PARKERSBURG — An event encouraging interaction between business leaders and to promote the community will return next year through the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Leadership MOV is in the 2025 plans for the Chamber of Commerce that will hold its annual gala at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Parkersburg Art Center.

The gala with a Vegas theme will include casino games for fun, hors d’oeuvres and the announcement of the Chamber’s annual awards including the business and emerging business leaders of the year.

The leadership program was once offered by the chamber many years ago, said Jill Parsons, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. The program hasn’t been offered since before she became chief of the chamber in 2010, Parsons said.

“We’ve had a great committee working on it all year and they are excited to bring it back next year,” Parsons said.

Leadership MOV is patterned from Leadership West Virginia, but is more focused on the local level and the businesses, features and issues impacting the Mid-Ohio Valley, Parsons said. It will meet once a month from March to October with each session having a different topic, she said.

The program will impart upon participants what makes the community special and unique, Parsons said.

Past participants of the former leadership program have spoken of its benefits, further encouragement to bring back Leadership MOV, Parsons said.

“They all talk about how much they loved it,” she said.

The chamber typically plans one major event for each quarter of the year, Parsons said.

The Women in Leadership Conference will return in mid-2025 and be complemented with a series of smaller, half-day meetings, she said. The conference focuses on women leaders in business and the community, professional development and networking with other businesses, Parsons said.

“It is very popular,” she said.

Monthly Business After Hours also will continue and several will be held in conjunction with the Chambers of Commerce in Belpre and Marietta, Parsons said. The interaction is important and beneficial for members, she said.

While the organizations share members, they have members who belong to a single chamber, Parsons said.

“Having attendees from all three Chambers of Commerce adds value to the host and provides expanded networking for the attendees,” she said.

About 400 businesses from the region are members of the MOV Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce also is looking for more good things to come in the next year from Andrea Duke, the new membership and communications specialist for the chamber, Parsons said.

Duke meets with members and prospective members for their perspectives and explains the benefits of joining the Chamber of Commerce, Parsons said.

“We’re always looking to make sure we’re presenting value to our members through our programming and connections,” she said.

Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com