In this digital age where FaceTime and internet interfacing are replacing face-to-face interaction, where sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn have redefined linking, it is refreshing to find spaces where professionals can come together in the flesh. Every third Wednesday of the month at 333 Lounge in Brooklyn, D. Aiken and Associates Worldwide founder Darlene Aiken provides a haven where the career conscious can congregate and connect. Dubbed “Upscale Professional After-Work Business Mixers,” this ongoing series is a collaboration of a Black-owned media firm with a Black-owned venue to cater to a diversified cross section of professional men and women.
“In an era where people are more social media inclined,” said Dr. Shango Blake, an Aiken client known as America’s “Hip-Hop Principal” and the featured speaker at the August mixer, “the mixer brings back that old school approach to going someplace, meeting somebody, shaking their hand, looking them in the eye and making a human connection.”
The socials have been taking place since April of this year, when Aiken conceptualized them as a means of capitalizing on the synergy of her client base and serving the needs she perceived in the professional public. “The upscale professional business mixers were my brainchild because I wanted to expose more professionals to the services that my firm offers via my roster of speakers in addition to my personal and professional development services,” said Aiken. “Additionally, they’ve allowed me to introduce business professionals who would not have otherwise had an opportunity to meet.”
Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. “Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has acknowledged me and the [333 Lounge’s] owner, Erwin Caesar, with citations,” said Aiken. “We’ve had a wide array of top business people attend our mixers, including financial experts, angel investors, CEOs, educators from K-12, professional makeup artists, etc.”
Blake has even more accolades for Aiken. “I think that Darlene Aiken is a visionary in terms of the way she is able to bring people from such a cross section together,” said Blake. “That’s one of the things that I get out of it. I’m in education, but I am meeting people who are in corporate America. I’m meeting somebody from not-for-profit or media folk, so all these relationships have formed based on coming out to an event.”
A recurring staple of Aiken’s mixers is that they are not just run-of-the-mill professional gatherings, but each evening features a guest speaker from her growing client roster, a feature apparently admired by attendees. “It’s rare that you have an event where it’s promoting ‘you can do it,’ it’s promoting ‘this is my story,’ said Dorien Toku, a medical professional from Rhode Island, of the speakers. “I was able to walk away feeling like I got something out of it as opposed to just a night out.” Toku recommends the mixer to any professional or aspiring professional regardless of race, color or creed. “It was just nice to be able to be surrounded by other business professionals and I just had a really good time.”
As an educator, Blake sees other benefits in coming out to in-person mixers. It seems that social media may be arresting development in terms of interpersonal skills and making certain conversational and social abilities a declining art. Blake thinks that attending events such as Aiken’s mixer provides professional advantages.
Blake recalled a discussion he had with some college students he invited to the mixers. “One of the things that I said to them was that your network determines your net worth and that we have to use other things than social media and social networks to network,” said Blake. “I said to them you have a competitive edge now that you have come out and you’re learning how to build relationships and make these connections.”
Aaron Bethea, a New York fashion stylist agreed. “There’s nothing like that one-on-one, personal, face to face kind of interaction,” he said. “Nothing will ever beat that, no matter what platform.”
As each month’s featured speaker tailors the showcase to suit his or her brand, style and personality, the flavor of each Upscale Professional After-Work Business Mixer varies, but the overall experience remains consistent. “Very well organized … what I like about her event is it’s not pretentious,” said Toku. “It’s literally people in the industry, whatever their profession may be. It’s important as business professionals that we’re able to network and to share backgrounds, histories and stories that we’ve been through, experienced—especially for me as a young Black professional.”
At one mixer, as patrons enjoyed drinks and dined on selections from 333 Lounge’s exotic menu such as lamb sliders, jerk or Thai wings and kale salads, New York Liberty legend Kym Hampton serenaded attendees with live music backed by an all-girl band. And while Hampton had a time of it hitting high notes, scatting and making it happen, she sees a much higher purpose for events. “Forget the silly stuff,” said Hampton. “We’re not out to socialize. We’re out to help people see that we can make a difference, and our lives can change for the better.” Indeed, the slogan for DAW is “higher level thinking.”
At Blake’s mixer, after showcasing his uplifting and inspirational rap music videos, he received a stirring accolade from hip-hop pioneer Roxanne Shante before giving some real talk of his own. This month’s mixer will feature a lead-in to Aiken’s 2017 LeadHERship conference and will highlight speakers Lynette Blackwell and Cori Eastmond, financial businesswoman Ramona Cedeno, celebrity fitness trainer Lacole Broadus, entrepreneur Maiko Sakai and Aiken herself. It will also include video presentations from bestselling author Chaka Adams and WBLS and KISSFM radio personality Kesha Monk.
“Darlene has an innate sense to bring people together,” concluded Hampton. “I think she reads people well and she always brings good people to the table. She’s a mover and a shaker and she’s always looking to inspire and uplift wherever she is, and she looks to bring people in on that. I think by continuing these [mixers]… it’s going to be a community that grows and a community that can do some wonderful things.”
The next Upscale Professional After-Work Business Mixer will take place Wednesday Dec 21, 2016 from 6:30 p.m.to 9:30 p.m. at 333 Lounge, 333 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn.