this is life in austin & aspen » networking

Aspen: Wine and Heels

Lyssa — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:28:45 +0000

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend Aspen’s latest ladies’ night craze: Wine in Heels. It’s a women-only (save for a few media men) wine and food pairing geared toward educating women about wine and food and creating networking opportunities. It works.

Wine in Heels is hosted on top of the Dancing Bear, which is an absolutely amazing location. We were greeted at the door with champagne, then sampled four wines through four flights of wine + food. We did Wine and Asian food, which was a real treat: wine with sushi, tom kha, and steamed buns.

Coming up tomorrow is Wine & Comfort Food! Think decadent mac & cheese … from 6-8p, $75. thekitchenhotline.com/wine-heels/

BeKnown

Lyssa — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:49:31 +0000

I will preface this entire post by saying that I love LinkedIn. I love that it’s all professional. I love that it’s clean, white, and boring in design. I love that I can see who has viewed my profile—at least, in what industry—and then guess at why they were looking at me. I hate when random people I don’t know on LinkedIn attempt to connect to me. That defeats the purpose! To me, LinkedIn is legit.

So when I landed a part-time gig as a community manager for BeKnown, job search giant Monster.com’s networking site within facebook, I was a little wary. I’m not a huge facebooker. I like keeping personal and professional separate online. I separate people into groups on facebook and control their privacy settings like crazy (sorry, anyone who is reading this and doesn’t get to see much of my profile—it’s for your own good!).

BeKnown, however, essentially does this group-sorting and privacy-protecting for me. I can connect with people I’m not friends with on facebook through BeKnown—while staying within facebook. The ability to stay on one site and use the same interface is a huge bonus.

BeKnown also has the incredible capacity to socially refer friends to and for jobs. That is the crux of BeKnown’s innovation, and as more and more users join (there were already 108,000 just 7 days post-launch), that ability will become priceless. Well, and possibly profitable for refers: you could actually earn money, real money, for referring connections to a job.

I think there’s good reason to be on both: generational differences. Check it:

Of 600 million people on Facebook, 72% are between 25 and 54.
LinkedIn users are 35-54.
91 percent of college seniors have a Facebook profile—but less than one-quarter currently use Facebook as a job-search tool.
Only 1.1% of college grads find LinkedIn helpful in their job search.
The average FB user logs into their page 1-2 times/day while the avg LinkedIn user logs in once every 2-3 weeks.

Like professional networking at cocktail parties, happy hours, and wherever else you network IRL, you need to be building a network all the time, not just when you’re looking for a job. That way, when you are looking, the right opportunity has the ability to manifest, through your connections. BeKnown can facilitate that. Employers know that. (For privacy concerns, don’t worry: you can control EVERYTHING that shows up.)

Here’s what it looks like:

I think that if you’re serious about your network, you need 25 year olds AND 35+ year olds, so you need to be on LinkedIn and BeKnown. I am. Find me and let’s connect.

Austin: Thursday’s Beat the Heat and Club Red Launch (updated)

Lyssa — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:58:20 +0000

Beat the Heat: 6-9pm

The 2nd Annual Beat The Heat Happy Hour featuring Limbo Jewelry’s new collection, complimentary make up consulting from Rae Cosmetics, great door prizes, delicious drinks, and cool tunes by DJ Aaron Montez. Cocktails by Balcones Distilling.

Rae Cosmetics is also offering a $10 gift card … Limit one per customer per visit. The “card” must be present at time of purchase, but it came in my email newsletter, so if you’re not a Rae Cosmetics newsletter subscriber, try just mentioning the newsletter. Offer valid on 7/29/2010 from 6-9pm only.

Rae Cosmetics Studio @ 26 Doors Shops / 1206 W. 38th St.

Club Red Launch

Club Red is a new organization consisting of young professionals who are dedicated to supporting the American Red Cross through fundraising, acts of service, and networking.

Come celebrate the launch of Club Red from 5:30-7:30pm at Gibson. Wear red and show your support! Drink specials and complimentary appetizers!

RSVP on Facebook

Gibson, 1109 South Lamar

[UPDATE] Here’s an event recap from the Statesman’s Out and About columnist

Austin: AYC Fave Awards Launch Party Tonight

Lyssa — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:26:35 +0000

Austin Young Chamber Launches The AYC’s FAVE Awards, the first ever AYC’s Favorite Austin Ventures & Enterprises (FAVE) Awards, an awards gala honoring Austin area businesses that cater to young professionals, on Friday, November 5 at the Driskill Hotel.

