April 2, 2024 • 20 mins
The All Around the Bend Business Showcase from the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce is back for its second year. This year, the event takes place on April 13th at the West Bend High School Fieldhouse. There will be more than 80 exhibitors, plus food and entertainment!
Amber Cypcar from the Chamber joins me this week to talk about the event and what to expect this year!
Mentioned in this episode:
- All Around The Bend Business Showcase - A Community Event! - Apr 13, 2024 - Events - West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce Inc., WI
- All Around the Bend - Facebook Event
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Fuzz Martin (00:08):
Hey, hope you had a great spring break, and if you didn't have a
spring break, well, I hope you get one.
From.
Whatever you're doing, andI hope you get it soon.
You deserve it.
Shanna and I and our youngest daughterflew off to Disney for the week last
week, and we had a wonderful time.
Dare I say it was a magical time.
I told that to someone on the phonetoday, and they said if they were
(00:29):
standing next to me, they would havehit me, and I would have deserved
it, though I don't condone violence.
We did have a fantastic time, andwhile I fear we may be becoming,
and I'm using finger quotes,Disney people, Disney people.
We enjoy it.
Our daughter enjoys it.
My wife enjoys it.
I know Disney enjoys that we'rethere and uh, our credit card
(00:51):
company, they enjoy it as well.
So that's nice.
Hey speaking of nice Nice transition fuzz.
This week, Amber Cypcar the Eventsand Programs Manager for the West Bend
Area Chamber of Commerce, joins me totalk about All Around the Bend Business
Showcase, a great event for the communityhappening at the West Bend High School
Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 13th.
(01:12):
It will feature businesses from aroundthe area and a lot of fun activities for
the whole family, kind of like Disney.
See?
With that, here are 15 minuteson All Around the Bend Business
Showcase with Amber Cypcar.
On Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
(01:36):
Amber, the West Bend Chamber ofCommerce is hosting All Around the Bend.
Uh, the business showcase at theWest Bend high school field house
coming up on Saturday, April 13th.
Can you start by giving usan overview of the event?
Amber Cypcar (01:47):
Yes.
So the All Around the Bend businessshowcase is a free community event,
which will be welcoming about 80 localbusinesses, non profit organizations
and different vendors all to the WestBend High School Fieldhouse to showcase
their products and their services and theemployment opportunities that they have.
They'll be setting up booths.
(02:08):
They'll be there ready to talk withyou, meet face to face with the business
professionals that many will haveproducts available for purchase as well.
And you can learn about all thedifferent resources that are available.
So it's a great Showcase our thrivingbusiness community here in West
Bend, but it's not only just aboutbusiness We have to have a little
(02:28):
bit of fun, too So we have a lot offun elements in the event as well.
There's different entertainment groupscoming in different school groups They're
going to be singing and showcasing theirtalents There is a play zone for kids.
We have to have somethingfor everyone, right?
So we got the fun play zone going on.
There is a huge raffle.
There's almost 80 raffle prizes in theraffle and a lot of other giveaways.
(02:51):
There's a grand prize giveaway too,which I'll talk about a little later.
And of course there'sfood and concessions.
So be sure to come hungry.
Try some local flavors here in town.
So we're just happy to have broughttogether so many different parts
of the community for this event.
And we cannot wait to seeeverybody on April 13th.
Fuzz Martin (03:08):
That sounds very exciting.
And it sounds like it's a wellput together event by the West
Bend Area Chamber of Commerce.
What inspired the chamber tocreate All Around the Bend?
Amber Cypcar (03:18):
Definitely.
So the mission at the chamberis to foster a thriving
business community in West Bend.
And we do that by promoting.
Advocating, connectingand educating our members.
So those are our four pillars and wefocus almost everything we do around
those pillars are promote our programs,our initiatives, and our events.
(03:40):
We make sure that it alignswith those pillars and the
business showcase does just that.
It is a platform for businessesto form connections with other
businesses and with clients.
It is a chance for businesses to promotethemselves and get their names out there
And it's a way for the community tolearn About what their businesses are
doing and how we can build support forour business community as well So that
(04:04):
is what inspired the mission of thisevent the purpose of it And then for the
logistical parts of it too, we, in thisevent, the first year of it was last year.
So we were taking into accounta lot of the effects of COVID.
Businesses were still comingout of COVID difficulties.
We know that many physicalstores were impacted.
Many businesses shiftedto an online model maybe.
(04:26):
So they don't have that instore face to face time anymore.
Right.
Staffing was an issueand is still an issue.
Business owners can't get awayfrom their businesses for long.
So in the logistical sense that weknew, okay, it needs to be a one day
event that business owners have thechance to get out and participate.
It needs to be affordable.
(04:47):
It's not going to beyour fanciest showcase.
It's not the big screens and thebig lights and things like that, but
it's so authentic and it's so genuineand we want to keep it that way.
And of course it's in person,which is a big part of this.
So.
That is what helped us form thebasis of it, the foundation, and
then we didn't want to limit it toa theme or a specific topic like
(05:07):
a home explorer or a trade show.
We wanted it to be West Bend.
