120 Years of Gathering: A Look Back at Chamber Annual Meetings
A Look at Early Chamber Annual Meetings
When the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce gathers for its 120th Annual Meeting on Oct. 13, it will continue a tradition that reaches back nearly to the organization’s beginning.
The Sioux Falls Commercial Club was founded in 1907, and its early membership meetings were held twice a year. They were working meetings centered on reports, elections and issues facing a growing community, but they were social gatherings, too.
A 1909 meeting promised members information “not deemed best to be put in print,” followed by a social hour and smoker. In 1913, when two men tied for the final seat on the board, one suggested settling the matter with a coin toss. The members agreed.
For years, the Commercial Club continued to meet semi-annually, with officers sometimes serving six-month terms. That changed in July 1925, when members amended the bylaws to replace the two regular meetings with one Annual Meeting, initially scheduled for October.
The first October gathering under the new arrangement took place Oct. 13, 1925, exactly 101 years before this year’s Annual Meeting. Director elections were staged in the style of a political convention, with members divided into precincts, designated as delegates and issued badges as credentials.
As the Annual Meeting became established, its purpose broadened. Chamber business remained part of the program, but the gathering increasingly became an opportunity for the business community to reflect on where Sioux Falls had been and where it could go next.
In 1931, Charles M. Day spoke on “Sioux Falls of Yesterday and Today” at an “old fashioned dinner,” where businessmen were seated according to how long they had been in business. Speakers and themes in the decades that followed reflected issues occupying the community and the country, from agriculture and industry to international affairs, leadership and economic growth.
The event also provides a record of changing social customs. Publicity for the 1939 Annual Meeting announced a special table for women. Members of the Business and Professional Women’s Club received invitations, but all women were welcome, and the newspaper assured readers that “escorts will be unnecessary.”
By midcentury, Annual Meeting was drawing hundreds of people and an increasingly varied collection of guests. George Keith Funston, a former Sioux Falls resident who became president of the New York Stock Exchange, returned in 1952. In 1956, Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, a Philippine diplomat and former president of the United Nations General Assembly, spoke on U.S.-Asia relations.
The 1960s continued that mix of business, government and international perspectives, but the Chamber did not always look outside the community for ideas. In 1963, Annual Meeting featured four local speakers under the theme “Era of Progress and Opportunity.” In 1971, the Chamber experimented again, turning Annual Meeting into a town hall intended to encourage broader community discussion.
Across the decades, formats, speakers and customs changed considerably. The common thread was the gathering itself. Annual Meeting became a place where the business community could come together, take stock of the present and dream bigger about what Sioux Falls could become.
That tradition continues Oct. 13 at the 120th Annual Meeting. We invite you to join us as the business community gathers once again to look ahead.
The story will continue in the next issue of Chamber News, when we look back at the 2026 Annual Meeting and pick up the history in the modern era, as larger venues, nationally recognized speakers and major entertainment transformed the event again.
Notable guests, themes and moments
1925 | A new Annual Meeting takes shape
The first October gathering under the new once-a-year format was held Oct. 13. Director elections were staged in the style of a political convention, complete with precincts, delegates and credentials.
1931 | “Sioux Falls of Yesterday and Today”
Charles M. Day addressed an “old fashioned dinner.” Businessmen were seated according to how long they had been in business.
1937 | “Shifting Scenes”
Ralph Bradford of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce brought a national business perspective to the Annual Meeting.
1939 | “Washington View of the World Situation”
Bradford returned as secretary of the U.S. Chamber. The evening also included the specially promoted women’s table, with members of the Business and Professional Women’s Club receiving special invitations.
1944 | “America in the Postwar World”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Eric Johnston looked ahead to the world that would follow World War II.
1952 | George Keith Funston
A former Sioux Falls resident returned home as president of the New York Stock Exchange to address members.
1956 | Gen. Carlos P. Romulo
The Philippine diplomat and former president of the United Nations General Assembly spoke on relations between the United States and Asia.
1961 | Sen. Karl Mundt
South Dakota’s U.S. senator addressed the Annual Meeting. A photograph from the event captures Mundt speaking to the crowd.
1963 | “Era of Progress and Opportunity”
The Chamber skipped an outside keynote and turned to four local speakers to consider Sioux Falls’ image, leadership, individual responsibility and future.
1965 | Hans Engen
Norway’s ambassador to the United States brought an international perspective to the Annual Meeting.
1966 | Business meets show business
A Chrysler executive was the featured speaker, with a professional husband-and-wife musical comedy team providing entertainment.
1971 | A town hall experiment
The Chamber replaced the traditional program with a public town hall designed to encourage discussion of community issues and ideas.