The Chamber Executives of Ontario (CEO) is the professional development association for the senior management staff and sales professionals of Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade in Ontario, Canada.

CEO is all about making good Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade staff even better!

Chamber professionals learn new techniques, share best practices and learn new ways of tackling challenges unique to chamber/board of trade management, through a variety of methods including:

• Two conferences each year – one in February and another in November;
• Programs and Practises, a compendium of what works at chambers of commerce and boards of trade;
• Collaborative bear pit sessions that harness the energy of the chamber network;
• A biannual comprehensive survey of staff compensations levels, market penetration and operational criteria;
• A quarterly e-newsletter;
• One-on-one interactions.

Key topics of discussion at training and development sessions include:

• Human resource management;
• Sales techniques;
• Member benefits and member relations;
• Social media and other communication techniques;
• Media relations;
• Recruiting and managing volunteers;
• Non-dues revenue and fundraising;
• Policy development and government relations.

CEO also honours association management excellence, awarding the James G. Carnegie Memorial Award to an exemplary chamber executive who has taken the time to make the chamber network stronger by mentoring less experienced colleagues.

The Carnegie Award is presented at CEO’s Community Leadership Luncheon, which is held in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting and Convention of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in May each year.

Membership in CEO is beneficial both for the individual chamber professional and for the success of the Chamber or Board of Trade.