The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber (TPCC) is a 2004 recipient of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) 21st Annual, coveted 2004 Award for Communications Excellence (ACE).

TPCC’s entry earned the organization an ACE “Award of Merit” for meeting and exceeding the fundamental standards and criteria for communications excellence for its entry “2004 Horizons Economic Forecast” in the Special Event category. The overall package included the “2004 Pierce County Economic Index Report,” event marketing plan, theme and video entitled, “Get Your Motor Running,” promotional and public relations materials, as well as its collaborative partnership with Destination Harley Davidson.

“This award represents the Chamber’s continuous dedication to providing high-caliber communication materials and marketing outreach to our members and the community,” said Chamber chair Barbara N. Mead of Moss Adams. “We are very pleased to announce this notable accomplishment.”

“Part of the communications and marketing plan for the Horizons event, included a grand entry for our keynote speakers. Our communications team convinced them to be driven into the event venue on Harley Davidson motorcycles. I’ll never forget the excitement on the faces of our guests and the community buzz this elicited for weeks thereafter,” said Chamber president David W. Graybill. “This event’s overall communications strategy was so effective, it also garnered coverage in the U.S. Chamber’s “Chamber Executive” magazine for creativity and ability to make an event filled with economic statistics and information fun and exciting.”

This year’s ACE competition drew 250 entries from over 125 chambers throughout the country. Forty judges spent more than 300 hours judging and providing comprehensive feedback for each participant. Judges backgrounds included experience in the fields of public relations, printing and design, special events planning, fundraising, journalism, economic development, Web design, and public policy.

“The ACE Awards are a tangible reminder of the high caliber of communications programs created by Chambers all across the country,” said Michele Noe, chair of the ACE Awards Committee and director of Marketing and Communications at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. “Regardless of a Chamber’s size or resources, a professional execution based on a strategic foundation delivers solid results and provides a valuable example and benchmark for fellow communicators throughout the country.”

ACCE is proud to honor, reward and celebrate the achievements of outstanding communications programs, campaigns and projects in the chamber industry,” added ACCE president Mick Flemming.

The TPCC will have the opportunity to receive its ACE Merit Award at the 2005 ACCE Annual Convention-“The Chamber Meeting of Choice,” August 11-13 in St. Louis, Missouri.