So that's how we came up with thename too is, you know, West Bend,
Bend, all around, All Around the Bend.
Business showcase.
Excellent.
That's what inspired
Fuzz Martin (05:19):
it.
Well, that, yeah, that sounds, very,very well inspired and feels like
a great way to showcase everybody.
Again, you know, the home show broughtin a lot of outside, businesses from
outside of Washington County or West Bendand this really helping to showcase those
Amber Cypcar (05:36):
businesses here.
It did.
Yes.
The home show, the chamber hosted thehome show that went on for 47 years.
So that was a well run event.
And it was time to retire it because itwasn't speaking to our mission anymore.
It, it was a lot of outsidebusinesses and we wanted to just
focus more on our community.
So
Fuzz Martin (05:52):
Great!
This is the second year of the event.
How has the All Around theBend changed since year one?
Amber Cypcar (06:00):
Oh, it was great to learn all of the things last year
is a great way to get our feet onthe ground and get a good basis.
And now we have that foundation and now wecan just add more things and make it Even
a more inclusive experience and elaborate.
So we kept the foundation, of course,you know, inviting businesses.
We're happy to welcome almost80 businesses this year.
(06:21):
And the cool thing about that is a lotof them are different than last year.
So even if you came to last year'sshowcase, you're going to see
a whole new slew of businesses.
Some will be from last year aswell, but a lot of them are new.
So that's really exciting.
We evolved the, or theentertainment people loved it.
And we just grew that more.
So we got even moreschool groups involved.
We have a big lineup this year.
(06:42):
The play zone is new.
That is just anotherfun element we added in.
And then for businesses, we, on thebusiness side of things, we incorporated
some sponsorship opportunities for them.
Sponsorships are important for businesses.
They are often, a part oftheir marketing strategy.
So we wanted to make sure that thatis available for them, too, so that
it can evolve on that end as well.
So it's gonna keep growing.
(07:03):
It grew a little bit this year,and it's probably gonna grow a
little bit more next year, so wecan't wait to see where it goes.
Fuzz Martin (07:08):
Excellent.
So, you said there's gonna be about80 different businesses there.
Mm hmm.
What kinds of businesses will beparticipating in the showcase?
Amber Cypcar (07:16):
All different types , Fuzz.
Let me tell you all sizes from small,a lot of small and medium sized
businesses, home based sole proprietors.
There are a few largerones in there as well.
Bigger names that you'regoing to recognize.
It's the showcase.
It was open to any West Bendbusiness, so they don't necessarily
have to be a chamber member.
But many of them are, and you'llsee them, they'll have a sign by
(07:38):
their booth, proud chamber member.
But it was open to all businesses.
Any business located in WestBend or a company that services
the West Bend community.
So you're going to find all differenttypes, all different industries,
real estate, construction, insurance,photography, vendors, real tail
retailers, both large and small food.
The Humane Society will be therewith some adorable doggies.
(07:59):
Oh, excellent.
So, you can melt your heart.
Fuzz Martin (08:03):
The best conference that I ever went to in my role
here in advertising, I had to goto the World Pet Expo in Orlando.
Oh, man.
And it was the cutest tradeshow I've ever been at.
That sounds great.
So, having the WashingtonCounty Humane Society be there
with pets will be awesome.
Uh huh, yep.
So You talked about some liveperformances and entertainment.
(08:26):
What do you have plannedfor the event in that way?
What can people expect to see?
Amber Cypcar (08:31):
So if you have a student, you're probably going
to be at the showcase because wehave so many school groups coming.
We are excited to have Decorah, McClane,and Jackson Elementary come and perform.
They each have a fourthgrade student choir.
They'll be singing.
So cute.
Excellent.
The high school choir has threeseparate groups, and they're all
going to be performing at the event.
Okay.
That's really exciting.
(08:51):
And there's a few different, just localstudents who have interested music.
There is a band that some highschool students have, it's called the
brass project and it's a brass band.
And then there is a local student,Tristan Colbert, and he plays the cello,
but he plays the cello like, a, Beast.
He's so good.
So we cannot wait to see them all.
All the groups that were at the showcaselast year were great, and we imagine that
(09:13):
it's going to be just as great this year.
Awesome.
Fuzz Martin (09:15):
One thing, you know, being a parent, taking a child to an event like
this is keeping them interested and busy.
So they're not, you know,You have the kids play zone.
What kind of activities for kidsand families do you have there?
Amber Cypcar (09:29):
We thought of that.
We thought, you know, a bunch of kids,but that's really probably not an
ideal Saturday afternoon for a parentwalking around an expo with a kid.
So we made the play zone.
Let's be honest.
Kids are probably not interestedin forming the play zone.
Connections with business leaders,but they love jumping in a bounce
house and getting their face painted.
(09:49):
So that's what we did.
We brought in a bounce house.
Thanks to one of our wonderful sponsors.
There will be a face painter, afree face painter from 10 until one.
There's a little arts and crafts section.
So you can make a fun project if you want.
There's a showcase scavenger hunt.
So if kids do get stuck walkingaround with their parents.
