Friday, July 28, 2000

Cocktails with Courtney ~ July 2000

Despite the continuing illogical and odd experiences we've had in dealing with restaurant and club owners, the July Cocktails with Courtney went on without a hitch at the elegant-looking Etoile in the Lombardy Hotel. More than 450 guests came out in the rain to sip some wine and meet other networkers. NY1 was there doing a piece on The Art of Schmoozing, which will be aired sometime late next week. A reporter and photographer from MAX magazine and a reporter from an Amsterdam, The Netherlands, magazine arrived to see how Silicon Alley new media socialites work a room. We even had some "old-timers" like Howard Greenstein (Sorceron), media trainer Mary Dawne Arden and Tery Spataro. Brian Stengel (managing director of eColony), introduced me to some of his friends and colleagues. Another West-coaster, Jim Marver of VantagePoint Venture Partners, was in town, as he often is, for business. PriceWaterhouseCoopers partner Murray Alter stopped by to say "hello," and Charles Molineaux (NEW Show on CNN) was chatting for a bit with Anne Shelton (AppNet). Blaze Ventures co-founder and CEO Jonathan Henes and co-founder and CSO Melissa Gerardi were therewith branding consultant David Boorstin. Amy Brownstein of her own shindig came and schmoozed with John McGann (JDM Interactive).

Audiobase, the sponsor for the night, had a team out from their base office in Sausilito, CA. As I waited for CEO and co-founder David Haynes to join me on the dance floor for a quick speech, I entertained requests for favorite songs. Jim Sosnicky (the Village Voice) called out "It's Raining Men," and so I did my best to comply. Things went from bad to worse when I was requested to sing an old Nancy Sinatra favorite, "These Boots are Made for Walkin." Fortunately David came to my rescue and the guests were saved from further damage to their eardrums! We kept the tunes to Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett after that, and the evening went on with most everyone staying till the tail end. As we announced at the party, we're beginning our members-only Cocktails with Courtney. Check out our website about our Inner Circle membership options so you can partake of these smaller soirees.