Page 16 - BusinessWest June 12, 2023

Shakespeare & Company has a robust slate of performances scheduled for 2023.
Street, the Lenox Loves Music Sunday series in Lilac Park, the Lenox Wine Fete, which took place on June 3, the Summer Lenox Art Walk, set for June 10-11, a Community Conversation at the Lenox Library titled “The Impact of the Pandemic on Mental Health and How to Manage Moving Forward,” a performance of Dear Jack, Dear Lou- ise at Shakespeare & Company, the Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ Sum- mer Food Series, and performances of What the Constitution Means to Me, featuring two-time Tony Award-nomi- nated actor Kate Baldwin, at the Berk- shire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theater in Stockbridge.
Then there are reminders about some of the region’s attractions, many opening for the summer, including the Mount, Edith Wharton’s home; the Wit Gallery; and ‘ghost tours’ of Ventfort Hall in Lenox, home to the Gilded Age Museum, as well as looks ahead to the Jackson Browne concert on Aug. 31 at Tanglewood (tickets went on sale June 1) and other events.
The list goes on and on. There’s even a reminder about wellness clin- ics offered by the Berkshire Humane Society.
The email blasts are part of just part of the chamber’s work to bring people to the region, said Nacht, add- ing that, while there are some service
businesses and representatives of other sectors, the vast majority of the chamber’s 136 members are focused, on one level or another, on tourism and hospitality. They include hotels and inns, restaurants and taverns, the- aters, art galleries, bookstores, sum- mer camps, and more.
“Last year was tough, and there was a lot of guesswork throughout the season.”
And while most of the chamber’s work on behalf of these members
falls into the category of marketing, there are other initiatives as well, said Nacht, including work with town offi- cials on business-related issues, such as a WiFi bylaw, quarterly meet-and- greets held in conjunction with the chambers in Lee and Stockbridge, and a recently staged job fair designed to help businesses navigate a still-diffi- cult workforce environment.
“We had 20 tables of members who were looking for summer help, temporary help, permanent help,” she recalled. “And we had more than 100 people show up; it was really success- ful event — many of our members actually hired people from the job fair.”
Overall, though, most members are successfully “staffed up,” as she put it, thanks to returning college students and other applicants. And they will need to be as a summer that prom- ises to be even better, from a business standpoint, is poised to begin.
Staging a Comeback
For the theaters and music ven- ues, there is still some rebuilding to do from the pandemic, Stevenson
told BusinessWest, adding that, while 2022 provided some steps in the right direction, there is certainly room for improvement in the upcoming season.
“Last year was tough,” she said, “and there was a lot of guesswork throughout the season: ‘who are we talking to?’ ‘Who’s here?’ Who wants
Lenox >> Continued on page 52
UNDER
FORTY
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
40 Under Forty Gala
June 15, 2023
Join us for the livestream at
6:30 pm
Presenting Sponsor:
Alumni Achievement Award Presenting Sponsor:
Partner Sponsors:
EBBER& RINNELL INSURANCE AN ALERA GROUP COMPANY
16 JUNE 12, 2023
<< COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
BusinessWest