Waterford Chamber of Commerce has been named as Chamber of the Year for 2021.
The Chamber Awards, hosted by Chambers Ireland and sponsored by Zurich, “recognise the outstanding work of chambers of commerce throughout the country in supporting local, regional and national business”.
Waterford Chamber was shortlisted in six of the seven award categories and was recognised for its “high level of activity throughout the year despite challenging operational conditions”.
It won Best Local Authority Collaboration as it partnered with Waterford City and County Council to showcase the seaside town of Tramore as part of a successful application to the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards.
This resulted in Tramore receiving €20,000 towards community projects. Of this, €15,000 will be used to support the development of an outdoor market space for food and craft businesses at the old Tramore Railway Station with €5,000 provided to Tramore Tidy Towns.
Chambers Ireland president Mags Brennan said: “Being named Chamber of the Year is testament to the scale of ambition shown by Waterford Chamber during such a challenging period.
“It reflects the huge amount of talent and dedication within the team and underlines how impressively they have managed and adapted their activity to meet the needs of their members.
“What truly impressed our judges was how much Waterford Chamber engaged with its community. This is a group of strong communicators, relationship builders and people who care deeply about their city and county.
“Despite the obstacles, the team produced a series of excellent projects which undoubtedly contributed positively to the economic resilience of Waterford and put it in a better position as we move towards recovery.”
Full list of winners
Best Digital Marketing Campaign: Tralee Chamber - Xplore Tralee Digital Infrastructure
Virtual Event of the Year: Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber - Dungarvan Live
Local Authority Collaboration: Waterford Chamber – Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards
Most Innovative Project: Arklow & District Chamber – Cheers for Charity Campaign
Most Successful Policy Campaign: Cork Chamber - Sustainable Cork Programme – Building Economic Resilience
Best Membership Initiative: Drogheda Chamber - Tapit CashBack & VIM (Very Important Member) Scheme
Partnership for Business: Galway Chamber - Galway Chamber Mindfulness Month
Chamber of the Year: Waterford Chamber
