WILLIAMSBURG — More than 1,250 people came out to The Williamsburg Winery on April 17 for the spring edition of Strictly Business, a new record for the free networking event hosted by WYDaily.com, 92.3FM The Tide Radio, Cannon Country 107.9 and 30 Off Local, in partnership with CultureFix.
The gathering, held twice a year, is described by organizers as part of their commitment to bring together local newsmakers, leaders, business owners and consumers.
“I’m really proud of this event. Every time we have one, it keeps growing in size, maturity and excitement. Once again, we had the largest crowd yet, with over 1,250 in attendance,” said Elisa Campana, Marketing and Events Director for Local Daily Media, the parent company of WYDaily, 92.3FM The Tide Radio, Cannon Country 107.9 and 30 Off Local. “I met people from Norfolk and Hampton and Richmond and all over the area. So it was cool to get to see people coming from far and wide to network and have a good time.”
Sunny skies and moderate temperatures greeted guests for a beautiful spring evening at Wessex Hundred, where attendees also had the opportunity to meet with the staff and on-air talent at 92.3 The Tide and Cannon Country 107.9, as well as the editor and staff of WYDaily.com.
“I really enjoyed being at the winery for this event. It’s under new ownership as of about a year ago. When I was at the winery the week before the event the CEO Michael Weatherly and COO Michael Kokolis were on ladders painting, their team was hanging lights. The whole team was just working on every inch of the space to make sure it was beautiful. Angela Smith was planting new flowers. They were doing everything they could to truly show off the new face of the winery. And I thought that that was incredible, how proud they were of their space and showing that off,” Campana said.
For the winery, the good feelings were mutual.
“We were thrilled to host Strictly Business here at The Williamsburg Winery this year! The turnout surpassed our expectations, and witnessing numerous networks connect and thrive was truly rewarding for us. We’re thankful to everyone who made the event a resounding success.” said Kokolis.
Attendees could sample food and beverages from area businesses — including the specially-brewed Strictly Business Summer Wheat from the Virginia Beer Company — win prizes, grab swag, pop into a photo booth, speed networking and more. The opportunity was a hit for community businesses.
“Strictly Business has been a great opportunity for 1607 Coffee Company to mingle with other like-minded professionals, exchange ideas, and potentially foster valuable business relationships,” said Rebecca Durran, owner of 1607 Coffee Company. “Strictly Business has supported small businesses and nonprofits throughout the community by providing a fun and social networking event that is talked about for months after.”
The event also served as a public debut for Cannon Country 107.9, the newest offering from Local Daily Media, playing everything country from the ’90s to today.
“This was Cannon Country 107.9’s very first appearance into the public eye at Strictly Business. It was cool to be so public with that. We were doing ticket giveaways and having everyone sign our banner that will hang in the studio, and to be able to finally be out in front of the whole region with it in person — talking about it, showing off the logo — I think that was a proud moment for our whole team,” Campana said.
Campana had nothing but praise for all of the volunteers and support staff that made the event a success.
“Our volunteers were absolutely incredible. I was very anxious about parking, but they were on it. They did such an incredible job, whether they were doing the parking, managing the wristbands, any volunteers, I’m incredibly appreciative of them,” Campana said. “Steve Rose and the whole Culture Fix team, and Williamsburg Event Rentals, they’re always incredible.”
“I’m appreciative of the people that were able to capture the moment while I was running around like a crazy person, like Jut Updike with Captured Media with his drone footage,” she added. “I’m super excited about the video, he did a really good job capturing the essence of the event, as well as Taylor Kennedy with Taken by Taylor photography, she got a lot of really great images.”
Even while hard at work during the event, Updike recognizes the value of Strictly Business.
“Although I am running around wild filming the season’s Strictly Business event, I love it! Old faces, new faces, it’s truly the best place to meet and scale your business,” said Justin Updyke, owner of Captured Media.
The fall edition of Strictly Business is slated to take over the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg on Oct. 2.
“We’ll be at the newer Museum. Most people are familiar with the art museum lawn, that’s where most events are. We’re actually going to be in the building two buildings behind that and then we’ll be taking over the street where Steve Rose does the Christmas market so we’ll have a ton of indoor and outdoor space,” Campana said.
“The museum is absolutely beautiful and not something that I think many locals take advantage of,” she added. “They have an incredible cafe with really great food, and I think it’s a great chance not just for Williamsburg locals, but also for the region to see some of the things that make us so special when it comes to our deep-rooted history.”
