Waiting until the end of November to enjoy some good food and camaraderie seemed like a bit too long – so LAEDA decided to hold a potluck for its alumni as an opportunity to mingle and connect with each other. The night’s program consisted of a mini-presentation on marketing, a fun round of networking bingo, and closing remarks about the value of belonging to LAEDA’s alumni network. Gaining knowledge, sharing experiences, and making connections are valuable components in an entrepreneurial journey, which is exactly what happened November 8 at LAEDA’s alumni open house.
“We will continue having such events for our alumni because these events let us reconnect with our students – some that may have graduated 20+ years ago -- and empowers us to work together like a community,” Raymond Lamboy, President & CEO, stated as he made the opening remarks of the event.
LAEDA brought in a guest presenter, Lisa Coleman, who gave a beneficial seminar on local & strategic marketing. In her mini-lecture, Ms. Coleman illustrated how an entrepreneur can use email to build an engaging interaction, as well as how to leverage social media analytics to determine what customers need and or want. “Use social media platforms to build awareness that will lead customers to your website and then to you and your business.”
Afterwards, the alumni engaged in a game of networking bingo, learning more about one another’s businesses and personal backgrounds. A wide range of graduates from the organization’s Entrepreneurial Development Training Program came out to meet alumni from other sessions, dating back as far as Sessions 47 (Winter 2006) and 55 (fall 2006), to as fresh as those that had just graduated this past October.
Just like the last day of class, these former students brought in a wide spread of delectable main courses and scrumptious desserts; nobody left with an empty stomach, and everyone got to make a small to-go box for the surplus of food that was brought. Some alumni were unfamiliar with the new upstairs offices, so their visit was a pleasant surprise into the views offered of City Hall.
What’s even more exciting is the downstairs renovations of the training lab itself that will take place in coming weeks of and where the third session of the Women’s Business Academy will convene in January.
“We consider our alumni as family and will continue to have such events so everyone can connect and help each other build and prosper in their respective industries,” Jamila Powell shared, “this is our new push -- the LAEDA Alumni Connections Initiative.”
The next Alumni Connections Initiative will take place on January 10 – save the date!