Networking Has Never Been So Fun! (Bogart’s, Mar 3rd)

Jersey Shore Premier Events held its second business networking and red carpet party at Bogart’s in Eatontown, on March 3rd. 200 people showed up this time, representing businesses from all over Monmouth County, but also from neighboring counties, including Long Beach Island, whose Southern Ocean Chamber of Commerce sent three representatives. The Joy of Connecting Networking and Red Carpet is the brainchild of Rosa Davis (of Bella Mystique, an women’s boutique in downtown Red Bank) and Chris Fotache (of Jersey Media Network, a web development company).

Bogart’s is a new bar / restaurant in Eatontown, replacing the old Redheads. It proved to be a wonderful host, with lots of room, a great sushi bar, great drinks, and passed appetizers and hors d’oeuvres for the guests. The host town, Eatontown, was represented by two of its councilmen, Dennis Connelly and Mark Regan.

Rosa and Chris started this series of brand new events which blasted off in a short time, thanks to the many networking enthusiasts who have bought into their mission. The mission is simple: bring small business owners together, to pool together resources and ideas in order to strengthen communities and help businesses grow. But their events are not like the regular networking events. They wanted to add some fun to the basic recipe, by adding the glamor of a red carpet, the fun of a party atmosphere and lots of great prizes. This time, the big prize was again a 5 day vacation to Cancun, offered by Cathy Ruggiero from Rovia / World Ventures.

The red carpet was a very popular place, almost each one of the 200 guests stopping by to strike a pose and have their picture taken. Models from the Barbizon School in Red Bank were there to direct people and show them the right pose. Chris and Rosa are always trying to bring some local celebrities to their events. If previously they had Kim G of the Real Housewives of NJ as a special guest, this time they invited Claire Pavlinec, Mrs. New Jersey 2010, and the Rat Rock Girl, Melissa.

Besides being the most beautiful woman in New Jersey last year, Claire Pavlinec founded the Maternal Wings Charity, an organization that tries to help meet the needs of impoverished expectant mothers, so that they may provide for their babies. About her charity, Claire said that “every new baby is a gift to this big world and deserves to enter it in a safe environment with his/her basic needs being met”. And regarding the event at Bogart’s, Claire added: “It was a pleasure to be a part of the event. I would say that the event was a wonderful opportunity to network with some of the finest professionals in the area in a fun & comfortable atmosphere. Definitely the place to be!”

Melissa is a spokesperson for Rat Radio 95.9 and she was also very popular around the red carpet and she also appreciated the event: “It’s great to see all these local Jersey Shore businesses come together to represent themselves at a single location and demonstrate what they offer to the community.” You can read her full report on the Rat Radio blog. Melissa also said: “What a great place to hold such a great event. I met over 200 people & everyone was very welcoming. I loved striking a pose on the red carpet with such awesome fans, I felt like a celebrity”.

The event couldn’t have been possible without the support of a series of local companies, which included: Cat Limousine, Jersey Shore’s leading limousine company (whose stretch Escalade was dominating the front of the building); Bella Vista Country Club, a beautiful golf course in Marlboro; Deborah Weiss, short sale specialist with Keller William Jersey Shore; Atlantic Eye Physicians, “the finest for you and your eyes”; Jersey Shore Clean Team, providing commercial and residential cleaning services; Adam Lepore at Wells Fargo, who can help you choose the best financing so you can enjoy a lifetime of homeownership; Clean Slate Credit Solutions, specializing in credit repair and debt restoration; and VanNortwick Properties, experts in residential, commercial and agricultural property management.

Special thanks have to go to our photographer, Viki Reed, who took all our great shots. You can find hundreds more photos from this networking / red carpet event on Viki’s Facebook page, as well as on Facebook here and here. Also, Kimmee Massi of Confections of a Rockstar offered 150 delicious cupcakes of 7 different types!

If you’re looking to rent a house at the shore, check out ShoreVacations.com, Jersey Shore’s biggest vacation rentals resource. It lists hundreds of rental homes and condos from Sandy Hook all the way down to Cape May (including Belmar, Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, Ocean City, Long Beach Island, Atlantic City or the Wildwoods). It’s a one-stop website for planning your Jersey Shore vacation, featuring beach information, weather updates and more! And of course, it has a full list of all the Jersey Shore events this year.