No one achieves success without others...

No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude. -- Alfred North Whitehead...

Last night was our second networking event for Ottawa Wedding Professionals and we mixed it up with martinis! Our host was the Ottawa Marriott Hotel's Summit which overlooks the city, 29 floors above Ottawa and I'm sure everyone agreed that it was breath-taking.

I can't say enough about all the people who made the event a success...but I'll try:

THANK YOU to Marco for hosting the event at his beautiful venue (the Summit) overlooking the city! Looking forward to many more ;)

THANK YOU to all the martinis and networking event sponsors at the Ottawa Marriott's Summit last night: Little Cakes Cupcakes, Reno Video Productions, Quality Entertainment, Tripp Photography, Lou Truss photography, Mastermind Events, Full Bloom, and all the staff at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel - it was truly a pleasure and you were all integral in making the event a success!

THANK YOU to our donations of door prizes: Cake pops from Little Cakes, floral arrangement from Full Bloom, gift certificate from the Ottawa Marriott Hotel and the Courtyard by Marriott, and the gift certificate and bottle of wine from Trixie Tulip!

THANK YOU to our featured guests: Brian Henry (MC), Cristie Vito (and Christine Tripp) and Carrie Irvine.

THANK YOU to my fabulous volunteers who worked magic for me: Allison Milne (of Beyond Events), Kat, and Stephanie!

AND THANK YOU to all the great Wedding Pros who came out to network! I hope you each connected or re-connected and walked away with at least 5 great contacts that you will stay in touch with.

OK I feel like this blog post is my Grammy acceptance speech but there are not enough THANK YOUs to express how blessed I felt last night! Woke up with a smile...

For those who couldn't make it out stay tuned for the next one...in the meantime, please find a recap of the night courtesy of Sylvain and Caroline Renaud of Reno Video Productions:

Networking for any industry

Business Networking is an effective tool in promoting your business. For some it’s a skill that needs to be developed and for others it comes naturally but for both it takes time and energy to master.

Networking is not about passing out as many business cards as you can or sales pitching to everyone that you come across. It is about listening, connecting and focusing on how you can help the person. A small business owner who takes the steps to attend networking events to meet new people will create opportunities to exchange ideas, business contacts, and support.

Laura Allen, co-founder of 15 Second Pitch for About.com, explains How to Network More Effectively. No matter what industry your company is involved in. As a business owner, networking as much as you can with like-minded professionals will not only help you to master this skill but it will help you to build strategic business partnerships that may become mutually beneficial.

If you just happen to enjoy networking and own a business in the Ottawa Wedding and Event industy, we are hosting a Martini and Networking night on Nov 17th - pls feel free to join us. For more information, please visit: http://martininottawawedprofnetworking.eventbrite.com/