They have something to do and interactwith the booths on their level.
And then also citizens advocates,they're going to be in the showcase
(10:11):
this year and they do a craft projectfor all ages and all abilities.
And they're going to be doing thiscraft project out of their booth.
And it's cool because you can createthis project, but then these projects
are donated to a local organization.
Oh, great.
You can make a little project.
And it will go to a seniorcitizen or something like that.
It's a craft that brings joy to others.
Oh, that's fun.
That's cool, too.
So they'll be there and you can dothat as part of the play zone as well.
(10:33):
It's a fun time.
Lots of things for kids to do of all ages.
Fuzz Martin (10:36):
Great.
That's a really great idea to,donate those to senior citizens.
So, you mentioned food and concessions.
What can we expect there?
Will there be local restaurants or who is?
Supplying the food this year.
Amber Cypcar (10:49):
Yep.
Come hungry.
Concessions is special.
So concessions is actually puton by the West Bend Alpine ski
team, which is the local or thehigh school co op ski team here.
And we are so thankful for theirhelp because they run it, they manage
it, they set it up, and we're sohappy that it can be a fundraiser
for them too, because all proceedsfrom concessions goes to that group.
So they have the classicofferings, subs, pizza, chips,
(11:13):
pretzels, water, things like that.
So it definitely support them bygetting something from concessions.
And then we do have a fewrestaurants participating this year.
We're excited about Billy Sims barbecue.
They had samples last year.
I'm sure they'll havethem again this year.
People like the samples, so theygot great barbecue and great mac
(11:33):
and cheese and then timmers resortis also in the showcase this year.
They are a staple in our community.
We're hoping they're bringing theybring samples But they'll definitely
be there talking about their eventspace that they have and their menu
and events going on, too So lots offood options, a little bit of flavor
from around town, so you can come eat.
Fuzz Martin (11:50):
All right, great.
You had talked about someprizes, giveaways, etc.
What can attendees expect from that side?
Amber Cypcar (11:57):
Yeah, so I said it's a huge raffle, right?
There are over, almost, about80 raffle prizes and all of
them have a 50 value or more.
Okay.
So raffle tickets youcan get at the event.
They're 10 for 10 ticketsor 20 for 25 tickets.
All types of raffle baskets.
So fun baskets, tech.
Tech gadgets, gift certificates, giftcards, different services, tickets
(12:19):
to shows, all kinds of things thatyou can get a raffle ticket for.
There's also a lot of freegiveaways, thanks to the vendors.
And you can pick that up as you're goingand visiting their different booths.
And then there is the grand prizegiveaway, which is a grand prize drawing
of a hundred dollars in chamber checks.
Cool.
So if you don't know what chamberchecks are, they are Pretty much a
gift card for local businesses in town.
They can be used at any memberthat is a chamber member, any
(12:42):
business that's a chamber member.
So all attendees have to do is they'regoing to get a punch card when they
come to the event, they go around,talk to different vendors, get a little
signature from the vendors they talk to.
Once their punch card is full, turnit in and then they'll be entered.
We'll pick one winner at threeo'clock at the end of the event and
they'll get the 100 in chamber checks.
Fuzz Martin (12:59):
Awesome.
That sounds really cool and a great way.
Chamber checks are an awesomeway to support the community
and the chamber and also, ofcourse, the local businesses here.
Definitely.
Speaking of local businesses, andyou kind of touched this on this
a bit, but what does an event likethis, How does an event like this
benefit a local business here in town?
Amber Cypcar (13:20):
So it's really it's really an opportunity to to build connections
Whether it is connections with clientstheir businesses are gonna be there, you
know selling things and that's directlygonna affect their bottom line But it's
about other connections to the businessthe connections that are made with
other businesses And I can think of onestory from last year's showcase that
I think just exemplifies this so well.
(13:41):
So, two businesses were,participated last year.
Beats Goes On, which is a localrecord store in downtown, and
Laffy Mountain Gourmet Popcorn,uh, gourmet popcorn shop downtown.
They were in the showcase lastyear, and they just, their booths
happened to be next to each other.
And at the event, they got to talking andthey wanted to find a way to cross promote
their products and they got to talkingand they and they came up with this idea
(14:05):
that Laughing Mountain would create apopcorn flavor and they would title it.
According to uh, album.
Okay.
A music album!
So the first flavor they came outwith, was the Bark Side of the Moon.
Oh nice.
Pretty self explanatory.
And it had chocolate bark, itwas a butter toffee popcorn and
it was sold at beats goes on.
And it sold out in the first two weeks!
People loved it!
And so they kept, they made more flavorsand more names, and So that project
(14:28):
came just because they met at thebusiness showcase and it strengthened
their both of their businesses andhelped both of them grow and that I
think is what this is really all about.
Fuzz Martin (14:37):
Yeah, that's really cool.
I had not heard that story yet.
So that's, that's pretty awesome.
Yeah.
How many attendees do you?
Are you expecting this year
Amber Cypcar (14:45):
at the showcase?
Yeah.
So it's the second year.
I wish I had a better estimate.
