Facebook fan pages and other social media platforms are all about making connections. If you’re a business person, you’re most likely using social media marketing to elevate your brand, while also creating community.
So when my friend Lee Lonitz, CEO of Design ForSite, decided to lead some Facebook business workshops, he wanted to make sure the experience was a social one. He partnered with Ed Fike, CEO of Hobee’s Restaurant, and me, an independent wine consultant with WineShop At Home, to host “Wine, Dine and Facebook” events throughout 2010. We held our fourth event in early November at the Hobee’s Restaurant in Sunnyvale, CA.
We were thrilled that so many busy entrepreneurs took time out from their schedules for learning and fun.
Ed Fike and Hobee’s provided a wonderful array of dishes that paired beautifully with the wines I brought for the occasion. On the menu were their brand new, highly touted mahi mahi burritos, Hobee’s famous coffee cake, gourmet cheeses, and other treats.
Mixing social networking with real-time networking, we started out by having everyone give a 30-second elevator pitch to introduce their business. After that, we enjoyed a medley of wine tasting, snacking, socializing, and learning Facebook tips. One of the most valuable tips I learned was how to send a message (a Facebook “update”) directly to all my Facebook fans to inform them about upcoming events, promotions and other news.
Everyone was excited about learning practical lessons for using Facebook to grow their businesses, and they benefited from Lee’s expertise and great presentation style. Many commented, “I’ve never had so much fun learning before.”
Here are a few pictures from the November Wine, Dine and Facebook event.
To find out about our 2011 “Wine, Dine and Facebook” events, please be sure to “like” our Facebook fan pages, where we post event information and much more:
Lee Lonitz of Design ForSite ~ www.facebook.com/designforsite
Ed Fike of Hobee’s Restaurant ~ www.facebook.com/hobees
Betty Kaufman of WineShop At Home ~ www.facebook.com/winetastingsandmore
We look forward to seeing you at future events.
