By Hayley Crandall
Practice your pitches and get those business cards ready!
Social X MKE is bringing back its networking event, The Wind Down, on Wednesday, Aug. 4 at Zócalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St.
The Wind Down, which is free to attend, is a chance for young Milwaukee professionals to connect with others in the area and maybe find their place in the city, explained Social X MKE President Marquayla Ellison.
“A lot of people have gotten new positions over the years,” Ellison said. “We have new professionals that have moved here since the pandemic, so I am just excited to provide that space for young professionals to get to know each other and expand their network.”
In addition to the networking opportunities, there will be food and cocktails from local food trucks, according to the event page. There will also be a DJ, which is a new addition to the event, Ellison said, in order to celebrate being back together since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The consulting group works to help a diverse range of young professionals across the city. The Wind Down brings Milwaukee’s black and brown professionals for causal night of music, refreshments, and networking. This is hosted at different venues around the city several times a year.
Social X MKE strives to assist diverse professionals in various fields by focusing on six different pillars, some of which are health and wellness, community service, talent recruitment & retention and personal & professional development.
“We focus on the experience of diverse young professionals and connecting them to different social platforms with business and corporations and help them thrive in Greater Milwaukee,” Ellison said. “We focus on a few different pillars to do that.”
The organization also helps with job recruitment. It has partnered with local companies in order to connect young people with available positions, Ellison explained.
“Our biggest thing that we did, especially since the pandemic, is that we focus on talent and recruitment,” Ellison said. “We work with a lot of corporations here in Milwaukee to share upcoming job positions with young professionals in the city.”
Through this event and others offered, Ellison hopes that young people will be able to find their spot in Milwaukee and keep coming back to explore what the city has to offer.
“Hoping that people find their niche in Milwaukee and also just increasing the sense of belonging here for Black and brown professionals by introducing them to new places in hopes they come back and continue to patronize the space,” said Ellison.
While this is an outdoor event, CDC guidelines will be followed, Ellison said. The Wind Down begins at 5 p.m. Social X MKE asks that people RSVP online, https://socialxmke.com/events/wdaug4.
Social X MKE is also gearing up for their Homecoming Week which takes place August 21 – 28. Through a series of events, Homecoming Week brings together diverse millennials for a week of connecting and professional development. More information can be found at https://socialxmke.com/homecoming