We had about 450 attend lastyear, which is fantastic.
But this year we did focus a lot more ongetting the word out to the community.
Sure.
You know, we had the foundation, sonow we weren't scrambling so much.
So now we could get it outand promote it a little more.
It's a free event, so I'mhoping everybody comes.
Maybe 600, maybe 800, I don't know.
(15:07):
We want everyone there.
Fill the parking lot.
Fill the field house.
Free parking, lots of parking.
Come on down.
Fuzz Martin (15:12):
I know as the date of this going live there, the
event is in a couple of weeks.
Can interested businesses still sign up?
Amber Cypcar (15:20):
Unfortunately, no.
So, businesses, the registrationclosed on April 1st.
Okay.
But, if there is a business that isinterested, let the chamber know.
We do have, we can make a waitinglist in case anything changes.
And then if you are interested infuture showcases, let the chamber
know as well, because we will sendyou information out for 2025 showcase
(15:42):
as soon as it becomes available.
It'll happen around the sametime in April at the school.
Fuzz Martin (15:46):
Okay, very good.
What are some of the.
You know, hope for outcomes thatyou have for this event this year.
Amber Cypcar (15:53):
I think the biggest outcome is just to really bring awareness to the
vibrance of our local business community.
There's so much that's offered inour community and it's so important
that residents know that this canbe found, you know, right here.
Their needs can be met right here in town.
So it's that platformto show off all they do.
That's a huge goal of this.
And then actually anothergoal is to involve the school
(16:16):
district as much as possible.
We know how important a strongrelationship is between the school
district and the business community.
The students are our future leadersand our future team members.
So we need to have thatstrong relationship and we
want to get them involved.
They are so supportive of us, sowe just want to reciprocate that.
So we have the entertainmentand the concessions.
(16:36):
I'm talking with, Family and ConsumerSciences For next year's showcase
to help them help with the playzone and involve that more, tech
department and pro portfolio projectsfor students, things like that.
So just giving support in ways thatwe can so that they can utilize this
event in their endeavors as well.
Fuzz Martin (16:54):
Um, how can those in Washington County best support All Around
the Bend and the businesses involved?
I guess showing up is number one.
Amber Cypcar (17:02):
Number one.
Yep.
Is coming to the event.
It is a free event.
The businesses.
That are participating areso excited to meet everyone.
They're there.
They're going to be there to answeryour questions and talk to you and tell
you what about what they have going on.
Don't be scared.
It's not silly, silly, pushy, pushy.
It's a nice chance to meet everybodyand get to know who is in our community.
(17:23):
Of course, Spreading the word aboutthe event, getting lots of people there
that's going to help the businesses too,because everybody's going to make even
more connections, a lot of social medialike and share the social media posts.
You see, there is a Facebook event, theAll Around the Bend business showcase.
Okay, that can be liked and shared.
You'll find a lot ofinfo about the event too.
And then of course, Supporting the localbusinesses on their social media is
(17:47):
also a lot of them depend on that fortheir marketing So a simple like can
go a long way for a local business Sojust doing that and then of course the
support goes long after the show whenwe're utilizing all of them for our needs
Fuzz Martin (17:59):
Yes, absolutely Uh huh.
All right So if somebody wants to learnmore about All Around the Bend and
see the details see some more of thatWhere can they find more information?
Amber Cypcar (18:07):
You're gonna want to go to the chamber website Which is wbachamber.
org there on our events calendar,you'll see on April 13th, the All
Around the Bend Business Showcase.
Click on that.
You'll find very detailed informationabout the event on our events calendar.
You also find other events that thechamber hosts throughout the year, social
(18:28):
media, the chamber Facebook page, andthe All Around the Bend Facebook event.
Those are there.
Great resources and spotsfor information too.
All right.
Awesome.
Fuzz Martin (18:36):
I have linked to all of those in the show notes for this episode.
So you can go and click on thoseright from your podcast player.
If you'd like, Amber, thisis awesome what you're doing.
Thank you for coming inand speaking with me.
And I hope everybody from around thebend comes to All Around the Bend.
Amber Cypcar (18:50):
Yeah.
Awesome.
Thank you for having me.
It's great.
I love talking about it.
I love spreading the word, just a quickthank you to the community for their
support of this event and for all thesupport that the chamber receives as well.
So.
Awesome.
Thank you.
We can't wait to see everybodyon April 13th at the West
Bend High School Fieldhouse.
Doors are open from 10 until 3 AllAround the Bend Business Showcase.
And it's free.
And it's free.
Fuzz Martin (19:13):
Thank you again to Amber Cypcar of the West Bend Area Chamber of
Commerce for joining me on this week'sepisode of Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
I hope you all get out today.
And attend All Around the Bend businessshowcase on Saturday, April 13th at
the West Bend high school field house.
If you ever have an ideafor the show, shout it out.
(19:34):
Be proud.
Be loud.
Email me fifteen with fuzz at gmail.
com.
Spell out the word 15.
fifteen with fuzz at gmail.
com.
You can also use the form fuzz.
cc slash guest.
That is fuzz.
com.
