• There are plenty of options, the answer just depends on what's best for your group! A free room at a university is always great for the Section's budget and usually includes free AV equipment! However, it's often difficult to get a consistent room or even building to hold your meetings. Having consistent days, times and places for your meetings can make a big difference in your meeting attendance and regular turnout.
  
  
• A room or dinner at a hotel or restaurant will be more costly. However, it can provide a consistent meeting place, with adequate parking. Most hotels and restaurants can provide AV and also offer group rates, so make sure to ask about that. Rates can often be negotiated as well, to meet the needs and resources of your group. To avoid having to pay the cost of no-show members, have members pay ahead of time to reserve their meal.
  
  
• Other ideas to check into are chambers of commerce, banks, libraries, and local companies.

How can our Section increase meeting attendance?

Marketing! Here are some tips:

• Keeping a membership database is very important! It helps to keep track of your members, new and old! Also, take advantage of using the NACE International Membership database.
  
  
• Reminders are important! Send e-mail announcements before your meeting or event 2 weeks before, 1 week before and again 1 day before. Remember to use the NACE International Logo in your announcements.
  
  
• Utilize your Web site! Keep it updated and refer people to it as much as possible—send them the link! They'll make it a habit to refer to the Web site to see what's going on.
  
  
• Mailings—they can be expensive, but worth it. Although you're more likely to get a response through e-mail, these days people are often inundated with e-mails! Mail your members a meeting announcement, newsletter, or letter.

How can NACE International headquarters assist our Section with marketing and promotion?

• Press Releases — tell headquarters about events that your Section will be holding or participating in ahead of time and NACE will assist you in writing a press release and placing it in your local community press!
  
  
• Write an article for MP! NACE reserves a column every month for Local Sections to write articles about what you're doing!
  
  
• Headquarters can provide you with a list of contact information for members in your area.

What are some activity ideas for our Local Section besides meetings and dinner?

• Invite speakers . . .ask for suggestions and speaker reviews from other Sections through the NACE bulletin board. Work on getting dynamic speakers with topics of wide interest to capture a larger audience!
  
  
• Take a field trip or go on a plant tour!
  
  
• Have a joint meeting with other chapters—a great way to network!
  
  
• Show & Tell—invite everyone to come to the meeting and make a five-minute presentation about their company and their job. This is a fun and interesting way to get to know your colleagues better.
  
  
• Engage in fun, social activities such as a golf tournament, picnics, or Happy Hour!