Please note: this is an old article
It was published in November 2011, so the information may be out-of-date.
The GV Young professionals are a networking group supported by Greater Shepparton City Council and organised by a committee of volunteers from various business around town.
Developed in 2009, The Young Professionals aims to give young people in the GV region the opportunity to meet in an informal setting and get to know more about others in the region.
"Young is really a state of mind," says committee Chairman Mark DePaola. "We would encourage anyone to come along to one of our events; they are a great networking opportunity, though we do find that most people who come along to our events are in their 20s and 30s."
Local businesses have been keenly supporting the group since its inception, as it gives their new team members a greater connection with the region. In doing so, it encourages those new to the area, to stay longer in the region, which allows for employers and the region overall to benefit from those skills over a longer time frame. Not only well supported by local business, The Young Professionals are also linked with the highly successful business networking group, GV BRaIN a business networking group that meets four times each year with a highly sought after speaker.
The GV Young Professionals also have four major events for the year, which are always well attended, by a mix of people from varying industries. Given the nature of the group, which encourages the Pdevelopment of social and business networks, these are usually a mixture of informative style seminars, such as one recently conducted at MB + M on financial planning and other more social and informal activities, such as trivia nights, progressive dinners and the November event - Barefoot (lawn) bowling.
Throughout the year there are several other casual catch up opportunities - usually the first Friday of each month, either for an informal dinner or a Friday night drink at the Aussie Hotel. This allows members to mix and mingle in a more informal setting. Notice for these is usually sent out via theirFacebook page.
Should you wish to become involved in supporting the group, or simply if you wish to encourage your employees to come along to events, contact Marianne Conti at Greater Shepparton City Council. Marianne will arrange for your email addresses to be added to the send out list, or of course your employees are welcome to just turn up to the next event! You can also contact our committee members - Mark DePaola or Lisa Ryan for more information.
Current Sponsors: The Shepparton News, Greater Shepparton Business Centre, GV BRaIN, and Synergy Advertising.