Online Registration Closed at 6pm on Monday. 
Please do come & register at the door.

‘Where Chicago's Business Professionals Go To Network’

The mission of BNC is to bring together Chicago’s top business professionals, facilitate the development of their personal networks through our diverse groups, and promote the growth of business in Chicago.  We are committed to helping you develop mutually beneficial "win-win" relationships with the people who can make the biggest difference in your career and life.

We are excited to announce new changes at the monthly BNC "After Hours" event.  Beginning in September, we are adding more activities and having nationally-known networking, social media, business, entrepreneurship and innovation experts speak in the Main Room.

The Activities

Main Room: CLOSED
We are honored to have Liz Strauss (@LizStrauss) as our first nationally known speaker for September.  Liz is a founder of the highly successful business bloggers conference SOBCon - which has gained the partnership of companies such as Intuit, IZEA, ReveNews, Walmart, Colgate, Allstate, and Klondike Frozen Treats, as well as the attention of BusinessWeek, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Innovation Initiative of the Kellogg School of Business. She has been named to the Top 100 Social Media & Internet Marketing Bloggers, Top 100 Most Influential Marketers of 2008, the 50 of the Most Powerful and Influential Women of Social Media, NxE’s Fifty Most Influential ‘Female’ Bloggers and her blog is listed on Alltop Social Media and Alltop Twitterati.

Speed-Networking:  CLOSED
The purpose of these sessions is to meet as many people as you can in as short period of time and to get you in front of your target audience to build your personal network.  This is NOT your typical one-on-one networking.  You talk with 5 people at a time and then switch to another group of 5 people.  These sessions are very popular and fill up quickly so, if you want to participate, sign up for one of these 2 sessions immediately.  To facilitate our matchmaking process, please complete the online questionnaire.

Meet a BNC Leader: (New)
Each month one of our BNC group leaders will be available to answer all of your questions regarding BNC, the BNC groups, our services or how we can help you become a better networker.  Feel free to drop by their table located near the registration desk. 

Ask an Expert Room: (New)
We have 3 experts to answer questions on relevant topics such as networking, social media, career counseling, etc. 

Open-Networking;
This is the typical networking fare offered at most events.  The difference here is that we have ambassadors in the room to help you make valuable business connections.  If you have unscheduled time for the evening or you just enjoy unstructured networking, this is the place to be.

If you do not get into the Main Room or Speed-Networking sessions, you will still have plenty of opportunities for learning and networking with other professionals.

The Details:

Date: Tuesday, Sept 21, 2010

Time: 6:00 to 9:30 pm

Place: Texas de Brazil, 51 E Ohio (corner of Rush & Ohio), Chicago, IL, 60611

Online Registration: http://sept2010afterhours.eventbrite.com
Online registration closes promptly at 6pm on Monday, Sept 20th, 2010.

Admission Price: $20 late registration until 6 pm on Monday, Sept 20th, 2010.          $30 at the door (cash only)  (Note: Online price does not include Eventbrite fees.)

Event Schedule:

• 5:45 - Registration Opens
• 6:30 - Session 1 of Presentation & Speed Networking
• 7:30 - Break
• 8:00 - Session 2 of Presentation & Speed Networking
• 9:30 - End of Event

Texas de Brazil is providing us with:

• A Cash Bar with a selection of beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks (pitchers of water will be placed liberally around the rooms). 
• Starting in July, they have been giving us discounted drink prices. (Kind of new)
• Lots and lots of delicious appetizers (steak, chicken, sausage, and/or vegetables).

Parking & Transportation:

• Lot Parking: Right across the street, $11 for 3 hours with validation from the restaurant
• Valet Parking: $12 for 3 hours
• Buses: Take any of the Michigan Ave buses North to Ohio and walk West 1 block or take the 36 bus North to Ohio and walk East 2 blocks
• Train: Take the Red Line North to Grand, walk East 2 blocks and North 1 block.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with the registration desk, greet and direct people and manage the activity rooms.  If interested, please contact Jean Pickering.  Volunteers receive a special price discount. 

BNC is one of the premiere professional business networking organizations proudly serving the Greater Chicago area since 2001.  "After Hours" is open to the public so please feel free to invite friends and colleagues to come and connect, reconnect, network and make new friends.

As always, please:

• Visit our website: www.bnchicago.org
• Send an email to: BNC_Chicago-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to join our Yahoo Group and receive invitations to all BNC events
• Participate in discussions by joining our LinkedIn group and one or more of our LinkedIn subgroups
• Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/BusinessNetworkChicago
• Join our Meetup group: www.meetup.com/BNChicago
• Follow us on Twitter: @BNChicago

For more information contact:

• David Carman, BNC President & CEO, at dcarman@BNChicago.org or
  C: 312-203-3122.
• Jean Pickering, BNC Director of Social Media, at jpickering@BNChicago.org or
  O: 773-770-8969.