Blog Archives
Event Report: February Network-and-Lunch
Gumbo and PR networking at RT's restaurant in Alexandria
Our first network-and-lunch event on Mardi Gras Tuesday was lots of fun. We enjoyed getting together for lunch at RT’s Restaurant in Alexandria with independent communicator buddies Vicki Robb, Heathere Evans-Keenan, David Hyson, Robert Udowitz, Susan Rink, and Lorelei Harloe.
Did I mention the lunch was outstanding? Susan and I both got the shrimp and grits special, Vicki and Robert opted for traditional gumbo, David had his favorite Oysters Nezpique, and Lorelei and Heathere were good and got salads 
The first question was: is there an agenda for this lunch? Do we have a topic? And my answer was: no there is not. Not for this lunch, or any of them. The purpose of these monthly network-and-lunches is just to get together and get to know each better, and find out what everyone is doing. Everyone is there to share information and help each other. If we hire each other, or connect each other to paying projects or speaking engagements, wonderful. But first — the connection.
We need more of that, right? I go to a lot of networking events, and I always end up feeling a little let down because it seems just as the conversation starts getting interesting, it’s time to listen to the speaker. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I think these lunches fill that networking need I was looking for.
Register now and join us in March and throughout 2012
These small group (8-10 people max) networking lunches are going to help us all get to know each other much better, and hopefully we’ll meet some new people, too. So I’m hoping I will see my blog subscribers, Facebook friends, and Twitter followers at our monthly Fletcher Prince networking lunches.
Believe it or not (I sure was surprised) the October one is almost full already! So go ahead and reserve your spot today — it doesn’t cost anything except the price of your lunch — and we’ll see you next time!
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Join Fletcher Prince for lunch and networking on Tuesday, February 21
The gumbo and virgin hurricanes are amazing! You come, we'll bring the beads!
Make plans now to join David and Mary for informal networking and delicious Cajun/Creole cuisine to celebrate Mardi Gras! Tuesday, February 21 at 12 Noon.
Meet us at RT’s Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia at Noon on Tuesday, February 21. The food and service at RT’s are outstanding. It’s one of our very favorite restaurants. If you haven’t been there before, it’s very close to the Birchmere. Street parking.
Please arrive ten minutes early (11:50 a.m.) so we can group and get a table together. The cost of lunch is on your own (range, about $10-$15).
RT’s Restaurant
3804 Mt Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22305
Phone
703-684-6010
Directions from Interstate 95 (The Beltway) and Route 1:
Take Route 1 north for approximately 4 miles till just before you reach Crystal City. Make a left onto South Glebe Road (at the Heischmans Porche/Audi Dealer on the left). Go to the second light and make another left onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.
Directions from Interstate 395 North and the Springfield Interchange:
Take 395 north to the sixth exit and get off at South Glebe Road (the first Glebe Road exit). Including the light you come to at the bottom of the ramp, go to the fourth light and make a right onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.
Directions from Interstate 395 South and the 14th Street Bridge:
Coming over the 14th Street Bridge you will take a left exit following the sign for Crystal City/Alexandria (Route 1 South). Go through Crystal City. After you leave all the tall buildings look for the sign at a light for South Glebe Road. Make a right and proceed to the second light. Turn left onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.
Directions from Interstate 66 East and Rosslyn:
Take Route 66 down to the last exit before entering Washington DC (exit 110 Alexandria). Follow route 110 past Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon. It will turn into Route 1 South going through Crystal City (stay to the left). Go through Crystal City. After you leave all the tall buildings look for the sign at a light for South Glebe Road. Make a right and proceed to the second light. Turn left onto Mount Vernon Avenue. RT’s is about a quarter of a mile on the right. The address is 3804 Mount Vernon Avenue.
Do you have fun at work? Wonder if it makes you more productive?
Today is Mardi Gras, which in some communities and households, is a day devoted to fun and celebration.
But what about the workplace? Is it professional to have fun at work?
I wondered about that today (as I slung on my Mardi Gras beads!) and was curious to see if there was a scientific evidence for a connection between fun at work and increased productivity.
Good news! There is! A University of Florida study found a definite relationship between having fun at work and increased productivity and creativity. Other studies have also found a strong link.
“With people spending more and more of their lives at work, they feel they might as well make it enjoyable, and our study finds surprising payoffs when they do,” says researcher Fluegge Woolf. “Not only did employees report being in better moods and more engaged in their work, they also performed better on the job.”
The study also found that fun-loving employees were more creative.
Other studies have found similar results. You are probably familiar with the University of Melbourne study that found permitting employees to browse the Internet recreationally at work, on occasion, actually increased productivity.
Then there is 2002 Society for Human Resource Management survey on fun in the workplace. According to this survey, more than 75% of HR professionals believe that companies which promote a fun work environment are more effective than those that do not. The respondents claimed that a fun work environment benefited their companies by attracting new employees, increasing employee enthusiasm and fostering teamwork.
At Fletcher Prince, David and I believe that work can be fun. And it appears that our clients think so, as well. On LinkedIn, 28% of my recommendations mention the actual word “fun.”
So I don’t feel too guilty about having a little fun today, with my Mardi Gras beads, and having a New Orleans-style lunch with David for our weekly Tuesday production meeting (we’ll try not to talk about work too much).
How do you have fun at your workplace? What milestones do you celebrate? Do you ever socialize, as a group? Does your culture allow for sharing, joking, laughter, creativity, or play?
Does having fun make you a more engaged employee, or business owner? Does it make you more creative and better able to solve problems? How?
What will you do to have fun today?
Happy Mardi Gras!
Related Articles
- How To Throw Your Own Mardi Gras Party (hellobeautiful.com)
- The King Cake: A Mardi Gras Mainstay (friendseat.com)
