Ribbon Cuttings

Let us help you celebrate!

Are you opening a new business, expanding at your current location, relocating, or celebrating a milestone anniversary? Let the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce help you celebrate!  

The San Pedro Chamber of Commerce provides a ribbon cutting ceremony to members opening a brand-new or newly renovated/relocated business.  The ceremony can celebrate the first day of business or it can take place six weeks after the business or organization’s soft opening or on a significant anniversary.

Ribbon cuttings mark a significant event in the life of the business or organization.  It is a great photo opportunity and offers the business/organization's owner or manager the opportunity to provide remarks to those gathered, including  employees, friends, and family.  This is an opportunity to highlight the business and its services.

To Schedule a Ribbon Cutting with the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce:

1. You must be a new or current Chamber member in good standing (including dues paid) of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. 
2. Opened your doors within the last six months.
3. Moved to a new location due to expansion. 
4. Have completed a significant renovation.
5. Celebrating a milestone anniversary:   (5 years; 10 years; 25 years, etc.)

The Benefits of a Ribbon Cutting:

1. Introduce both the public and Chamber members to your business.
2. Announce your ribbon cutting on the Chamber’s Community Calendar.
3. Familiarize the public and Chamber members with your product/services.
4. Familiarize the public and Chamber members with your physical location.
5. Begin a customer base.
6. Generate leads and sales from attendees.
7. Publish a photo of your ribbon cutting in the Chamber’s newsletter.

Is the Ribbon Cutting a Chamber Event?

This is your event. The Chamber will gladly assist you with the following:

1. Notify the Chamber’s Board of Directors and Ambassadors Committee members of your ribbon cutting, encouraging their attendance.
2. Invite local officials on your behalf (upon request only).
3. List your ribbon cutting on the Chamber’s ribbon cutting page of our website and social media outlets.
4. Have a member of the Chamber’s team provide congratulatory remarks.
5. Bring the “BIG scissors” and ribbon.
6. Take pictures at the event and publish a photo in our newsletter.

While the Chamber will publicize your event, we strongly encourage you to conduct your own outreach to increase the attendance and awareness of your business’s opening. You should also consider inviting your customers, clients, contractors, employees, friends, and family to be with you to celebrate this wonderful occasion in your business’s history. Please understand that you should not rely solely on the Chamber to attract your audience.

What do we do?

Because your ribbon cutting is your event, there are no set rules. To make your event successful, carefully consider the following:

1. Schedule your event using our Ribbon Cutting Reservation Form at least 3 weeks in advance. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are usually the best days during the week for our members, not earlier than 9:00am and avoiding later  evening functions. As a general rule:  the Chamber cannot assist with ribbon cuttings after 5:00 pm or on weekends and holidays (First Thursday is an exception). Also, we ask you to please take a moment to cross-check your preferred date and time of celebration with the Chamber’s events calendar to prevent scheduling conflicts with Chamber events.
2. Determine who will cut the ribbon.
3. Decide who will be in the photo(s). Some businesses will take multiple photos with various groups of people before actually cutting the ribbon. Photos might include employees, family, Chamber members, business partners, and Ambassadors for example.
4. Your remarks or speech. This is usually done when everyone is gathered before cutting the ribbon.
5. Invite everyone you know! Invite your family, friends, past, current, and potential customers, business associates (including your accountant, banker, and property owner,) suppliers, your employees, the media, neighboring businesses, and government officials.
6. Consider having giveaways, especially logo items that guests can take back to their offices.
7. Food and beverages are not required, but for open house events, it makes a nice touch.
8. Prepare a quick speech and be sure to have plenty of brochures available.

Other details to enhance your event:

1. Refreshments, drinks, giveaways, and decorations are optional and up to you.
2. Many businesses add these extra touches when conducting a public grand opening in conjunction with the ribbon cutting.

ACTION ITEM

Please complete and return the Chamber’s Ribbon Cutting Reservation Form.

See where the SAN PEDRO RED SCISSORS have been recently!