Over the last two years South Shore Woman has served as a platform to tell your story. Our purpose has always been to shine a spotlight on the talented entrepreneurs in our community in hopes that they will get the recognition that they deserve, as well as make the important community connections that invigorate local business.

Aside from being an online magazine, SouthShoreWoman.com is also its own social network where people are inspired by and learn from the personal journeys of the women (and men) we have interviewed.  Members can connect through our B2B directory and we always make it our business to promote your business on our Facebook page, through Twitter, and via more social media outlets that we are adding to our Internet outreach.

Having a presence online is critical in today’s electronic age. But we can’t ignore the importance of networking in person, which is why I am so excited to announce the new Cocktails & Connections networking series brought to you by South Shore Woman in partnership with Avant Garde Events, Inc.

While I’m sure all of our readers have experience networking, I can also assure you that you have never experienced anything like a Cocktails & Connections program, created by Avant Garde Events founder Valerie McSorley.

As an event producer, Valerie’s work required her to make a lot of connections on behalf of her clients.  By building a business entirely from networking and word of mouth referrals, she recognized the value of these introductions. She also evaluated the traditional networking events available and found them to be of little worth with limited results.

Valerie set out to build a better system of engaging professionals in a powerful way. She has created a program that guarantees valuable introductions for business people. The outcome has been incredible with lots of tangible results and success stories for the attendees.

We are honored to be working with Valerie to bring her new type of networking to the South Shore!!!

Our first Cocktails & Connections gathering will take place on Thursday, April 12, 2012 at the Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy. There will be a marketplace where vendors can set up tables, sponsorship opportunities to really showcase your business, and Valerie’s networking finesse that promises to get every attendee those important new business connections.

Tracy and I are thrilled to co-host this event with Valerie, and we are even more excited about seeing all of you--- the people we’ve been reporting on and promoting over the last few years.

 I can’t wait to meet you in person!!!!!

Best,

Steph

Stephanie Neil, Editor

For tickets ($35 if purchased before 3/16, $45 beginning 3/17) to the Cocktails & Connections event, or to find out about vendor and sponsorship opportunities, contact Valerie at: 617-935-9040; events@avantgardevents.com

http://www.cocktailsandconnections.biz/events?eventId=444360&EventViewMode=EventDetails

By Stephanie Neil

Stephanie Neil is a journalist. Her business, technology, and human interest stories have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines including eWeek, Managing Automation, The Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Huggies Baby Network, South Shore Woman, and The Boston Globe.  She lives on the South Shore with her two kids, two cats, and a dog. Contact info: stephanieneil@comcast.net  or 781-378-1652. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieNeil