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

Chapter Spotlight: NetIP Austin Haiti Relief Fundraiser

By Sumina Bhatti, Sponsorship / Fund-raising Director; NetIP Austin

Though it’s less than a year old, the Network of Indian Professionals Austin Chapter is making a splash.  The Chapter’s board of 13 committed leaders is quickly taking the group to a higher level of success in 2010.  With President Sonia Kotecha at the helm for a second year and a board retention rate of 100%, the NetIP Austin crew is dedicated to helping each other and our community.

On Friday January 22^nd, NetIP Austin partnered with Submerged Martini Lounge for a Fundraiser benefiting Haiti.  One dollar of every drink purchased that night was donated to Doctors Without Borders.  The event was a great success for both Submerged and NetIP with a 70% increase in attendance from events a year ago and we saw many new faces. NetIP Austin used the power of social networking through mediums like Facebook, and this brought out many first-time folks with several committing to becoming paid members.

NetIP Austin’s Marketing Director, Sambhav Puri (aka DJ Daze) spun tunes throughout the night and entertained the crowd.  Attendees had the chance to make new connections with those who were in the job market and were able to talk to fellow professionals about available opportunities.  Overall, the event was a successful night and raised money for a worthy cause.

NetIP Austin holds regular events, including a monthly Dinner Circle for that allows professionals to network in a relaxed environment; monthly happy hours; and Quarterly Politics and Pizza events to discuss current political issues.  Our new leadership team has formed a regular community service initiative that is going strong with one event per month. Past events have included everything from Tree Planting, Book Sorting, and Canned Food sorting at the local food bank.

The NetIP Austin chapter is committed to creating a culture that encourages service opportunities and engagement within our community.  The chapter plans to include many more events that give back to the community and that provide valuable social, professionals, and cultural activities.

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

Chapter Spotlight: NetIP LA-OC 2010 Kick-off Event

On Saturday, January 23rd, the Network Of Indian Professionals Los Angles – Orange County Chapter held a record breaking kick-off event for 2010! Though it rained constantly all week leading up to the event, the only thing flooded that Saturday night where the brand new members signing up and mingling happily on floor of O-bar in downtown Los Angeles.

(L-R) A new NetIP LA/OC Member, 2009 NetIP LA/OC President Vamshi Gumalapuram & NetIP LA/OC Technology Chair Aliz Raksi

The first 50 new members who signed up on the spot received 2 free drinks, a good way to give a “shot” of happiness to kick-start the new year. Even after all the free drink tickets were passed out, another 55 new members joined, giving NetIP LA-OC a record breaking 105 new members in just one night! To top it off, some members even won comedy tickets to Comedy Night at Comedy Zen and 10 free downloads of Bollywood tunes!

In total over 250 South Asian Professionals were enjoying themselves within two and a half hours of the doors opening! According to NetIP La-OC’s Communications Chair Kalina Angell “This is only the beginning of a bigger and better year to come in Los Angeles and Orange County, stay tuned!”

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

NetIP LA/OC 2010 Kick-off Event at O-Bar in Downtown LA

Chapter Spotlight: NetIP Dallas’ January Third Thursdays ~ Supporting The Grameen Foundation’s Haiti Fund

President Riya Bhattacharjee, Professional Development Pillar Chair Hosi Kamiya, and VP of Events Jasmin Rohmam signing up a New Member

On January 21st, the Network of Indian Professionals Dallas Chapter kicked off the decade by hosting a very successful Third Thursdays networking event at Bengal Coast Restaurant in Uptown, Dallas. The event was a huge success and drew over 75 attendees, many attending a NetIP event for the first time. NetIP Dallas was able to sign up 20 new members on the spot by featuring a one day onsite membership promotion. Special guest attendee Ajay Patel ,Co-Vice-President and National Liaison of NetIP Atlanta, was quoted on saying how impressed he was with the venue, event execution, and pricing strategy, which he was looking forward to sharing with the NetIP Atlanta Board.

Due to the recent events in Haiti, NetIP Dallas donated all proceeds from this Third Thursdays event to the Grameen Foundation’s Haiti Fund. In line with National’s commitment towards the Grameen Foundation, NetIP Dallas felt that it was critical to donate proceeds towards an effort that not only helps with immediate disaster relief, but will also provide long term relief for the people of Haiti. Grameen’s principle of providing micro-finance loans that will create jobs and help rebuild the city of Port-au-Prince is what attracted NetIP Dallas to this organization.

Unique fundraising efforts of the night included a raffle with 2 pairs of Dallas Mavericks tickets (the best team in the NBA after all), Pearl Earrings donated by Dallas Diamonds ($300 value), and an Aveda spa package. Profits from the raffle ended up raising over $500! Bengal Coast was kind to donate delicious appetizers, which included chicken sticks, vegetable pakoras, and Goan chicken lettuce boats. Dallas’ very own DJ Masai stirred up the night by generously providing his services, getting the crowd to celebrate the new year with a BANG! All attendees went home with a NetIP Dallas t-shirt sponsored by the 2010 Census, perfect for the next NetIP Dallas community service event! This was a great kick off event for the decade and just a hint at what is yet to come!

NetIP Dallas President, Riya Bhattacharjee, was very pleased with their kickoff event and the fact that they have already tripled membership numbers from this time last year. “New year.. new board.. new start .. all you large chapters, watch out for this new addition to your competition!”

Attendees NetIP Atlanta National Liaison & Co-VP Ajay Patel and VP of External Affairs for NetIP North America Latha Nehru

Some NetIP Dallas Upcoming Events Include:
2/13 Tax & Financial Planning Workshop at Bengal Coast
2/18 February Third Thursdays ~ Supporting CHETNA at Red Room
2/20 CHETNA Gala at Fun Asia
2/23 Dinner Circle at Queen of Sheeba
2/25 Investment 101 Workshop
3/06 Job Hunting 101
3/07 Holi at the DFW Hindu Temple
3/13 Carnaval-International Dance Experience at the Hyatt Regency DFW

NetIP Dallas was formed in 1994 and received the 2009 Boscar for Most Improved Chapter. NetIP Dallas began hosting Third Thursday’s in August 2008 after their then Community Service Chair Latha Nehru attended a NetSAP DC Third Thursdays earlier that year and was very impressed with the concept. Third Thursdays continue to be NetIP Dallas’ highest attended event month after month. For more information about NetIP Dallas and any of their upcomming events please visit www.NetIP-Dallas.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPDallas.

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