Hello Seattle

As Seattleites planning to celebrate NetIP’s 20th anniversary at an exclusive conference in our dear hometowm, we pondered various ways to build hype/promote our unique metropolitan.  “Hang an obnoxious banner from the Space Needle?”  No.  “What about getting Ichiro Suzuki to replace his Mariners’ hat with a NetIP one?”  Not gonna happen.  So we went back to the drawing board, outlining the benefits of holding said conference in our city.  What we found was astounding, things we’d never thought of, things we realized set the Northwest corner of the country apart from everywhere else.

Many refer to Seattle as being  ‘metronatural’, the perfect blend of city and nature.  We prefer to think of Seattle in the summertime as the perfect mix of temperature and scenery.  While most parts of the country are slogging through the dog days of summer, Seattle is graced with clear skies and temperatures hovering in the pleasant mid-70s.  This pleasant setting extends to the balance of metro and environment, as Seattleites don’t just respect the environment, we embrace it.  Call us green, call us tree-huggers, we love Mother Nature.  This is another element we’ve melded into the conference, as we’ve made sure this conference is not just informative, but sustainable.  The hotel we’ve booked for our conference will employ a number of green practices, but specifically less paper being used for materials (as most collateral will be electronic).

Seattle in August is not just a destination, but an experience – a locale we encourage you arrive early to and leave late.  Bordered on three sides by breathtaking water views (Puget Sound to the West, Lake Washington to the East, Salmon Bay and Lake Union to the North), it’s hard to get bored with the landscape of our town.  Known for being extremely tourist-friendly, Seattle boasts a number of ‘must-sees’ within its city limits, from the infamous Space Needle and Pike Place Market to lesser-known landmarks such as the Experience Music Project and Queen Anne Hill.  If one chooses to venture outside of the city, to the east one can find Leavenworth (a traditional Bavarian village), and to the north, the 2010 Winter Olympics host, Vancouver, BC.

As the first NetIP conference to be held on the west coast in over 10 years, this year’s event, “unique.by.nature”, promises to be the most memorable.  Would you expect any less from a conference held near the home of Starbucks, Nordstorm, Amazon (Seattle), Microsoft and Nintendo (Redmond), and T-Mobile (Bellevue)?  The conference agenda is also set to include the topics of: sustainability (a Seattle favorite), the future of technology, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and much, much more.   This year, our Conference Chairs are also adding a new type of session–the “Interactive Skill Building Workshop”–with the promise that attendees leave the session with a new life skill.

This conference pledges to be Unique by Nature – due to the organization (NetIP), the host city (Seattle), and the mix of people that’ll make this conference NetIP’s best ever.  This is an EXCLUSIVE CONFERENCE, so attendance will be limited to the first 500 which sign up (last year’s conference hosted over 1000 attendees).  Stay tuned for more conference details at  www.netipconference.org, and drop us a line at conferenceinfo@netip.org.

See you August 20th,

NetIP Conference Team
conferenceinfo@netip.org
www.netipconference.org

NetSAP Boston Helps Community Boating,Inc. Prep for 2010 Sailing Season

Written by Teju Patel ~ NetSAP Boston Cultural Chair & Anisha Patel ~ NetSAP Boston Secretary

On Saturday, March 20^th from 10 am to 4pm volunteers  from the Network of South Asian Professionals Boston Chapter were on hand to get Community Boating, Inc.  ready for this year’s sailing season.    The boat house and surrounding structures are very typical of the New England area: a clash of new and old worlds.    Where else but Boston will you find a not-for-profit organization that is considered “.  .  .  the largest, oldest, and best public sailing program in the United States, and serves as a model program for many others.  .  .  “?

Generally speaking, March 20th is cold and snowy, and better suited for a little spring skiing.   This year the weather was unseasonably warm, with temperatures reaching up to 70 degrees by the early afternoon.   With no sailing skills required, the NetSAP volunteers came together to clear the docks and to ready the boats to set sail for the season!  As everyone set about their work it was clear that there was a lot to accomplish! The marina held a few boats, but the majority of the boats were still sitting on the dock in their winter resting places waiting for a little TLC.

The boats were laid in a manner reminiscent of a package of taco shells.   The boats were placed on their sides, fitting together so that the least amount of space was used for the maximum amount of storage.   Each Mercury weighed anywhere from 200-300lbs.   An assembly line quickly came together to place each into the water.   The eager volunteers, pumped up on coffee and munchkins, set out to flip, fix, and push the Mercury’s into the water.

So how does a group of 5 volunteers tip over a boat to make sure it’s right side up? Four people would stand at the back, and then one person would shimmy to the inside of the boat and step on the edge to tip it over.   This was referred to as “riding the rail”! Once the boat was flipped, it was gingerly placed on a wheeled dolly in order to be inspected.   Once all the bolts, life jackets, and the main mast were adequately fixed – the boat was heave-hoed into the chilly Charles River.   Despite the balmy weather, no one even dared accidentally falling into the frigid 40 degree waters! We split up into 4 groups and the work started moving along.  .  .

