Chamber asks residents to pick their favourite business

“Voting is more than double where we were last year at this time,” says Peter Stewart, executive director of the Orléans Chamber of Commerce, of voting for their eight-annual TD Canada Trust People’s Choice Business Awards. “And the bulk of the voting is really to come.”

This year, the chamber will host its event – which recognizes businesses in 11 different categories – on Nov. 18 at the Shenkman Arts Centre. Online voting at the chamber’s website was launched Sept. 10, Stewart explains, and will continue until Oct. 31. “What we’ve really tried to do over the last three years is get out in the community more and get more businesses involved,” he recounts, citing that rise in profile as one reason voting has increased so dramatically this year. “(We want them to realize) it’s not just a clique-y chamber event.”

Another change has been the range of businesses new to the awards being nominated, Stewart continues, with the honours open to those outside chamber membership. “It’s always nice to see new business being nominated,” he suggests. “Word is getting out there. I think we’ve really succeeded in that; I think that’s why we’re seeing new businesses this year.”

The awards’ new venue is also an exciting addition to this year’s event, Stewart says, moving from the previously-used Orléans Theatre to Shenkman next door. And while the evening’s format won’t shift from its usual pre-awards reception and ceremony set-up, “we can certainly sell more tickets to the event,” he adds. “In the past we’ve been limited by the number of tickets we could give out.”

In previous years, the chamber would announce award finalists prior to the gala, and hand out tickets to those businesses and their families, Stewart recounts, with the Orléans Theatre only boasting enough capacity for 200 people. “The building filled up fast,” he says.

Instead, Stewart continues, all nominees are invited to turn out for the event in Harold Shenkman Hall, which can seat approximately 500, and see whether they’ve won. “We’d love to sell out and hope we would,” he suggests. “But we’re being realistic in what we’re expecting.”

In the past, some nominees would decline to attend after realizing they had no chance of emerging as a winner, Stewart recounts. “This year we’re trying to set the evening such as all nominees … feel recognized by the community,” he explains. “The theme this year is to come and celebrate the community.”

Co-hosts for the ceremony will be Kimothy Walker and Carolle Seguin, Stewart continues, both of whom hosted several years ago and “did a phenomenal job.” And though entertainment has yet to be finalized, that should be set in stone within the week, Stewart adds.

Until then, voting will remain open through to the end of the month, he says, and only requires registering with the chamber’s website. “You don’t have to vote all at once,” Stewart explains, pointing to the numerous categories, but stressing voters can only cast their ballots once. For more information, and to vote, visit www.orleanschamber.ca or www.shenkmanarts.ca