#ATLChix

First, a slideshow of completely awesome photos from The Very First Ever #ATLChix Tweetup last night! (Which you can also find on CNN, by the way…)

Now, to share a bit more detail about the day’s events with you…

In preparation for the first ever #ATLChix Tweetup taking place at the brand-new luxurious St. Regis Hotel in Buckhead, I decided that a day of pampering was in order. Actually, this was inspired by John Teitter, Owner + Hair Deity, Bang Salon.

John was one of our sponsors for #ATLChix and yesterday morning he called and invited me in for a complimentary conditioning treatment and blow out (guys: this means washing/drying/styling hair).

Not quite sure if this was because he is as completely awesome as I think he is or if it was because he thought my hair needed some serious help but either way I was not about to turn him down!

From there I went home to finish getting ready for the event. Before heading out the door I did a brief introduction to the evening:

I arrived at the St. Regis Hotel; which, if you haven’t been, is amazing. Just beautiful! Calm, serene, and incredibly luxurious. We decided to meet in the lobby by the piano as we, the hostesses -- me + Stephanie Frost + Rachel Rose -- had 75 gift bags with all kinds of fabulous gifts from our sponsors to assemble!

Rachel arrived escorted by one of the many Frenchmen at the St. Regis.

There are advantages to arriving early. The Tweetup was scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm. Lucky for us, we were there at 6:00 pm when Herve Pennequin, the Wine Director, opened a bottle of champagne with a sabre!

Yes, I am being serious.

He actually did this. They do it every night at 6:00 pm.

I have proof.

Um. Yeah. I’m thinking that a trip to Paris is in my future. Or at the very least back to the St. Regis since it is right down the street.

After that little ditty we moved outside to the patio as our Tweetup guests were already starting to arrive! So exciting.

A little while later I caught Taryn Pisaneschi and Shannon Russo getting to know each another.

Next I caught up with Rachel to check in on the progress of the event.

Later I was chatting with Masha who owns Fuego Mundo. This is where Todd Schnick held last week’s Tweetup, and not only was it a huge success and lots of fun…the food was ah-mazing. So, I asked her to share a bit about the restaurant.

I met Chequetta Allen and she shared with me that she is seeking a new job opportunity, so I asked her if she’d like to do a 30-second “pitch.”

She said yes.

If you are interested in speaking with Chequetta about an opportunity you can find her profile on LinkedIn here.

Time to raffle off gifts from our sponsors.

I met Nikki Brown for the first time and asked her how she had learned about the #ATLChix Tweetup.

After chatting with Nikki for a few minutes about her business I was so intrigued that I asked her to share with you.

We wrapped up around 9:15 pm and some people did stay after for dinner at the Paces 88 Restaurant to continue the fun.

All-in-all I have to say that it was a really great event! Stephanie, Rachel and I were so happy with the turnout as well as with the St. Regis Hotel and every member of their staff that we interacted with! They could not have been more gracious or curteous hosts.

Now, for those of us who are on Twitter we already know the power of it and the connections that are being formed including new friendships, job opportunities, business ventures…the opportunities are endless.

For those of you who are not on Twitter -- especially the naysayers -- after last night’s event there is no way you can tell me that Twitter is a waste of time. In fact the next time someone starts saying that to me I am walking away or hanging up on them or at the very least plugging my ears and saying lalalalalalala until the person shuts up. I am so sick of hearing that I could…hang up on someone or walk away or plug my ears and say lalalalalalala until the person shuts up.

Anyway, based on last night’s success we have officially determined that the #ATLChix Tweetup will be a quarterly event, so watch for the next event to be held this Fall.

And, assuming that the St. Regis Hotel will allow us back in the door, you can expect that our future events will be held there!

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our incredibly generous sponsors! Swoozies, Lux et Stellae LLC, City Dog Market, Jolie Spa, Charming Charlie, Sweet Riot, Amy Hoga Photography, Bang Salon, Kristi G Company, On The Go Stuff.com, and Fuego Mundo.

And, if you were at the event and have photos and / or videos to share, don’t forget to tag your Flickr and YouTube videos with code n94aujci for #ATLChix!

Our co-host Rachel Rose did a very colorful write-up of the event on her blog and talked about one of my very favorite subjects, How to Make Real-Life Connections Through Twitter: The 1st Atlanta Chicks Tweetup. She included even more photos; it’s definitely worth the read!

Finally… stay tuned for details on the Fall 2009 #ATLChix Tweetup! Hope to see you there.

Tagged as: #ATLChix, Atlanta, Blogging, Buckhead, Champagne sabre toast, Frenchmen, Fuego Mundo, Get a life, I need a job, I work in HR, It's personal, St. Regis Hotel, Stephanie A. Lloyd, Tweetups, Twitter, Yes I am actually being serious

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