The recognition event is held the third Thursday of January and is organized to thank and recognize various volunteers of the chamber and to award individuals, organizations, and businesses that have made outstanding contributions and support to our community during the previous year. It is a great opportunity to meet and network with community business leaders. The winners of the 2005 Community Service Awards were Dick Antoine, Man of the Year; Karen Garcia, Woman of the Year; Teen Challenge, Organization of the Year; Tillman's Antiques, Small Business of the Year; Oaklawn Jockey Club, Large Business of the Year.

Over 860 people attended the Annual Banquet, which broke the 2005 banquet's attendance.  

Sponsors included: Presenting Sponsors-National Park Medical Center, US Bank, Hot Springs Title Company; Platinum Sponsors-The Sentinel-Record, Three Lakes Distributing, Wheeler Printing; Gold Sponsors- Regions Bank, Bank of America, Weyerhaeuser, Magic Springs; Silver Sponsors-St. Joseph’s, Simmons First, Duncan, Messersmith and Associates

Special thanks to Powerhouse Promotions for the audio and visual presentation.

Academic Excellence Banquet 

Attended by a record 196 people and honored 47 graduating seniors from area schools.

A special thanks to Weyerhaeuser for providing sole sponsorship to the event.

3^rd Annual Mudbug Derby (Mudbug Music Mania)  

Music festival held in the infield of Oaklawn Jockey Club in conjunction with the Preakness, the second of the three major races leading to the Triple Crown.  Along with Cajun and Zydeco music there were contests and dance lessons for adults and children.

Sponsors included: National Park Medical Center , Hot Springs Civic and Convention Bureau, KLAZ Radio, Bank of America, CoCo Beverage, The Sentinel-Record, Three Lakes Distributing, US Stations, Weiderkehr Winery, Coca Cola, Wheeler Printing, Selig Commercial Real Estate, Summit Bank and Entergy

Job Fair

Business Expo “At the Beach”  

Total of 207 booths on display were viewed by over 1,500 people throughout the day long event.

Sponsors included: Presenting Sponsors-National Park Medical Center , Staffmark, Central Wireless and Satellite; Breakfast Sponsors-Selig Commercial Real Estate, Hot Springs Title Company; Supporting Sponsors-Arkansas Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Arvest Bank, Datamax Micro, First National Bank, KLAZ, Life & Home Hot Springs, Regions Bank, SECO Advertising, The Sentinel-Record, US Stations, Wheeler Printing, Entergy

32^nd Annual Arkansas Oktoberfest  

German-themed music festival returned to Historic Downtown, Hill Wheatley Plaza, where attendance held strong at more than 2,500 for the two-day event.  Traditional German music was provided throughout the event by The Waterloo German Band. 

Sponsors included: The Hot Springs Civic and Convention Bureau, YellowBook, ACCENT, Three Lakes Distributing, CoCo Beverage, The Downtown Merchants, Entergy, Travelodge, AT&T, The Sentinel-Record, Coca Cola, & Wiederkehr Winery

Career Day

Co-sponsored with National Park Community College to provide the opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to meet with representatives from colleges, universities, technical schools, potential employers and the armed services regarding post graduate plans.  There were 80 exhibitors with more than 1,000 students attending. 

Residential Recruitment

Answered more than 10,200 inquiries by mailing Relocation Guides, which is the primary response piece.

Recorded 241 relocations during 2005, which represented more than $48.9 million in home purchases. 

Secured funding from the City of Hot Springs , Garland County , Hot Springs Board of Realtors, Clear Title, Hot Springs Title, Lenders Title, Garland County Title, Security Title and Simmons First.