On Tuesday, the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce held its first Business After Hours event at the Marriott Townplace Suites in Ironton.

“It is an opportunity for people to come out and chat,” said Marty Conley, director of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the Lawrence County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We want to give the Chamber members more of an opportunity to get together and network.” 

He said that, while the Chamber has its monthly Fourth Friday luncheon, but “not everyone can get away at lunch. It is challenging, so this is an opportunity to come after work.”

Conley said they are looking to having more events at different times.

“We are thinking about something in the morning, like a coffee talk or something like that,” Conley said. “It is just giving our members a chance to network and show them the value of their chamber membership.”

He said the Business After Hours was well attended.

“I’m very surprised at the attendance,” Conley said. “I was concerned, since it was our first one, but the turnout has been great. We have folks from all over the Tri-State here. That’s always good. I’m very excited.”

Besides networking, it is a chance for Chamber members to show off their businesses.

“We want to showcase our business,” Conley said. “That’s why we are here at the Townplace Suites. Folks here in Ironton may not visit the hotel, because they live here. This gives our local businesses an opportunity to come in and see the facility, so when they have business dealings, they can refer people here.”

He mentioned that since Townplace Suites opened four years ago, it has won seven awards for its customer service.