Chambers plan Breakfast, State of the City luncheon

Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich will provide updates on city projects and programs this week and in May as Biloxi’s two chambers of commerce will resume public gatherings as COVID-19 mandates have eased.

The Biloxi Chamber of Commerce has a Breakfast with the Mayor gathering Thursday at 8 a.m. at the IP Casino Resort in Biloxi, and the Biloxi Bay Area Chamber of Commerce will present the annual State of the City luncheon on May 20 at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.

The two events are being held for the first time since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Breakfast with the Mayor, which the Biloxi chamber and area businesses typically host five times a year, has not been held since November 2019, and the Biloxi Bay Area postponed its annual luncheon from February until May this year.

Here are the details on both approaching events:

Biloxi Chamber Breakfast with the Mayor: Thursday, April 29, 8 a.m. at IP Casino Resort. Reservations are required; seating will be limited. Call 228-604-0014 by Wednesday at noon. No admission fee for members of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber; non-members must pay $15.

Biloxi Bay Area Chamber State of the City luncheon: Thursday, May 20, Magnolia Ballroom, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. Doors open at 11 a.m.; program begins at 11:30 a.m. Individual tickets are $50, open seating; reserved table of eight, $400. Reservation deadline is May 13. Reservations, 228-435-6149.

Both events will see changes, owing to the coronavirus, organizers say.

For Breakfast with the Mayor, “we’ve limited attendance and are observing COVID-19 safety protocols,” said Rachael Kiesling, director of the Biloxi Chamber, which is a member of the Coast Chamber. “Registration is required. The Biloxi Chamber of Commerce also will be presenting the first $1,000 re-occupancy grant of 2021 to Wags and Swags, a dog grooming puppy boutique on Pass Road in Biloxi. In spite of having fewer fundraisers in 2020, the Biloxi Chamber awarded over $25,000 in Small Business Grants.”

The Biloxi Bay Area Chamber, meantime, will be hosting its 31st annual State of the City luncheon. The event had been postponed from February. The city plans an updated version of its State of the City presentation, which had been presented online in February. Biloxi Bay Chamber Executive Director Tina Ross-Seamans said reserved tables for the May 20 event will host eight guests instead of 10, and the program will be streamlined.
See the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce website
See the Biloxi Bay Area Chamber of Commerce website
Video and more: The 2021 State of the City, from February 2021
Video: See the previous Breakfast with the Mayor, from November 2019