Why not invite?

Friday, August 5, 2011

A bit more on the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Expo scheduled for Oct. 1 (put it on your calendar now; you’ll be glad you did):

This year, for the first time, businesses from other towns have been invited to participate. That’s interesting.

On the one hand, we could say, well, a business in Bedford could be in competition with a business in Merrimack, so inviting it to participate could hurt our hometown business.

We could say that, but we’re not.

We look at it this way:

1. The Expo isn’t just for businesses, it is also for the people of Merrimack, and they benefit by knowing what else is out there.

2. If we believe, truly, in our economic system, then we believe that competition is good. So, if competition is good, then consumers should know who is competing with whom and what each has to offer.

So, inviting other towns’ businesses to participate is, we believe, a positive idea. Dave McCray, the Expo’s lead organizer, seems to think so, too. He told our Jake Berry, “We’ve got a lot of people from Merrimack who say they also shop other places, and it might be nice to know what’s in Bedford, what’s in Amherst ...”

Of course, he said, “We’re not looking for (businesses from) Massachusetts ...” And that makes sense, if for no other reason than it would make planning the Expo too unwieldy.

Anyway, there’s a good chance that businesses from other towns will participate. The Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce seems to like the idea, according to one member of its board of directors, so perhaps some of its member businesses will sign up.

The key to the success of the Expo, though, is you. If you’re not interested, what’s the point, right? But last year, more than 7,500 of you attended and we, like McCray and the Chamber, are hoping for more this year.

And remember, this isn’t just a chance to get to know local businesses, although that’s very important, it’s also fun. How could it not be fun when the Red Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster, will be there? (You think we’re being facetious, don’t you.) There will also be clowns (you mean besides Wally?) and animals and perhaps a Blackhawk helicopter or the Budweiser Clydesdale horses.

The point is, this Expo isn’t just for businesses, it’s for you, your family, your friends. It’s going to be fun, and if you miss it, well, you’ll have to answer to Wally the Green Monster. Uh oh.