Welcome to the April NetSAP DC Dinner Circle, which completes the first year of this successful program! As of this month's Dinner Circle, the founders/chairs (Neeraj Bhat and Amita Shukla) have handed over its management to the NetSAP DC Board. We invite all interested in leading this event to email elections@netsap.org.
This month's event will be held on Wed. April 25, 2007 starting at 6:30 pm at different restaurants in Washington, DC and Arlington, VA. Before you sign up, please remember to fill out the form at the link below only if you are 100% sure that you will be able to attend.
We will host a post-dinner reception starting at 9:00 pm at Gazuza in Dupont Circle.
We look forward to seeing you at dinner later this month!
Thanks,
The NetSAP DC Board
Dinner Circle Details:
Have you been searching for the opportunity to meet and get to know other South Asian professionals in the Washington DC area? Are you the type that prefers small dinners with friends over raucous nights out at clubs? Well, then come participate in the Dinner Circle. These small group dinners are designed to provide comfortable, intimate settings where young professionals with similar interests can have meaningful conversations and expand their social and professional relationships. The dinners are primarily targeted at those with at least a few years of work experience, but all are welcome to attend.
Here's how it works: Please click on the link below if you'd like to attend and answer a few questions that will help us learn more about you. Once we have a list of all interested participants, we'll divide you up into groups of 6-8 and email each group the specific restaurant at which they should meet. Then, just show up ready to be social and enjoy a meal! There is no fee for the event, though you will have to pay for your share of the dinner.
Our commitment: We'll do our best to maximize the potential of the evening by thoughtfully matching participants with others of similar age, interests, and career stage. We'll also try to pick easily accessible, moderately priced restaurants that make the evening more enjoyable.
Your commitment: First, we ask that you show up to your assigned restaurant on time (that's Eastern Standard Time, not Indian Standard Time!). Second, because these groups are intended to be small, one or two people cancelling at the last minute can really disrupt the dynamic. Thus, we ask that you only sign up for the event if you're 100% sure that you'll be able to attend.
Here's the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=749553490751. The deadline to sign up is Saturday, April 21 at noon. Restaurant assignments will be sent out on Monday, April 23. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail: dinner@netsap.org.
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Dinner Circle Survey Results
Thank you, again, for participating in our year-end survey. Hundreds of you joined the Dinner Circle last year, making it one of the most successful programs. The record 33% response rate to our survey provides us a truly in-depth perspective into how best to plan the program for 2007. Below are some highlights of the numerical results. We will incorporate these and your detailed written feedback into the future design of the program.
- The majority of respondents attended 2 or more events in 2006 with 33% attending 3+ Dinner Circles.
- 95% of respondents plan to attend the event this year (70% definitely and 25% maybe).
- 77% of respondents rate the program as excellent or good.
- Respondents rate 'age' and 'interests' as the most important matching criteria, followed by 'profession/industry' and 'educational background' as being somewhat important. We will maintain gender balance in the groups.
- 47% of respondents have become friends with others in their Dinner Circle groups and 41% said they would hang out with those they met through this program.
- Average attendance rates: 22% of groups had 100% attendance, 59% of groups had 75% attendance and 14% of groups had 50% or lower attendance. We will incorporate your suggestions to reduce dropout rates.
- 64% of respondents would be interested in programming (cultural, literary, recreational) that expands beyond dinner.
- 85% of respondents are 26+, 50% of respondents are 30+ and 50% are under 30.
Have you been searching for the opportunity to meet and get to know other South Asian professionals in the Washington DC area? Are you the type that prefers small dinners with friends over raucous nights out at the clubs? Well, then come participate in our monthly NetSAP Dinner Circle event! These small group dinners are designed to provide comfortable, intimate settings where young professionals with similar interests can have meaningful conversations and expand their social and professional relationships. The dinners are primarily targeted at those with at least a few years of work experience, but all are welcome to attend.