An Evening of Drinks and Camaraderie — The ECCP Social Networking Event
By Carlo Miguel Lao
ABV Cocktail and Absinthe Bar, one of Makati’s top-rated speak-easy bars located on Jupiter Street, hosted the latest European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) social networking event last September 26, 2017. It was a good choice to hold the event at ABV, largely due to its 1920’s vibe and a good selection of classical music playing in the background.
As soon as you enter Lazy Bastard — the restaurant connected to ABV — you immediately turn right to an old-fashioned hotel elevator that brings you to the entrance of ABV, where you are welcomed with a cabinet full of premium single-malts and scotch bottles. The ambiance of ABV exuded class and greatly set the tone of a Tuesday evening. It almost felt like Friday night, thanks to its relaxed and festive atmosphere.
The event itself was great. The crowd was diverse, the food and drinks were readily prepared and promptly served by the ever-so-attentive bartenders and waiters, and the ECCP hosts were always on their feet, smiling as they answered queries by guests.
Vanee Gosiengfiao, General Manager of Diageo, was present to give a sampler of one of their premium casks of single malt whisky. I was fortunate to be one of the people who tried the sampler — it was definitely one to remember. As soon as you take a sip, the smoky flavor of the single malt envelops your taste buds. Once you feel it course down your throat, you then appreciate the smoothness of the drink. I’m definitely adding that cask to my bucket list of single malts to buy.
Overall, it was definitely great to be able to participate in one of ECCP’s networking events again. This was the third time I attended a networking night hosted or co-sponsored by the ECCP. Up until now, I catch myself getting caught off-guard by the number of new people I meet. Naturally, I thought I’d end up meeting the same people. Boy, was I wrong!
I was also lucky to see previous friends I stayed in touch with ever since the last ECCP social networking night held in Belle and Dragon a few months back. I was glad to see and catch up with Vsilis Tsiris of Seanovate Marine, Inc., Theresa Toyn of Lane Archive Technologies, Wim Vink of ProV International, and Vanee Gosiengfiao of Diageo. I was also surprised to bump into old high school friends — Herbert Kawson who now works with KMC Savillis, and Victor Sison who is currently affiliated with Amalgamated Investment Bancorporation.
The beauty of these kind of events is that, not only are you given the opportunity to put yourself out there in front of different leaders and personalities in various industries, but you are also able to meet new people and establish a kind of camaraderie that one does not usually have the opportunity to do in a business setting. Moreover, you are challenged to find a creative way to introduce yourself and make sure that you will be remembered, even after the event has ended.
John Clements Consultants is unique in that the company regularly gives its employees the opportunity to be exposed to events, and provides an avenue to learn from experience on how to communicate, socialize, build relationships, and leave an impact on the people they meet.
To the ECCP team, thank you for having me, and I look forward to attending future social networking nights you have in store for us. Cheers!
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About the author:
At 24 years old, Carlo is currently a business development consultant for John Clements’ Executive Search and Selection Division. He is concurrently the site manager of their Bed and Breakfast in Tagaytay City, Villa Marinelli Hometelle. Furthermore, he is also part of the committee that handles the Mariano C. Lao Scholarship Program in Silliman University. Carlo graduated from the De La Salle University — Manila with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
