Cynthia Cheng

Randy Tyrell’s Pink Schmooze 2 was held at Myth on the Danforth last week.  The event was a fundraiser to raise money for breast cancer research, a cause which has affected him greatly.  The party had good food, decent music, as well as grab bags at the very end. Keeping in the theme of breast cancer research, it was suggested that guests wear pink. Pink ribbons were also made available at the registration table.

The event primarily served as a networking party. Guests came from a variety of different industries, ranging from finance to media to technology and more. It is good to have variety – there have been networking parties which were primarily attended by people from the exact same industry, making it more like a convention of the industry.

This year’s event was smaller and much more intimate than the one in 2008 when over 100 people attended. Perhaps the Danforth location was not as ideal for a post-work event. Unless someone works or lives in the Danforth area, going to such an event is an extra effort – it’s not something you stop by on your way home. It’s generally more convenient for something to be in or close to the financial district as it is easier for people to just “pop in” after work, or even in parts of Markham or Mississauga, since there are plenty of office buildings there. Sure, there have been many successful weeknight events held in venues outside of the downtown area, but those are commonly dress up affairs.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the event itself was bad – quite the opposite, actually.  A DJ was there to play music, and it wasn’t loud to the point that guests could not hear each other talk.  The food wasn’t bad, either – appetizers included pizza, pita and hummus, a welcome change from many other events which often just served the latter. The event would likely have been more successful had it been held at a different venue. Of course, there’s always next year.