CC slash guest newepisodes drop on Tuesdays.
(19:55):
You can follow on Apple podcasts, Spotify,YouTube, or as all the mundane podcasters
say, wherever you listen to your podcasts.
And with that, we'll talk toyou next Tuesday, right here
on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
Hey, hope you had a great spring break, and if you didn't have a
spring break, well, I hope you get one.
From.
Whatever you're doing, andI hope you get it soon.
You deserve it.
Shanna and I and our youngest daughterflew off to Disney for the week last
week, and we had a wonderful time.
Dare I say it was a magical time.
I told that to someone on the phonetoday, and they said if they were
(00:29):
standing next to me, they would havehit me, and I would have deserved
it, though I don't condone violence.
We did have a fantastic time, andwhile I fear we may be becoming,
and I'm using finger quotes,Disney people, Disney people.
We enjoy it.
Our daughter enjoys it.
My wife enjoys it.
I know Disney enjoys that we'rethere and uh, our credit card
(00:51):
company, they enjoy it as well.
So that's nice.
Hey speaking of nice Nice transition fuzz.
This week, Amber Cypcar the Eventsand Programs Manager for the West Bend
Area Chamber of Commerce, joins me totalk about All Around the Bend Business
Showcase, a great event for the communityhappening at the West Bend High School
Fieldhouse on Saturday, April 13th.
(01:12):
It will feature businesses from aroundthe area and a lot of fun activities for
the whole family, kind of like Disney.
See?
With that, here are 15 minuteson All Around the Bend Business
Showcase with Amber Cypcar.
On Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
(01:36):
Amber, the West Bend Chamber ofCommerce is hosting All Around the Bend.
Uh, the business showcase at theWest Bend high school field house
coming up on Saturday, April 13th.
Can you start by giving usan overview of the event?
Amber Cypcar (01:47):
Yes.
So the All Around the Bend businessshowcase is a free community event,
which will be welcoming about 80 localbusinesses, non profit organizations
and different vendors all to the WestBend High School Fieldhouse to showcase
their products and their services and theemployment opportunities that they have.
They'll be setting up booths.
(02:08):
They'll be there ready to talk withyou, meet face to face with the business
professionals that many will haveproducts available for purchase as well.
And you can learn about all thedifferent resources that are available.
So it's a great Showcase our thrivingbusiness community here in West
Bend, but it's not only just aboutbusiness We have to have a little
(02:28):
bit of fun, too So we have a lot offun elements in the event as well.
There's different entertainment groupscoming in different school groups They're
going to be singing and showcasing theirtalents There is a play zone for kids.
We have to have somethingfor everyone, right?
So we got the fun play zone going on.
There is a huge raffle.
There's almost 80 raffle prizes in theraffle and a lot of other giveaways.
(02:51):
There's a grand prize giveaway too,which I'll talk about a little later.
And of course there'sfood and concessions.
So be sure to come hungry.
Try some local flavors here in town.
So we're just happy to have broughttogether so many different parts
of the community for this event.
And we cannot wait to seeeverybody on April 13th.
Fuzz Martin (03:08):
That sounds very exciting.
And it sounds like it's a wellput together event by the West
Bend Area Chamber of Commerce.
What inspired the chamber tocreate All Around the Bend?
Amber Cypcar (03:18):
Definitely.
So the mission at the chamberis to foster a thriving
business community in West Bend.
And we do that by promoting.
Advocating, connectingand educating our members.
So those are our four pillars and wefocus almost everything we do around
those pillars are promote our programs,our initiatives, and our events.
(03:40):
We make sure that it alignswith those pillars and the
business showcase does just that.
It is a platform for businessesto form connections with other
businesses and with clients.
It is a chance for businesses to promotethemselves and get their names out there
And it's a way for the community tolearn About what their businesses are
doing and how we can build support forour business community as well So that
(04:04):
is what inspired the mission of thisevent the purpose of it And then for the
logistical parts of it too, we, in thisevent, the first year of it was last year.
So we were taking into accounta lot of the effects of COVID.
Businesses were still comingout of COVID difficulties.
We know that many physicalstores were impacted.
Many businesses shiftedto an online model maybe.
(04:26):
So they don't have that instore face to face time anymore.
Right.
Staffing was an issueand is still an issue.
Business owners can't get awayfrom their businesses for long.
So in the logistical sense that weknew, okay, it needs to be a one day
event that business owners have thechance to get out and participate.
It needs to be affordable.
(04:47):
It's not going to beyour fanciest showcase.
It's not the big screens and thebig lights and things like that, but
it's so authentic and it's so genuineand we want to keep it that way.
And of course it's in person,which is a big part of this.
So.
That is what helped us form thebasis of it, the foundation, and
then we didn't want to limit it toa theme or a specific topic like
(05:07):
a home explorer or a trade show.
We wanted it to be West Bend.
So that's how we came up with thename too is, you know, West Bend,
Bend, all around, All Around the Bend.
Business showcase.
Excellent.
That's what inspired
Fuzz Martin (05:19):
it.
Well, that, yeah, that sounds, very,very well inspired and feels like
a great way to showcase everybody.
