networking fun

Thursday evening after a week of apartment stress, Susan takes me to a COEX convention center exhibition dinner. It's for industry only people, but according to my back story, I used to work in marketing back in Manhattan and am looking to get back into it now that I live in Seoul. We first arrive and head up for cocktail hour where we speak with these fun Brits about putting on your own convention. These guys seemed to be selling themselves more than we were. After I collect a bunch of business cards its time to go in for dinner.

Susan works as a Marketing Manager for COEX and gets to do these kinds of events every few months. How fun! Did I mention she's leaving in February and they're going to be looking to fill her position? She informs me that these events usually have some pretty crappy food. I take a look at the menu and it sounds good! Started with a delicious tuna dish, great mushroom soup, followed by sable fish with a cream sauce, and finished with a yummy pear mousse. I was impressed. Half way through dinner the lights go out. BBOYS enter the stage!!!! They put on a break dancing shoe in the middle of dinner. It must be a sign. I am meant to be a Bboy!!

After dinner there's an awards ceremony. At this point we've had quite a few glasses of wine, and I'm not that interested in who won "Exhibit of the Year." Then they make an announcement that one of the tables will win a prize. We were kind of far from stage, so I'm not really sure why they were doing this, but I knew that our table was going to win. 18!! 18!! 18!! I guess I was louder than I thought because they heard me and table 18 won!!! We went up to stage, probably in front of a few hundred people, and the MC asks if anyone has anything to say. Well you know I do. I gave a nice little speech and then she asked if there was anything I wanted to add. I kid you not, my exact words, "I'd like the thank the little people." Did that really come out of my mouth?? haha good thing most people there didn't speak great English. We go back to our table and open our gifts. It's a glass frame with a $2 (American) bill in it. Apparently it's lucky. The explanation was all in Korean, but I thought it was odd to give American money.

Afterward we head over to Blush which is a lounge in the Intercontinental Hotel the next building over. I had received an invitation for a free glass of champagne and Susan had a couple of free drink tickets from a friend. This place was nice, had a nice cocktail list, but no wine!? A few glasses of champagne (out of glass Loubiton shoes) and we head home. What a lovely little Thursday evening.

Now it's Saturday and I have to pack up my apartment. I'm going to move my crap over to Dave's then Krissy, Susan and I are heading out to Incheon (an hour away where the airport is) to see where Susan used to live. We're going to shop and eat then head home for a martini party. I love weekends in Korea!