CHAMBER DAY/EVE 2009 - EVENT UPDATE #1 (posted 3/18/09)

Hopefully it' going to be a special year again for our Chamber and this event. We seem to be off to a good start but in this economy, who knows what to expect? (Maybe we can get some of that Stimulus Money for our Chamber . . .)

For the second year in a row, we have sponsor requests for EVERY table at Chamber Evening. (This doesn’t mean there aren’t still seats available, just simply that the sponsorships for each table are already assigned.) In fact, we've even got a small sponsorship waiting list. The Chamber Challenge is off to a decent start. The boats are starting to fill. The Flying Dutchman's not so good, but hopefully that will change.

Now we need to get some momentum going. This is an event that lives and dies by word-of-mouth. So hopefully YOU are talking it up to your friends, customers, club members, etc. Remember that the monies we net from this event all go to help keep our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber on sound financial footing. And lest you think the Chamber isn’t needed, I can tell you that there have been four cases that they’ve dealt with just in the eight days of March 6-13.

We not only celebrate (with cake!!!) our Chamber's 35th birthday later this year (hence, the candle sponsorships) but this is also the FIRST year you can buy Chamber Day &/or Chamber Evening t-shirts on-line. (In the past, you had to attend one or the other.) We're happy to ship them to you, or have you pick them up at the Chamber or the Aquarium May 6. Get yours through the "T-shirts & On-Line Donations" link on our website.

Our Chamber is a vital safety net for the SoCal diving community. Your support keeps it strong. So get involved with one or more aspects of Chamber Day 2009. Here’s where we are as of 7PM on 3/18:

CHAMBER DAY BOATS (sponsor)
221 total spots - 78 sold (35%) , 143 still available

Boats can be booked either through the sponsor, the website, or by calling us at the general phone number:

Bottom Scratcher (Pacific Wilderness) - 0 sold, 30 available
Cee Ray (Reef Seekers & Douglas Dive Club) - 25 sold, 5 available
Flying Dutchman (Open) - 2 signed up so far (don’t forget to include your “pirate” name)
Magician (Sport Chalet) - 7 sold, 21 available
Pacific Star (Scuba Schools of America) - 0 sold, 30 available
Psalty V (Scuba Schools of America) - SOLD OUT
Sand Dollar (Wreck Divers) - 0 sold, 25 available
Sea Bass (SoCal Tec Divers) - SOLD OUT
Second Stage (Scuba Schools of America) - SOLD OUT
Sundiver (Ocean Adventures & OCDiving.com) - 14 sold, 12 available
Sundiver Express (Eco Dive Center) - 2 sold, 20 available
Sundiver II (Ken Kurtis) - SOLD OUT

CHAMBER EVENING TABLES (table sponsor & total seats)
500 seats total - 172 sold (34%) , 328 still available

Note that a few tables that are listed as SOLD OUT may actually still have unpaid/available seats through the table sponsor. Please check with them directly. (Table sponsors names are listed in the order they appear in our book because it’s a nightmare to track them on this sheet any other way.)

Reef Seekers (20) - 9 sold, 11 available
Tom Wetzel & LA County (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Sole Searchers (10) - SOLD OUT
Beach Cities Scuba (80) - 1 sold, 79 available
Private Scuba (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Barnacle Busters (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Aqua Adventures (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
LABUE (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Scuba Schools of America (40) - 21 sold, 19 available
Deep Sea Supply (10) - SOLD OUT
Sport Chalet (30) - 1 sold, 29 available
Ocean Adventures (20) - 10 sold, 10 available
Hollywoodivers (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Ocean Institute (20) - SOLD OUT
Digital Darkside Divers (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Eco Diver Center (30) - 20 sold, 10 available
Burbank Dive Club (10) - 3 sold, 7 available
Dive Vets (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
South Coast Divers (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Pacific Wilderness (20) - 2 sold, 18 available
Bluewater Divers (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
California Diving Company (20) - 16 sold, 4 available
Sharky's Eco Diving (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Antelope Valley Desert Divers (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Laguna Sea Dwellers (20) - 9 sold, 11 available
DiveNav (10) - SOLD OUT
Grant Graves (10) - 0 sold, 10 available
Sundiver International (10) - SOLD OUT
Boat Captains & Chamber guests (20) - SOLD OUT

CHAMBER CHALLENGE
TOTAL - $16,000 as of 3/19. Who’s next???
BIRTHDAY CANDLES LIT - 3 out of 35

Your Chamber needs you. Join in on the fun!!!!

Ken Kurtis
Chairman, Chamber Day/Eve 2009
www.chamberday.org