Chamber Brings Web-Cast Style Networking to World’s 11th Largest City
September 1, 2006 (New York, NY) – The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, which represents over 100,000 businesses recently partnered with Sarasota, FL based Fast Pitch, to provide it’s members with a new way to network from their office using a computer and telephone. The Fast Pitch ONLINE event format, which is designed to help business professionals promote their company from their own office, uses web-casting technology to allow people to actively ‘pitch’ their business to more people in less time. The ONLINE concept officially launched in January 2006, and has quickly emerged as one of the most innovative networking concepts to hit the market in years.
During the event, each person spends three minutes making their pitch while the other attendees listen and view online Fast Pitch Profiles. The Profiles, which are similar to a single page company resume, allow others to view important information about each company including what they offer and their competitive advantage in the marketplace. Each event is controlled by a Fast Pitch facilitator who displays each profile and keeps track of time. On average, fifteen people attend the one-hour events.
“It goes without saying, we’re extremely excited to be working with the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce,” said Bill Jula, CEO and Founder of Fast Pitch. “Manhattan based businesses are a perfect fit for our ONLINE events. Large cities can prove to be a challenging environment for small business professionals looking for exposure. Our web-cast style event offers them an innovative way to connect with more prospects in less time.”
The first event is already scheduled for September 27, 2006 from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST. The event is limited to Manhattan Chamber of Commerce members and serves as the online extension to the successful ‘Toot Your Own Horn” event organized each month. The event allows thirty members to make a two-minute presentation about their business.
“We look forward to working with Fast Pitch”, said Laura Bucko, Director of Communications for The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. “We host a monthly networking event called ‘Toot Your Own Horn’ in which the first 30 people who sign up can make a 2 minute presentation about their business. With Fast Pitch we can now offer ‘Toot Your Own Horn From Your Desk!’ It’s a natural compliment to the events we offer and will allow our members to fit time to network into their busy schedules.”
Nearly 2,000 professionals in cities across the country have made their ‘pitch’ using Fast Pitch ONLINE since January 2006. 90% of the attendees have stated the event met their expectations and that they were likely to follow-up with a number of people on each call. The Manhattan Chamber is the first business organization in the state of New York to offer the event to it’s members.
About The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce: The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce represents the voice of over 100,000 companies in Manhattan and partners with over 300 diverse business organizations. The chamber supports the business community through advocating for positive business legislation, hosting 3-4 monthly networking events and seminars, marketing and international outreach. Our mission is to create a positive business environment to foster job development and promote business growth…WE MEAN BUSINESS!
About Fast Pitch: Fast Pitch! is an online network that gives business professionals a destination to market and promote their business effectively (i.e. make their “pitch”). Our approach 'cuts to the chase' by allowing people to quickly identify qualified leads, pass referrals and generate business. Through a variety of services and networking events, we've facilitated nearly 1 million introductions for business professionals across the United States since 2004. www.fastpitchnetworking.com
