For those of you attending the 5th Annual Tech Toledo Geek Dinner Holiday Mixer (Thursday, December 10th, Blarney Event Center), here are details on the schedule, food and drink options for the evening.
5:30pm: Doors open
- Sign in upon arrival and be sure to circle all of the groups you are affiliated with. Fill out a name tag to help you meet new people.
- Order drinks from the cash bar. Typical soft drink, beer, wine and liquor prices range from $3 to $5.50. Special ales, premium wines and specialty drinks cost $6 and up.
- Food option #1: Pay $10 at the bar for the “Sandwich special”, which includes two sandwiches (Chicken and BBQ Beef), chips, and coleslaw.
- Food option #2: Find a waiter and order from the Blarney Event Center menu, which includes appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burger, entrees and dessert. The kitchen may be slower than usual because a lot of customers are expected at The Blarney next door, so we suggest ordering from the menu as soon as you arrive. See pictures of the menu below to help you plan what you want.
- Network and socialize. You can hang out with “your buddies” or wander around and meet new people.
6:30pm: Group introductions and announcements
We will ask everyone to sit down so we can start the “program” for the evening. After a few general announcements and thanking of the sponsors, we will introduce each participating group. For each:
- Group members will be asked to raise their hands so everyone can see who they are.
- All of the group leaders will introduce themselves so people know a point of contact for the group.
- One of the group leaders will briefly describe what the group is about, mention a high-light from this year, and tell us about any plans for 2016.
After all of the groups are done, we will have some additional organizations introduce themselves. Some will have services they are offering group leaders (such as venues for meetings) and some will have a favor to ask the community (such as mentors or help organizing an event).
The last part of the program will be an open forum, where anyone can say hello, tell us about something else going on, whatever.
This part will be pretty informal, so people will surely be getting drinks and food during the announcements.
7:30pm: Continue eating, drinking and networking
We expect that announcements and introductions will be over by 7:30pm. The party will continue until 8:00pm or until the last people leave. Hopefully, the introductions will spur some conversations about collaboration in 2016.
That’s it! Hope to see you there! Check out more details on location, what groups will be there, the sponsors, etc.
Blarney Event Menu, one of the food options