To kick off this new awards gala, AYC will host a launch party today, Thursday July 8, at Molotov from 5:30 to 7:30 pm!

RSVP for the launch party at http://aycawardslaunchparty.eventbrite.com/.

“Our organization saw an opportunity to recognize local businesses that support Austin’s dynamic group of young professionals”, said Neil Goldman, Chair of the AYC’s FAVE Awards. “We are excited to bring together Austin’s most prominent business leaders and organizations
that help us to thrive in early stages of career development.”

Nominations for the AYC’s FAVE Awards will open on July 8 and can be accessed at www.aycawards.org. Nominations will run until August 13, when the AYC selection committee will narrow each category to a list of four businesses. Voting will run from August 19 to
September 30.

Cowboy Party OR Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka

Lyssa — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:45:27 +0000

I’ve written about Austin Young Chamber of Commerce before (here), but this time they are throwing a mega shindig. At their Tie One On party at Rebel’s Honky Tonk, there will be an OPEN BAR from 7-11pm, live music from Grant Jones and the Pistol Whip Lassos & Mikey and the Soda Jerks, a bull riding contest, pairs dancing contest, punching bag contest, and a best dressed contest. Plus, everytime you participate in a contest you get entered into the raffle to win two round-trip tickets ANYWHERE Jet Blue flies! There will be lots of other prizes and surprises, so don’t miss this event!

GET TIX NOW! $25 – Members / $35 – Non-members

Event details
When: Friday March 26th, 2010, 7-11pm
Where: Rebel’s Honky Tonk
305 West 5th Street

OR

Girls’ Night at the Gallery with Deep Eddy Sweet-Tea Infused Vodka!
(Guys are welcome, too!)
Friday, March 26, 2010
6-8:30p
Featuring Complimentary Cocktails from better-than-Firefly (which is coming out with a bourbon!):

Door Prizes from Spa Reveil and Tusa Fitness
1501 W. 5th Street-Inside the Art of Jewelry and Art on 5th

AND

Achachay! at Flamingo Cantina (because you didn’t see enough Dirty Sixth during SX) at 10p!

I like to think I am invincible. Things YOU should do today.

Lyssa — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:01:43 +0000

Despite all evidence to the contrary, turns out, I’m not invincible.

Well damn.

Though I’d like to be at the Gables Sneak Peek or a Whole Foods tour in honor of Dishola’s Dish-for-Dish (review a dish already, people!) or a happy hour birthday party at Piranha (man do I love their sushi) or Beer and Bingo at Jo’s, I am going to be on a couch, toilet paper roll nearby (don’t have Kleenex around), lemon-infused water in hand. Yes, allergies and/or a cold have knocked me down.

In my honor, YOU should please enjoy one of these fun Wednesday activities:

Drag Queen “Sapphire” will be reading the numbers, there’ll be a DJ and great prizes.

Beer is $3 and cards are $1; all money from the cards goes to Caritas.

AYC Membership Mixer and Toy Drive

*Benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas

Third Base Sports Bar

1717 West 6th Street

6-8pm

$2 wells and domestics

$3 Margaritas & $2.50 All Mexican beers

Admission: New Toy or $10 donation to BBBS

This is a great opportunity to network, have fun, and make a difference!

Austin Young Chamber of Commerce + ’80s Membership Mixer

Lyssa — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:31:55 +0000

A few months ago, I got an email alerting me that the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce is now live and accepting members: www.austinyc.org. With so many organizations out there, what makes the AYC unique? One of the founders and a friend of mine, Johnny Rodgers, promises AYC will foster business to business relationships as well as keep you informed with what’s really going on in Austin. “I feel like there is a real opportunity here to bring together like-minded individuals from all over Austin and connect them with each other,” he says.

Work Hard. Play Hard. That is the motto of the AYC.

Curious? I missed the first, but tonight there is a second AYC Membership Mixer followed by “Rock The ’80s” featuring LC Rocks. 6-8pm at Speakeasy, 412 Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78701. Drink specials extended until 8pm. Bring your business card to enter in a raffle for a free ticket to play in the AYC Poker Tournament on August 27th.

NetParty tomorrow

Lyssa — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:11:41 +0000

I don’t know why people try to plan anything when SXSW is going on, but then again, I guess the WHOLE world doesn’t stop turning. Check out what just hit my inbox, then read on for why it’s so funny:

You are invited to RSVP For Free Admssion to our Premiere at Union Park through March 17 ($10 at the door after March 17 with RSVP; $15 without RSVP). We expect 400 young professionals to attend this event!

Please join us for:

Drink specials 6 pm to 7 pm

Complimentary light hors d’oeuvres from 6 pm to 7 pm

Cool music played at a low volume to facilitate successful business networking until around 8 pm

DJ spinning great music and creating a more social atmosphere after 8 pm while still allowing for continued conversation and interaction (even in “The Boom Boom Room”)

Making the acquaintance of literally hundreds of new, young, fun people for business contacts and friendships like you can do nowhere else

Our events will be free (with your timely RSVP) while we continue to build Austin’s strongest young professionals membership. Later this year, we will have to begin charging a small fee for our events.

So here’s the funny part: they already launched in Austin. And said the same thing, that they’d start charging. And once they did, no one came. So they moved locations (used to be a Pangaea thing), and are giving it another go. Relaunching?

Of course no one is going to pay to network–we have way too many active young professionals in the Austin scene doing amazing things and hosting free events for anyone to be interested in paying. Last time I went it was more of a Meat/Meet Market anyway (singles scene). Still, free and fun enough if you want to get out and socialize sans SXSW talk!

RSVP by today, or else you have to pay at the door, which is just silly.

Networking 101

Lyssa — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:47:26 +0000

The Young Execs of Austin and Austin Recruiters Network Party

Meet, mingle and network at Malaia. Despite the fact that I railed on Malaia on twitter this weekend for having a GLASS second floor, it IS pretty cool, so long as you’re wearing pants. Anyway, this party will have lots of meetin’-and-greetin’ and less dancing, so ignore the skeezy glass floor and make some new contacts! Drink specials & apps. 6pm-?

More about Young Execs at www.youngexecs.net. The Austin Recruiters Network provides local recruiters a monthly, laid-back, yet professional setting in which to network and share ideas.

I quote: “Free drinks and art viewing”

Lyssa — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:06:12 +0000

So said a friend of mine. About one of these events, but I can’t remember which. He had no idea Wednesday is the new Thursday this week and it is jam-packed with events.

Wednesday Post-Work Agenda:

1) SHOP

Join Austin designer Linda Asaf as she hosts her 4th Annual Austin Designer Sample Sale. Head to her West 6th Street (1405 W. 6th Street) studio space from 3 – 8pm. Enjoy designer samples at 25% – 75% off from Linda herself, Myka Cosmetics, Tracy Tenpenny, Jesica Ciarla, Sikara Jewelry, David Hall Hodges [LOVE his leather stuff!! I wrote an article about him once, his stuff is badass], Mint Owl, Betty Lash, Shimmer & Bliss, Moxie & the Compound, and Catherine Nicole.

Sip some wine and enjoy Cupprimo Cupcakes. RSVP here.

2) MUSIC + BOOZE

7 – 10pm at super-cool new downtown spot RED RIVER FLATS on Red River between 9th and 10th, across from the Mohawk and Club de Ville. Casey McPherson from Alpha Rev is doing a solo, acoustic show, and free booze and food from Primizie, Kenichi, Tito’s, Miller, Sweet Leaf, Maine Root, etc. will abound. There will also be an art show, Photo Booth, and it all benefits the Austin Music Foundation. (Um, question? If this is all free, what exactly benefits the AMF?)

RSVP here.
3) FIND NEW FRIENDS?

Second on Sixth is StrataTX‘s annual Anniversary Party. The networking/social group for creatives in the arts, culture, and economy (that’s what the “about” says on the website …) uses this event to drive membership for the upcoming year. Hosted at Este (2235 East 6th Street), this event features free food and drinks and is great for networking, meeting new folks, and seeing a variety of different forms of art, including:

- John Pointer in the Members-Only Lounge
- Bboy City Dancers with DJ Lo-Res
- Video art curated by Austin Museum of Digital Art
- Artwork from Young Master Katie Pipkin
- Improv Troupe Paralellogramophonograph
- Live graffiti art from Slok

RSVP here.