Again, you know, the home show broughtin a lot of outside, businesses from
outside of Washington County or West Bendand this really helping to showcase those
Amber Cypcar (05:36):
businesses here.
It did.
Yes.
The home show, the chamber hosted thehome show that went on for 47 years.
So that was a well run event.
And it was time to retire it because itwasn't speaking to our mission anymore.
It, it was a lot of outsidebusinesses and we wanted to just
focus more on our community.
So
Fuzz Martin (05:52):
Great!
This is the second year of the event.
How has the All Around theBend changed since year one?
Amber Cypcar (06:00):
Oh, it was great to learn all of the things last year
is a great way to get our feet onthe ground and get a good basis.
And now we have that foundation and now wecan just add more things and make it Even
a more inclusive experience and elaborate.
So we kept the foundation, of course,you know, inviting businesses.
We're happy to welcome almost80 businesses this year.
(06:21):
And the cool thing about that is a lotof them are different than last year.
So even if you came to last year'sshowcase, you're going to see
a whole new slew of businesses.
Some will be from last year aswell, but a lot of them are new.
So that's really exciting.
We evolved the, or theentertainment people loved it.
And we just grew that more.
So we got even moreschool groups involved.
We have a big lineup this year.
(06:42):
The play zone is new.
That is just anotherfun element we added in.
And then for businesses, we, on thebusiness side of things, we incorporated
some sponsorship opportunities for them.
Sponsorships are important for businesses.
They are often, a part oftheir marketing strategy.
So we wanted to make sure that thatis available for them, too, so that
it can evolve on that end as well.
So it's gonna keep growing.
(07:03):
It grew a little bit this year,and it's probably gonna grow a
little bit more next year, so wecan't wait to see where it goes.
Fuzz Martin (07:08):
Excellent.
So, you said there's gonna be about80 different businesses there.
Mm hmm.
What kinds of businesses will beparticipating in the showcase?
Amber Cypcar (07:16):
All different types , Fuzz.
Let me tell you all sizes from small,a lot of small and medium sized
businesses, home based sole proprietors.
There are a few largerones in there as well.
Bigger names that you'regoing to recognize.
It's the showcase.
It was open to any West Bendbusiness, so they don't necessarily
have to be a chamber member.
But many of them are, and you'llsee them, they'll have a sign by
(07:38):
their booth, proud chamber member.
But it was open to all businesses.
Any business located in WestBend or a company that services
the West Bend community.
So you're going to find all differenttypes, all different industries,
real estate, construction, insurance,photography, vendors, real tail
retailers, both large and small food.
The Humane Society will be therewith some adorable doggies.
(07:59):
Oh, excellent.
So, you can melt your heart.
Fuzz Martin (08:03):
The best conference that I ever went to in my role
here in advertising, I had to goto the World Pet Expo in Orlando.
Oh, man.
And it was the cutest tradeshow I've ever been at.
That sounds great.
So, having the WashingtonCounty Humane Society be there
with pets will be awesome.
Uh huh, yep.
So You talked about some liveperformances and entertainment.
(08:26):
What do you have plannedfor the event in that way?
What can people expect to see?
Amber Cypcar (08:31):
So if you have a student, you're probably going
to be at the showcase because wehave so many school groups coming.
We are excited to have Decorah, McClane,and Jackson Elementary come and perform.
They each have a fourthgrade student choir.
They'll be singing.
So cute.
Excellent.
The high school choir has threeseparate groups, and they're all
going to be performing at the event.
Okay.
That's really exciting.
(08:51):
And there's a few different, just localstudents who have interested music.
There is a band that some highschool students have, it's called the
brass project and it's a brass band.
And then there is a local student,Tristan Colbert, and he plays the cello,
but he plays the cello like, a, Beast.
He's so good.
So we cannot wait to see them all.
All the groups that were at the showcaselast year were great, and we imagine that
(09:13):
it's going to be just as great this year.
Awesome.
Fuzz Martin (09:15):
One thing, you know, being a parent, taking a child to an event like
this is keeping them interested and busy.
So they're not, you know,You have the kids play zone.
What kind of activities for kidsand families do you have there?
Amber Cypcar (09:29):
We thought of that.
We thought, you know, a bunch of kids,but that's really probably not an
ideal Saturday afternoon for a parentwalking around an expo with a kid.
So we made the play zone.
Let's be honest.
Kids are probably not interestedin forming the play zone.
Connections with business leaders,but they love jumping in a bounce
house and getting their face painted.
(09:49):
So that's what we did.
We brought in a bounce house.
Thanks to one of our wonderful sponsors.
There will be a face painter, afree face painter from 10 until one.
There's a little arts and crafts section.
So you can make a fun project if you want.
There's a showcase scavenger hunt.
So if kids do get stuck walkingaround with their parents.
They have something to do and interactwith the booths on their level.
And then also citizens advocates,they're going to be in the showcase
(10:11):
this year and they do a craft projectfor all ages and all abilities.
And they're going to be doing thiscraft project out of their booth.
