Hundreds Get A Taste of MetroWest
PHOTO/BRANDON BUTLER
Attendees of the first ever Taste of MetroWest event got food to go along with their networking.
Tuesday night's first annual Taste of MetroWest, produced by the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, was not your traditional business chamber event.
Hundreds of people packed the Sheraton Framingham Hotel just off the Massachusetts Turnpike to enjoy food samples from almost 40 restaurants and eateries in the MetroWest region.
While many chamber events provide opportunities for businesspeople to network and mingle, many attending Tuesday's event seemed just as concerned with trying one of the ahi tuna tartare appetizers as they were with handing out business cards.
"I think, after a long winter, people were really hungry for some fun," said MetroWest Chamber of Commerce President Bonnie Biocchi who, in her inaugural year on the job, brought the Taste of MetroWest event to the chamber. More than 800 people attended the event, she said.
Social Networking
Biocchi ran a similar event while at a previous chamber she headed up and said she wanted to bring the "Taste Of" theme to MetroWest in an effort to bringing the community together.
The event replaces the business expo that the MetroWest Chamber has put on in previous years. Other local chambers, including the Corridor Nine Area Chamber of Commerce, which is headquartered in Westborough, and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce each host their own business expos.
"I thought it was time to try something new," she said.
Many attendees seemed to enjoy the food and socializing, although at least some said the event did not cater as well to networking and business development.
Ken Der works as an independent CPA and said the event undoubtedly had a more social feel compared to more traditional chamber events.
"With all the food, networking becomes secondary," he said.
Others did not seem concerned about the new format.
John Polanowicz, president and CEO of Marlborough Hospital, said even with the social mood of the event, he still had time to network.
"I've already been stopped a number of times to talk business," he said. "It's nice to catch people in a little more of a social setting."
Others were happy about the different types of people the event attracted.
Nigel Belgrave, a branch manager for St. Mary's Credit Union in Marlborough, said there were a lot of "new faces" that he doesn't normally see at MetroWest Chamber events. That can be a good thing for business networking, he said.
A total of 38 restaurants, food service and catering organizations from across MetroWest set up vendor booths in the conference rooms of the hotel. Attendees, who paid between $25 and $30 per ticket, then got samples from the various vendors.
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