Brittnie_Bassant, President CEO, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce
In an interview with Invest:, Brittnie Bassant, CEO of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, talked about how that organization is diversifying its programming to provide tools that meet the needs of its members. She also highlighted how she is collaborating with the public sector to tackle workforce challenges, attract new members, and enhance the international appeal of Miami Beach.
What are the most important milestones that the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce reached in the first year under your leadership?
The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce has been around for over 100 years, which is itself a huge milestone. Additionally, Miami Beach is a tourism and hospitality hub and destination, so our businesses cater largely to those sectors. That makes for an interesting dynamic and component as we work to keep this organization fresh, relevant, exciting and energetic in an ever-evolving business landscape.
My first year as CEO was amazing, but I share credit for that success with the chairman of our board of governors, Richard Segal. Not only did Richard and I start hand-in-hand in those positions, but we are also both young, which gives us a unique perspective. We aim to re-energize and revitalize this organization and have focused on strategic planning, which included defining our mission and vision and understanding what our members want and need and how we can best serve the business community. We have three pillars for our work: business to business, business to government, and business to community. Additionally, our new mission statement focuses on networking, advocacy, and philanthropy to underpin those pillars.
We are also doing things differently. We are trying to bring together the different facets of our community and combine all pillars in a cohesive and seamless manner. For instance, we hosted a chamber networking event at the LIV Nightclub where the proceeds supported Style Saves, which is a local nonprofit organization that recently did a backpack giveaway in Miami Beach.
How does having young leadership impact how the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce supports its members?
Being a younger chamber CEO is one thing. Nevertheless, it is exciting to have the support of a visionary chairman who shares that mentality and is willing to challenge stereotypes and norms regarding what a chamber is and does. It is hard to make a lot of sweeping changes in your first year as the focus there is to observe, learn, and understand. Nevertheless, we get to have a bit of fun in this second year and start making changes based on knowledge and experience rather than just concepts or ideas.
What strategies has Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce implemented to attract and retain members?
Our membership is doing great. Our strategy is to listen to what the community wants and deliver on that. We have been really intentional about that and created spaces and opportunities for our members and community to engage with the chamber. Whether they want to network, get involved with government, focus on philanthropic work, have top-level conversations, or drill down on a sector, we have opportunities across the board. We have also diversified our programming tremendously since there is no one-size-fits-all with programming. We have quality over quantity in terms of programming as it must seamlessly fit as an additional tool for businesses.
We have also evolved in terms of what the business world needs. For instance, we have increased our digital footprint, including our digital marketing efforts. There was a time when you really could not do business or be a bona fide company without being part of your chamber of commerce. It legitimized businesses, but technology has changed that. We listened to our members’ needs and implemented those things to continue evolving in this digital world.
How is the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce working to enhance the international appeal of Miami?
Our international trade council works on bringing international parties and players to the table to talk about how Miami Beach can be a hub for international trade. That is particularly true for tourism and hospitality, but also for real estate development.
We have strong partnerships with the biggest players when it comes to attracting international businesses to the Miami-Dade County: City of Miami Beach, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). We work closely with those partners to ensure that we have a place at and host those tables and that the conversations and initiatives are moving forward.
What are the most important challenges and opportunities that the Miami Beach tourism and hospitality sectors face?
There is so much more opportunity than challenges. Miami Beach is a global destination with a strong brand. People know the city is beautiful and filled with beaches, arts and culture, restaurants, and nightlife. We have even seen an uptick in visitors to Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County.
Additionally, we have embraced the challenges revolving around bigger weekends such as Memorial Day or spring break and converted them into amazing opportunities to showcase our city in the best light. That has a lot to do with the innate brand of Miami Beach and our partnerships with the city and the GMCVB. The city has so many resources and opportunities such as our sea- and airport and its beautiful location.
How is the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce tackling the workforce shortages that local businesses face?
Workforce challenges exist across the board, particularly in a post-pandemic world. Businesses are no longer competing for talent locally but globally. Companies have evolved to employ hybrid or even fully remote employees and virtual assistants are popping up like crazy. Those factors are changing the workforce landscape, so we are doing our best to keep up with that.
We focus on the next generation of employees and how to adequately prepare them to enter the workforce. In collaboration with the City of Miami and the Miami-Dade County School Board, we funded the ProStart Kitchen at Beach High. We are in a tourism- and hospitality-based city, so we are getting students into that early and creating less traditional but important career paths. We also work closely with schools and colleges on internship programs to connect local employees with companies early so that the talent stays here. We are also there for our members to provide resources. For instance, we allow them to post jobs on our website, and we are partners with CareerSource, which is a big employment agency.
What are the advocacy priorities of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce in relation to its business to government pillar?
As a chamber of commerce, we are not a political organization. Nevertheless, we keep our pulse on what is happening in the community and advocate in the best interest of our businesses. We have great lines of communication and relationships with our elected officials from the city to the state and federally. We can have those conversations and host those meetings when it is necessary and appropriate.
The City of Miami Beach is our strongest partner, so we host Chamber Chats with our mayor quarterly. Those events are spaces where the mayor can address the issues, questions, concerns, programs, and initiatives of our businesses, residents, and constituents in general. Coming together in such an environment is how we can make things better for the businesses, the community, and the residents. Our government affairs committee also monitors local issues, and we are looking into putting together a legislative agenda.
How do you envision the Miami Beach business landscape evolving over the next few years?
Miami Beach will continue to be an exciting place to be and do business in. Its brand speaks for itself, so it needs little convincing or marketing. The city is great for the tourism and hospitality industries. We are also seeing a lot of development where there is a huge push and focus on arts and culture and resiliency and sustainability initiatives in Miami Beach. Our role as a chamber in that process is to be there for our business community. We have been around for over a century, so we will probably be around for at least another one.
As the CEO, my mission for the second year and beyond is to host more events, bring partners together, and find ways to work together for the future of the city. We aim to be at the forefront of the growth and evolution happening in Miami Beach.
