The Chamber's first networking event at the Royal Kubo last January 21^st was a surprising success for everyone, including the organizers. It was well-attended with over 40 guests - Chamber members, business-owners, independent professionals, and supporters - all excited with the anticipation of what the evening was about.

The attendees came from all facets of the Filipino business community, from the health care, medical and dental fields, financial services, advertising, banking, as well as, legal, construction and maintenance, among others. Everyone was given a chance to make a 1-minute advertisement of their products and services in front of the group, which gave a great opportunity for guests to get to know each other and facilitate conversation afterwards. It only took a few introductions for people to relax and talk about themselves, but once it got started it just kept going - some taking more than the allotted time! After everyone had a chance to speak , raffle prizes provided by the evening's sponsors were given out, the most coveted of which were the 4 Piston tickets (with the Ameriprise Club package) graciously provided by Citizens Bank. Henderson Glass, Hertz, State Farm, and GeoGraphical rounded out the sponsors of prizes for the evening. The event was scheduled from 5:30 - 7:00 pm, but a large number of people stayed on to enjoy the food and drinks offered by the Royal Kubo menu.

In all, the event accomplished what the Chamber had envisioned... to create a venue for a fun and productive evening for the guests, additional members for the Chamber, and effectively promote our sponsors, particularly the host restaurant for the event. With the success of the first networking event for the Chamber under the belt, it definitely served to encourage the organization to build on the initial enthusiasm and continue to develop more activities to achieve its objectives.

The networking events are organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce - Michigan as a monthly gathering of Filipino business-owners and professionals to meet, create valuable contacts, and let others know about their products and services. In addition, it allows guests to get a glimpse of what the Chamber is about - the members and the organization's objectives - to encourage them to join and take advantage of the other benefits of being a member.