason, you will not be able to reschedule the ribbon cutting for a 12 month period.  If a ribbon cutting is canceled for any reason, the organization is responsible for any and all costs incurred by the Chamber and our partners.  This includes a $50 fee incurred to produce a dated shadow box/plaque.  

Due to the aforementioned, we strongly urge against scheduling events during the winter months. 

ADVANCE PLANNING AND NOTIFICATION:

If you are under construction and wish to hold a Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Celebration for a new facility, please reach out to us when the project is completed. We will do our best to schedule a date for your ceremony six weeks or more after your project is completed. This avoids the costs and time to reschedule a ribbon cutting for a delay in construction (or otherwise) and gives you enough time to adequately plan for the event. Keep in mind that construction is almost never completed on time and there are often other delays in furniture, movers etc. You also want to put your best foot forward and have the job completed in its entirety before welcoming guests to your place of business. 

PLEASE NOTE:  Ribbon Cuttings are only performed at 12PM or 4PM, M-F, excluding holidays and are based on availability.  We limit the number of ceremonies performed in a given week/month. All ribbon cutting requests must be for a milestone celebration of significance.  For example; a new logo, office furniture, partner (change in partnership), sign, staff returning to the office, addition to an existing facility, or driveway would not qualify as a reason to host a ribbon cutting.  However, a complete renovation, new building or location, anniversary of significance including one year in business, or a grand opening of a new organization would be a reason to hold a ribbon cutting celebration.  We do not perform ceremonies for political offices or agencies.  

SUBMIT YOUR RIBBON CUTTING REQUEST: HERE

​You must be a member of the Chamber. New members will be charged a fee for a ribbon cutting, which will be deducted from the membership renewal the next year. 

• We encourage you to attend one or two ribbon cuttings prior to organizing your own.
• We strongly recommend you allow a minimum of six weeks for the planning of your event so the Chamber can market it properly.
• Ribbon cuttings are scheduled during the business day, Monday-Friday, at either 12 or 4 PM.
• Individuals will be required to RSVP to the ribbon cutting in advance in order to attend.
• We will not schedule a ribbon cutting until your construction project has been completed. 
• We encourage you to utilize fellow Chamber members to cater refreshments for attendees. 

  Click here to view the Restaurants & Caterers in our Membership Directory. 

• If a ribbon cutting is canceled for any reason, the organization is responsible for any and all costs incurred by the Chamber and our partners.  This includes a $50 fee incurred to produce a dated shadow box/plaque.  

• We strongly encourage you to invite your customers, family and friends.

Once you complete and submit the registration form, a representative from the Chamber staff will contact you to assist you in organizing your event.