And it's cool because you can createthis project, but then these projects
are donated to a local organization.
Oh, great.
You can make a little project.
And it will go to a seniorcitizen or something like that.
It's a craft that brings joy to others.
Oh, that's fun.
That's cool, too.
So they'll be there and you can dothat as part of the play zone as well.
(10:33):
It's a fun time.
Lots of things for kids to do of all ages.
Fuzz Martin (10:36):
Great.
That's a really great idea to,donate those to senior citizens.
So, you mentioned food and concessions.
What can we expect there?
Will there be local restaurants or who is?
Supplying the food this year.
Amber Cypcar (10:49):
Yep.
Come hungry.
Concessions is special.
So concessions is actually puton by the West Bend Alpine ski
team, which is the local or thehigh school co op ski team here.
And we are so thankful for theirhelp because they run it, they manage
it, they set it up, and we're sohappy that it can be a fundraiser
for them too, because all proceedsfrom concessions goes to that group.
So they have the classicofferings, subs, pizza, chips,
(11:13):
pretzels, water, things like that.
So it definitely support them bygetting something from concessions.
And then we do have a fewrestaurants participating this year.
We're excited about Billy Sims barbecue.
They had samples last year.
I'm sure they'll havethem again this year.
People like the samples, so theygot great barbecue and great mac
(11:33):
and cheese and then timmers resortis also in the showcase this year.
They are a staple in our community.
We're hoping they're bringing theybring samples But they'll definitely
be there talking about their eventspace that they have and their menu
and events going on, too So lots offood options, a little bit of flavor
from around town, so you can come eat.
Fuzz Martin (11:50):
All right, great.
You had talked about someprizes, giveaways, etc.
What can attendees expect from that side?
Amber Cypcar (11:57):
Yeah, so I said it's a huge raffle, right?
There are over, almost, about80 raffle prizes and all of
them have a 50 value or more.
Okay.
So raffle tickets youcan get at the event.
They're 10 for 10 ticketsor 20 for 25 tickets.
All types of raffle baskets.
So fun baskets, tech.
Tech gadgets, gift certificates, giftcards, different services, tickets
(12:19):
to shows, all kinds of things thatyou can get a raffle ticket for.
There's also a lot of freegiveaways, thanks to the vendors.
And you can pick that up as you're goingand visiting their different booths.
And then there is the grand prizegiveaway, which is a grand prize drawing
of a hundred dollars in chamber checks.
Cool.
So if you don't know what chamberchecks are, they are Pretty much a
gift card for local businesses in town.
They can be used at any memberthat is a chamber member, any
(12:42):
business that's a chamber member.
So all attendees have to do is they'regoing to get a punch card when they
come to the event, they go around,talk to different vendors, get a little
signature from the vendors they talk to.
Once their punch card is full, turnit in and then they'll be entered.
We'll pick one winner at threeo'clock at the end of the event and
they'll get the 100 in chamber checks.
Fuzz Martin (12:59):
Awesome.
That sounds really cool and a great way.
Chamber checks are an awesomeway to support the community
and the chamber and also, ofcourse, the local businesses here.
Definitely.
Speaking of local businesses, andyou kind of touched this on this
a bit, but what does an event likethis, How does an event like this
benefit a local business here in town?
Amber Cypcar (13:20):
So it's really it's really an opportunity to to build connections
Whether it is connections with clientstheir businesses are gonna be there, you
know selling things and that's directlygonna affect their bottom line But it's
about other connections to the businessthe connections that are made with
other businesses And I can think of onestory from last year's showcase that
I think just exemplifies this so well.
(13:41):
So, two businesses were,participated last year.
Beats Goes On, which is a localrecord store in downtown, and
Laffy Mountain Gourmet Popcorn,uh, gourmet popcorn shop downtown.
They were in the showcase lastyear, and they just, their booths
happened to be next to each other.
And at the event, they got to talking andthey wanted to find a way to cross promote
their products and they got to talkingand they and they came up with this idea
(14:05):
that Laughing Mountain would create apopcorn flavor and they would title it.
According to uh, album.
Okay.
A music album!
So the first flavor they came outwith, was the Bark Side of the Moon.
Oh nice.
Pretty self explanatory.
And it had chocolate bark, itwas a butter toffee popcorn and
it was sold at beats goes on.
And it sold out in the first two weeks!
People loved it!
And so they kept, they made more flavorsand more names, and So that project
(14:28):
came just because they met at thebusiness showcase and it strengthened
their both of their businesses andhelped both of them grow and that I
think is what this is really all about.
Fuzz Martin (14:37):
Yeah, that's really cool.
I had not heard that story yet.
So that's, that's pretty awesome.
Yeah.
How many attendees do you?
Are you expecting this year
Amber Cypcar (14:45):
at the showcase?
Yeah.
So it's the second year.
I wish I had a better estimate.
We had about 450 attend lastyear, which is fantastic.
But this year we did focus a lot more ongetting the word out to the community.
Sure.
You know, we had the foundation, sonow we weren't scrambling so much.
So now we could get it outand promote it a little more.
It's a free event, so I'mhoping everybody comes.