As the assembly line progressed, volunteers were finally able to see the dock, with most of the boats now bobbing in the water.   A clear indicator of the group’s success! Once this happened, the Community Boating folks wanted to thank all the volunteers for all their hard work by energizing them with a hearty barbecue lunch.   During lunch, the NetSAPpers sat with the organization’s executive director and chatted about the historic boat house.   We all learned that this boat house exists and operates solely on the generosity of energetic volunteers.   People that belong to this organization not only sail, but recruit their friends and family into their passion.   Community Boating, Inc.   caters to sailors of all ages and ability, as well as youngsters from the city’s disadvantaged neighborhoods.

At the end of the day the Network of South Asian Professionals, Boston gang took a picture on the dock with the beautiful skyline in the background.   Physically exhausted by the lifting, pushing, and pulling, the group reveled in their accomplishments and then headed home for a nap.

To learn more about NetSAP Boston please visit http://www.netsapboston.org/ and click HERE to visit their Facebook page.

www.NetIP.org

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA

Chapter Spotlight: NetIP Dallas Dinner Circle

by Palvi Waghela, Cultural Awareness Pillar Chair, Network of Indian Professionals Dallas

What could be better then trying out a new restaurant while catching up with friends and making some new ones before the night is through?  A recent NetIP Dallas dinner circle event provided all of the above and then some!  This month NetIP Dallas decided to explore the exotic tastes of East Africa by sampling delicious Ethiopian cuisine at the Queen of Sheeba restaurant in Addison, Texas on February 23, 2010.   The event had a capacity turnout of NetIP members as well as non-members (many attending a NetIP event for the first time).

The evening began with a networking segment giving everyone a chance to meet and get to know each other before they took their places at the table.  About half an hour into the evening dinner was served and consisted of a range of items that reflected the heart of Ethopian cuisine.

One on the appetizers named  ”Sambusas” were basically samosas, and consisted of spiced lentils in a crispy pastry wrapper.  This was served with Sheba’s Salad made with tomato, onion, and jalapeno lightly spiced and dressed.  Next came a spicy crepe like bread called Injera.  For all you spicy food lovers this was a great pick! Our vegetarian members raved about these two starters.

During the course of appetizers and dinner, an icebreaker game was played as well.  The icebreaker consisted of telling two truths about yourself and one lie, the group then made their guesses as to which fact was the lie.   This was a fun way to get to know interesting facts about each attendee, for instance dinner guests learned who was a triplet and which guy cuts his own hair.  It was a great way for people to make connections and learn the most random things from the attendees unique backgrounds.

The arrival of dinner brought with it an aroma of spices that made your mouth water.  For the vegetarians there were a couple of dishes: Lentils, Cabbage, and Chickpeas gravy, which was served with their delicious bread Injera.  For our meat lovers there were two wonderful dishes: Spicy Beef and Shredded Chicken, which were also served with Injera. A surprise for most members in attendance was that food was eaten by hand using the Injera in a way similar to naan.

The room’s pitch went from loud and boisterous to complete silence.  This only meant one thing, the food was DELICIOUS and everyone was too busy stuffing his or her mouths to talk.  After eating this wonderful meal no one had room for dessert!  The night came to an end after two hours of networking, eating, laughing and just having a wonderful time with old friends and new.

This was a great value to members since they were able to sample the best and most interesting food Ethiopia has to offer for the mere price of $20 which included tax, tip and a non-alcoholic beverage!  Dinner Circle at Queen of Sheeba was a huge success according to our members and non-members.  Queen of Sheeba is strongly recommended if you have not been yet.  Happy Eating!

To attend the next NetIP Dallas dinner circle or for more information about upcoming events please visit www.NetIP-Dallas.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPDallas.

www.NetIP.org

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA

Prime Time with NetIP – A look behind the scenes of our most successful visibility campaign

by Pooja Dhawan, Brand Strategy Chair for NetIP North America

The Network of Indian Professionals North America launched its radio show in 2009 under the leadership of then VP External Affairs, Sundip Arora (2010 President, NetIP NA).  It was marketed as a series of teleconferences and webinars to increase the value of NetIP’s paid membership.  The idea behind the series, originally called “Chit-Chaat, all spices considered”, was to have guest speakers that were experts or prominent figures in the South Asian Community.  Arora’s team member, Brand Strategist, Pooja Dhawan, stepped in to refine the concept and its impact.  The series was re-named Prime Time with NetIP and the name struck a cord.

The first guest was relationship expert Jasbina Ahluwalia of Intersections matchmaking. Callers dialled in to learn effective ways to balance Professional, Social and Personal Demands with questions and answers with Ms. Ahluwalia. The teleconference received a positive response and along with requests for more teleconferences, the idea for a real radio show took root. In Q2 of 2009, HumDesi Radio, a division of World Band media (WBM) contacted NetIP for a possible alliance. Through strategic planning and foresight, NetIP and WBM began Q2 with a partnership (Click here for our press release).

