LUCERNE >> The Lake County Regional Economic Development Committee offers its first mini-Summit Seminar event, “Speed Date Your Business,” on Friday, Feb. 20, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Marymount California University’s Lakeside campus in Lucerne. Wine and appetizers will be served. The “Speed Date” event is the first in a Summit mini-seminar series that will include a hands-on how-to social media session, a financial resources seminar, and a tutorial on entrepreneurship.
The mini-Summit Seminars are a spin-off of the 2014 Lake Leadership Summit, a sold-out event that gathered local business owners, community leaders, and entrepreneurs for a dynamic program of speakers, break-out sessions, and film clips that encouraged attendees to expand their respective enterprises and help grow Lake County.
The Speed Date Your Business seminar offers participants the opportunity to connect with motivated people who crave more than conventional networking. The event is highly-structured — just like speed dating — with the sole purpose of sparking creative collaborations between businesses. The cost is $25 for one ticket or $40 for two.
The Summit events are created and produced by a countywide group whose members include leaders from Lakeport and Clearlake city governments, the County of Lake, representatives from a variety of community organizations, Chambers of Commerce, educational and health institutions, and workforce development offices.
“Speed Date Your Business” was presented as a breakout session at the 2014 Lake Leadership Summit as “Arranged Marriages: More Than a One-Night Stand.”
Summit co-creator, Michelle Scully, Executive Director of Marymount California University’s Lakeside campus, observed, “When we created the Summit, we wanted to push the boundaries. What we knew then, and it’s clear from the feedback we’ve been receiving ever since, is that people are hungry for new ways to connect and develop.
“We were intrigued with the concept of arranged marriages and wanted to pair up two local businesses that had little in common to cross-market their products. We found Mendo Lake SUP and Carve Pilates right here in Lake County — two businesses that are already practicing this concept — and were thrilled to learn that they’re thriving. We created a break-out session around their energy.”
“We know that our Lake County business owners, community leaders, and entrepreneurs all dream of something that will make their lives easier,” contended Rebecca Southwick, Summit co-creator and Lake County Tourism Ambassador Manager. “Some want to expand, some want to stabilize their sales cycles, and some may want to introduce a whole new product to the world.
“We believe strongly in the power of collaboration and we know that every single person doing business in Lake County possesses something valuable — whether it’s information, a fresh perspective, or even relationships with key people in their industry that they may be willing to share. “Speed Date…” is a quirky, entertaining way to reach out and create relationships that will result in enhanced community relationships.
The 2014 Summit participants spoke highly of this break-out session and requested that it be presented as a stand-alone event.
The event is limited to 75 participants. Participants may register online at www.EmbracetheLake.com. For questions, call Rebecca Southwick at 707.349.8105 or send an email to EmbracetheLake@gmail.com.
