Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce invites everyone to participate in our Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies where we honor innovation, entrepreneurship, and the spirit of collaboration that drives our local economy.

This event is open to all, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to network, meet local business owners, and discover the exciting developments happening right here in mid-Maine.

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce provides the following guidelines and assistance for Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies for Chamber members, other institutions and organizations that are in our service area. Ribbon cuttings are usually planned for businesses, institutions and service organizations for expansions, relocations, grand openings, ground breakings or renovations.

The following guidelines will assist you in planning a successful ribbon cutting ceremony:

Setting the Date

When you have a date in mind, contact Cindy Stevens at the Chamber at 207-873-3315 (cindy@midmainechamber.com) to make sure there are no conflicts with the Chamber calendar which may detract from your ribbon cutting. The Chamber requests that you advise us of your preferred date a minimum of 3 weeks in advance of the proposed ribbon cutting.

Time

Ribbon cuttings take place Monday thru Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The Chamber does not schedule ribbon cuttings on weekends. The best dates are Tuesday through Thursday mid-to-late afternoon for optimal attendance, though you may request other time frames.

Send Invitations

Although not necessary, attendance at your event may be more successful if you send out invitations in writing to those you would like to attend. The Chamber will also send reminders to a suggested VIP list, which includes the media, elected officials and Chamber leadership. We utilize social media and email contacts to pre-promote the event as well.

Ribbon and Scissors

The Chamber will provide your organization with a ribbon and large ceremonial scissors for use during the ribbon cutting and will provide a photographer for the ribbon cutting. We ask that you pre-identify a location at your business where you would like the photographs taken. Copies of photos taken will be provided for your use and posted to social media.

The Ceremony

A typical ribbon cutting is approximately half hour. Out of respect for your guests, it is important to start your ribbon cutting on time. The following is a typical ceremony format:

• 3:00 p.m. Arrival of Guests and brief welcome or Recognition of Special Guests (optional)
• 3:15-3:30 p.m. Pictures and Ribbon Cutting
• 3:35 p.m. Refreshments, Tours, Mingling/Networking, etc.

Food

It’s your event, make it as grand or as simple as you like. It can be as simple as coffee and donuts in the morning, cookies/cake and soft drinks in the afternoon, these events are generally quite small, so there is no need for a large amount of refreshments.

Event Publicity

The Chamber will promote the ribbon cutting in at least one e-mail notification to the Chamber membership. The Chamber will publish your ribbon cutting in our newsletter; provided the chamber is given sufficient notice to meet the newsletter deadline. It is recommended that you send a press release out to local media that were not able to attend your ribbon cutting. The Chamber can assist you in providing a list of local media.

Ribbon Cutting Request Form

Please find the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting request form below.

Or to download as a PDF, click here.

Ribbon Cutting Sponsors

Mid-Maine Chamber has two chamber business members sponsoring these events. Their sign will be displayed at the event and in the photographs. Chamber directors, local officials and ribbon cutting sponsor representative will be in the photo along with any other guests you may want to include.