Maybe 600, maybe 800, I don't know.
(15:07):
We want everyone there.
Fill the parking lot.
Fill the field house.
Free parking, lots of parking.
Come on down.
Fuzz Martin (15:12):
I know as the date of this going live there, the
event is in a couple of weeks.
Can interested businesses still sign up?
Amber Cypcar (15:20):
Unfortunately, no.
So, businesses, the registrationclosed on April 1st.
Okay.
But, if there is a business that isinterested, let the chamber know.
We do have, we can make a waitinglist in case anything changes.
And then if you are interested infuture showcases, let the chamber
know as well, because we will sendyou information out for 2025 showcase
(15:42):
as soon as it becomes available.
It'll happen around the sametime in April at the school.
Fuzz Martin (15:46):
Okay, very good.
What are some of the.
You know, hope for outcomes thatyou have for this event this year.
Amber Cypcar (15:53):
I think the biggest outcome is just to really bring awareness to the
vibrance of our local business community.
There's so much that's offered inour community and it's so important
that residents know that this canbe found, you know, right here.
Their needs can be met right here in town.
So it's that platformto show off all they do.
That's a huge goal of this.
And then actually anothergoal is to involve the school
(16:16):
district as much as possible.
We know how important a strongrelationship is between the school
district and the business community.
The students are our future leadersand our future team members.
So we need to have thatstrong relationship and we
want to get them involved.
They are so supportive of us, sowe just want to reciprocate that.
So we have the entertainmentand the concessions.
(16:36):
I'm talking with, Family and ConsumerSciences For next year's showcase
to help them help with the playzone and involve that more, tech
department and pro portfolio projectsfor students, things like that.
So just giving support in ways thatwe can so that they can utilize this
event in their endeavors as well.
Fuzz Martin (16:54):
Um, how can those in Washington County best support All Around
the Bend and the businesses involved?
I guess showing up is number one.
Amber Cypcar (17:02):
Number one.
Yep.
Is coming to the event.
It is a free event.
The businesses.
That are participating areso excited to meet everyone.
They're there.
They're going to be there to answeryour questions and talk to you and tell
you what about what they have going on.
Don't be scared.
It's not silly, silly, pushy, pushy.
It's a nice chance to meet everybodyand get to know who is in our community.
(17:23):
Of course, Spreading the word aboutthe event, getting lots of people there
that's going to help the businesses too,because everybody's going to make even
more connections, a lot of social medialike and share the social media posts.
You see, there is a Facebook event, theAll Around the Bend business showcase.
Okay, that can be liked and shared.
You'll find a lot ofinfo about the event too.
And then of course, Supporting the localbusinesses on their social media is
(17:47):
also a lot of them depend on that fortheir marketing So a simple like can
go a long way for a local business Sojust doing that and then of course the
support goes long after the show whenwe're utilizing all of them for our needs
Fuzz Martin (17:59):
Yes, absolutely Uh huh.
All right So if somebody wants to learnmore about All Around the Bend and
see the details see some more of thatWhere can they find more information?
Amber Cypcar (18:07):
You're gonna want to go to the chamber website Which is wbachamber.
org there on our events calendar,you'll see on April 13th, the All
Around the Bend Business Showcase.
Click on that.
You'll find very detailed informationabout the event on our events calendar.
You also find other events that thechamber hosts throughout the year, social
(18:28):
media, the chamber Facebook page, andthe All Around the Bend Facebook event.
Those are there.
Great resources and spotsfor information too.
All right.
Awesome.
Fuzz Martin (18:36):
I have linked to all of those in the show notes for this episode.
So you can go and click on thoseright from your podcast player.
If you'd like, Amber, thisis awesome what you're doing.
Thank you for coming inand speaking with me.
And I hope everybody from around thebend comes to All Around the Bend.
Amber Cypcar (18:50):
Yeah.
Awesome.
Thank you for having me.
It's great.
I love talking about it.
I love spreading the word, just a quickthank you to the community for their
support of this event and for all thesupport that the chamber receives as well.
So.
Awesome.
Thank you.
We can't wait to see everybodyon April 13th at the West
Bend High School Fieldhouse.
Doors are open from 10 until 3 AllAround the Bend Business Showcase.
And it's free.
And it's free.
Fuzz Martin (19:13):
Thank you again to Amber Cypcar of the West Bend Area Chamber of
Commerce for joining me on this week'sepisode of Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
I hope you all get out today.
And attend All Around the Bend businessshowcase on Saturday, April 13th at
the West Bend high school field house.
If you ever have an ideafor the show, shout it out.
(19:34):
Be proud.
Be loud.
Email me fifteen with fuzz at gmail.
com.
Spell out the word 15.
fifteen with fuzz at gmail.
com.
You can also use the form fuzz.
cc slash guest.
That is fuzz.
com.
CC slash guest newepisodes drop on Tuesdays.
(19:55):
You can follow on Apple podcasts, Spotify,YouTube, or as all the mundane podcasters
say, wherever you listen to your podcasts.
And with that, we'll talk toyou next Tuesday, right here
on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
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