The show debuted with Super Model Saira Mohan (the podcast can be heard here ) and we were off to a running start.  During this regular show, leading business, financial, arts and media professionals discuss issues such as surviving the financial turmoil by leveraging South Asian roots, the political voice of South Asian, the face of the 21st century Indian American professional, struggling for the American dream, immigration, economics. and much more.  As of the publication of this article, the show gets over 6000 listeners on the internet alone.  Every show brings NetIP’s social networks to life with questions, comments, status updates and more. There is a huge marketing component to the show. NetIP has over 21,000 Facebook users and more than 1200 Twitter followers.  We market the show aggressively on all our social platforms.

A wide range of South Asians honor us with their presence on the radio.  Some of our previous guests have been Saira Mohan, economist Ravi Batra, NYT bestselling author Ramit Sethi, Maulik Pancholy, Comedian Vidhur Kapur, eBay’s founder of worldofgood.com Robert Chatwani, GM of eBay’s world of good Seema Shah.  We spoke to Simran Sethi on Feb 17th, lauded as one of the top ten eco heros of the planet, an environmental specialist and Green Movement spokesperson on Oprah.com (Click here for our press release).

This March we have two great Primetime shows for you!  We are talking to Naresh Vissa from CNN Radio on March 17th 7pm EST (click here for related Facebook event) and Fox Business News Reporter Shibani Joshi on March 31st 7pm EST (click here for related Facebook event). Join in the conversation, listen in live at www.HumDesiRadio.com.

Our media partner HumDesi radio is always coming up with innovative ways to increase their listenership with our help. They offer free HD radios in their broadcast cities for your car and much more. Their newest business opportunity is a strategy to launch in more cities. We are excited as this means our show Prime Time will get an even greater visibility. Click below for details

Hum Desi Radio is a division of World Band Media, North America’s first Ethnic Digital Radio Network.

Listen live on HD Radio on
New York – 98.7 FM (HD2)
Washington DC – 103.5 FM (HD2)
Chicago – 101.1 FM (HD2)
Los Angeles – 105.9 FM (HD2)
Or anywhere in the world via the internet, humdesiradio.com
Please join us for a live broadcast, call toll free 1-877-DESI-321 Ext 370 to ask questions during the show.

Email us at primetime@netip.org, Tweet us on www.twitter.com/netipna

www.NetIP.org

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA

NetIP Houston hosts 1st Annual For the Love of Food

by Sejal Bhrambatt, National Liaison, Network of Indian Professionals Houston

NetIP Houston hosted and participated in its first annual For the Love of Food cook-off on Sunday February 21, 2010. After being approached by member Shephali Patel about this event to get the community involved in learning about healthy cooking and raising money for local charities, NetIP Houston eagerly got involved. Whole Foods Market and Madras Pavilion (MP) gladly donated their facilities and chefs to teach two cooking classes. The Whole Foods class focused on western dishes such as an asparagus pesto lasagna whereas Chef Sunil with Madras Pavilion focused on the Indian side of things like chhole, chicken and saag paneer.

The cook-off was open to those who participated in the cooking classes and also those who just wished to get involved and showcase their cooking skills. Madras Pavilion owner Mahesh Shah was such a great host and allowed us to have the cook-off at the restaurant. The weather was gorgeous and Jay also with MP helped us every step of the way. Pranav, NetIP Houston VP, set up his turntables and got the crowd going with the Bollywood tunes. MP also graciously served delicious appetizers and beverages to all of us. Our eight contestants had one hour to whip up a dish using paneer as its main ingredient. The dishes ranged from personal creations to fusion entries. There was friendly banter back and forth but definitely with a competitive edge! Our own president, Farida, was one of the contestants and represented NetIP Houston fabulously.

At then end of the hour, the contestants presented their dishes to the two judges. Mr. Shah with MP and Rebecca with the Houston Food Bank judged all the dishes on taste and presentation and Tyna with NetIP Houston presented prizes to the first, second and third place winners. The prizes were generously donated by local businesses. Upon presentation of the prizes, everyone had an opportunity to sample the tasty dishes.

All the money raised through the cooking classes and the cook-off went to charity. Over $600 was raised and the money was split between the Houston Food Bank and a charity reputably linked the Haiti Earthquake relief efforts. We had a great turn-out and are looking forward to next year’s event!

NetIP Dallas World Record Breaking Community Service Event

by Vishal Bagchi, Community Service Pillar Chair, Network of Indian Professionals Dallas

Who knew that by throwing a pie (or three) at others could help The Dallas Animal Advocates (DAA) raise money and break a World Record?!?   Well the NetIP Dallas Community Service Pillar and their members helped make this possible on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at their first community service event of the decade.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that had been offered to DAA to assist them in raising much needed funds to support their primary programs (fences for tethered dogs in the City of Dallas and heartworm funds for HW+ dogs at Dallas Animal Services).   A minimum of 300 volunteers were needed to handle the actual pie throwing for a Dalton-based Shaw Industries, the world’s largest carpet manufacture. For each 100 volunteers, Dallas Animal Advocates earned $2,500.

For more information about this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Largest Pie Fight achievement or to view pie fight video, visit www.shawfloors.com/anso/piefight.

NetIP Dallas has another record setting Saturday of Service planned for April where they will participate in multiple community service events in one day.  For more information please visit www.NetIP-Dallas.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPDallas.

Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA, www.NetIP.org