A new, member-driven State of the City’s Economy program will be heavy on practical advice and guidance from local experts who know, and outside experts who are familiar with the area’s economy. 

This new program replaces the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the City Economic Forecast, but continues to provide businesses with city-specific, relevant and timely economic information.

"It's important for businesses to understand what has improved and what is happening in our local economy. This program will help them plan for the future," said Ermina Karim, the Chamber’s governmental affairs director. 

The changes to the program’s format are in response to member input and suggestions from previous years. 

"This program is very different from the Chamber’s previous economic forecasts,” said Dave Garth, the Chamber’s president and CEO. "Chamber members wanted to see some specific adjustments to the format of our usual program. So we took note and made changes to reflect what they want and need to know about our city’s economy." 

On May 4, the Chamber’s new State of the City will:

• Provide more time for questions and answers between the audience and expert panelists by focusing on answering locally specific questions
• Offer guidance and tips from small business growth specialist Michael Gunther, CEO of Collaboration, who will assess leadership management, marketing and sales, and financial strategies
• A lively discussion with 20 Questions and Answers in 20 minutes, featuring Bill Watkins, a California economist who is very familiar with our city’s economy, and Tim Gallager, former publisher of the Ventura County Star.

The event is also half the price of past years’ economic forecasts, at $30 per Chamber member. The event will be held on May 4 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Grace Church in San Luis Obispo.

Click here to register. Visit www.slochamber.org for more information.