Vol VI - SECOND EVENT AT SEGAFREDO BAL HARBOUR

After our first event at Segafredo Brickell I started the countdown towards Art Basel Miami 2008, my client's events and all the other events and exhibitions to attend during such a special week for the Miami's art community . Now that I got that out of the way I'm ready to continue with my own projects, and those projects that Beth & I have been working on for PBN.
The Segafredo Brickell was a nice event, we got a nice attendance, it was great to see those familiar faces that I usually see in our website, catch up with old friends and meet a few new members as well.
We are getting ready for our next social event, this time at the brand new Segafredo Bal Harbour, inside the shoppes in the second floor. I'm going to share a secret with you, I haven't been there yet, but I have heard wonderful things about it and I have no doubt that the Segafredo family have surpassed their clients' expectations with their new addition. I can't wait to stop by this weekend.
In any case HERE is a better description of what is waiting for us.

On Tuesday Dec. 16th we will hold our second event, adding a couple of elements such as a cute gift bag for our guests, and a new partnership: we are proud to announce that SocialMiami.com will be our media sponsor for our monthly social events.

I will be back soon adding the e-vite and more news on what's coming.

Cheers!

Vol V - FIRST EVENT, FIRST CHALLENGE

So we are 1 day away from our first event in Miami. Our first challenge (and hopefully the last), the graphic design of the e-vite was significantly delayed due to different reasons, and after a few back-and-forths with the designing team, they finally came up with something nice. The main problem: they finished today at 5:00pm, one day before the event.
We used to send out the e-mail blast with the e-vite to our members and other guests at least one week in advance, and a soft-reminder a couple of days before. This time we're not sure how the last minute notice is going to affect the attendance, but we trust that many of our founder members and attendees to our past events, will be happy to come to have a drink with us and enjoy the great settings and hospitality of Segafredo Brickell.
Beth has just arrived from New York and brought some cold weather with her, it will be nice to have her picking me up to show up together at Segafredo (yes, you will have to pick me up!).

I will catch up with you tomorrow!

Vol IV - SEGAFREDO

Beth & I are happy to announce that we will be hosting our social monthly events in partnership with Segafredo. The first one will take place on Thursday, November 20th 2008 at Segafredo Brickell - http://www.segafredobrickell.com/ - 1421 South Miami Avenue, Brickell.

December's event will be hosted at their new location at Bal Harbour Shops (hottttt!), and January at Segafredo South Pointe (on South Beach) which is still getting ready.

Hope to see all our members and friends there, the e-vite will be ready shortly!

Below is more information about Segafredo Brickell, extracted from their website:

(MIAMI, FL) JANUARY 2008 – Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Café, loved around the world for its multi-sensory experience reflecting the lifestyle of the Italian café, opens its newest location at 1421 South Miami Avenue in the downtown Miami / Brickell area. Timed with the burgeoning growth of the Brickell area as well as the beginning of a New Year, Segafredo Brickell takes Italian café culture to a whole new level, featuring an impressive 8,500-square-foot indoor and outdoor seating area and a 2,000-square-foot on-premise boutique nightclub, Spazio Nero (Italian for Black Space).
Segafredo Brickell exudes a posh and luxurious atmosphere while at the same time offering guests the warmth and charm of Italian hospitality. As soon as guests arrive, they are enveloped in the chic yet comfy vibe of Segafredo Brickell’s grounds which feature eclectic antique furniture in the outdoor living room lounge areas. The elaborate red and white floral design matches Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Café’s signature colors. Inside the venue, exhibiting the same level of chic-meets-comfort as the exterior, guests will experience a true Italian-style café with a coffee bar with barstools, plush red leather couches and free Internet services. The Segafredo Brickell menu identity is based on its Italian heritage and, in addition to favorite espresso drinks and pastries, will offer a large selection of Italian-style food and café, music and signature cocktails.
Located within the restaurant, Spazio Nero is a lavish boutique night club that will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Embodying the nightclub’s name, the décor is outfitted in all things black, from the stylish black leather couches with silver buttons, to the black-tinted mirrors throughout, to the fleur-de-lis textured black-on-black wallpaper. The club features an elevated DJ booth, a one-of-a-kind advanced multi-zoned distribution audio system and a computer controlled lighting program by Infinite Audio Systems.
“Both Segafredo and Spazio Nero alike bring a new lifestyle to Brickell that has been missing until now,” said Segafredo Brickell co-owner Alejandro Ferllen. “We are a stylish café and lounge that’s high-energy and, yet comfortable enough for our guests to enjoy the surroundings; relax amongst friends and have a cup of coffee or a cocktail in a stress-free environment.”
The Brickell area is home to Miami’s most prominent financial entities, luxury high-rise condos and a fast-growing retail corridor – the perfect environment for the establishment’s trendsetting day-to-night concept. Segafredo Brickell offers a place to confer with clients over a cup of coffee, head to lunch breaks with co-workers, or relax and unwind with a cocktail for happy hour and then enjoy your night away at Spazio Nero.
Developed by VE Restaurant Group, Segafredo Brickell and Spazio Nero is located at 1421 South Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida 33131. Hours of operation are Sunday – Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 AM; Thursday – Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 AM; Happy Hour Daily from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Spazio Nero opens at 11:00 PM Thursday through Saturday. For more information please visit http://www.segafredobrickell.com/ and http://www.spazionero.com/.

Vol III - EVENTS

Our events in Miami are taking shape, we are coming back with our monthly social cocktails and can't wait to send the first e-vite and start to receive the rsvp's of those members that supported us in the past and the new ones.

We will be ready to explore beyond Miami soon, any suggestions or ideas for similar events in other cities (in US and worldwide) will be considered so let us know, we are certainly open to build up partnerships and alliances with the right individuals, companies or organizations.

Our main goal is to give our members the opportunity to interact beyond our website, meet in person and have a good time, we have achieved that in the past and will do it again.

Have a good weekend!

Vol. II - STILL UNDERGOING PREPARATIONS

Both for Beth and myself this is a busy time of the year, and the deadline that we had originally set to have the upgrades and changes ready need to be re-set, it might be another week before we have everything in place, including our next social event scheduled, newsletter to send out to our members crafted, and negotiations with potential partners and alliances finalized.

I can't wait to have our first cocktail party scheduled, after all this work we will need a drink with our Miami members... by the way, we are open to suggestions to host social cocktail events in other cities.

In the meantime a friend sent me this link which I found funny yet interesting...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc

Good nite,
MR

Vol I - MY FIRST ONE...

Hello everyone,

This is my first experience with a blog and I thought I would use it to share with everyone my experiences, challenges, expectations and rewards as co-founder of an international social and business network, www.professionalblackbook.com currently known as www.globalurbanites.com but soon to be re-branded and re-launched.

This is a passion and dream that I share with my business partner Beth DiSanto, and I hope to contribute to... something, enrich somebody's life at a personal or professional level, improve our work through the feedback that I will get from here, and make new friends, why not?

This is a quick spontaneous first entry, the good stuff is soon to come.

Good night.