photo galleries

Photography by Nick Scott @ nickscottphotography.com
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Twenty Six: No Contacts? No Problem! It's been a while, but Schmooze and Booze felt it was time to return to Soho for an event jointly josted by Catherine Quinn, author of freelance guide No Contacts? No Problem! Catherine boosted the booze quota with a round of free drinks for early birds, and more than 100 freelancers and other media types then schmoozed the night away in the private salon of Kettners. The wooden spoon goes to S&B founder Helen, who had to duck out early after staying up past her bedtime on her hen do at the weekend.








Twenty Five: The Second Decade It might have been a chilly night outside, but there was a distinctly holiday flavour to the first Schmooze and Booze of the Teens at OQO bar in Islington. Was it the cocktails served in pineapples, the smell of frankincense in the air, or simply the promise of free drinks? Possibly all of the above. There was also the chance to win two trips to Antwerp, courtesy of Turn Left. (Incidentally, Nick Buteau from Turn Left was horrified to find out that several guests thought Antwerp was in the Netherlands. Our two lucky winners, who each receive free flights with VLM and accommodation in the Antwerp Hilton, will now be able to correct them.)










Twenty Four: Days of Decadence S&B doesn't normally venture out east (most of us don't have interesting enough haircuts), but we're glad we made the exception for the November event at the Last Days of Decadence in Shoreditch. This speakeasy-style bar did us proud, with a great atmosphere and zingy cocktails. Despite the chilly temperatures outside, the party really went with a bang, and plenty of new contacts were made. Sadly, our resident photographer Nick was double-booked for the evening, so the photographic record is a touch patchy.






Twenty Three: S&B at Last If Schmooze & Booze were human, it would now - after celebrating its third birthday - be a toddler. There would be tantrums, demands for more treats, and arguments about its bedtime. Of course none of these happened at our anniversary bash at The Volt bar near Victoria Station on September 28, 2009. Instead, it was a thoroughly civilised affair (perhaps helped by the £5 cost of a pint of draught, which caused many mutterings at the bar). The only minor hiccup, in fact, was the fact that many Schmoozers missed the bar entirely, as it had been mysteriously renamed between the S&B being organised and the date of the party. Oh well, we like a challenge...








Twenty Two: S&B at Last The great British summer, eh? We turned up at The Last, chosen for its coolly modernist outside area, to discover it was lashing with rain. Still, that didn't stop some quality Schmoozing going on - and as the rain cleared up, we even got some use out of the courtyard. And, as our final picture shows, the damp weather didn't make our survivors' photo any less fierce than usual. Tyra Banks has a lot to answer for.






Twenty One: S&B in the Hat Hardy souls, that's what we Schmoozers are. Having been given an outside terrace by the Hat and Feathers pub in Clerkenwell, we were damned well determined to use it, even if the temperature dropped to Arctic levels by 9pm. Goose-pimples aside, the venue went down a treat with the 100 or so guests. The only fly in the ointment is that a technical glitch resulted in some of the photos taking on a distinctly purple tinge - do not adjust your monitor.












Twenty: G20 Special There was a bit of a camera malfunction at S&B20, so instead we have some G20 protest coverage for you from our resident photographer Nick Scott. You can see more of his work at www.nickscottphotography.com.










Nineteen: 17th February 2009 Given the parlous state of the economy, and the pessimism surrounding the future of 'old media', it seemed appropriate to call this event Schmooze and Blues. It was held at Akbar, a basement bar in Dean Street in Soho. The event was our second collaboration with Media Bistro.














Eighteen: 1st December 2008 Brrrrrrr! My, it was chilly at our pre-Christmas schmooze. However, anyone who braved the arctic conditions outside was well rewarded when they entered the lavish Kingpin Suite at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. There was table football, pool, bowling (of course) and even the enduring horror that is karaoke. The last item on the list may give you a clue as to why the survivors' photo features quite so many 'jazz hands'. We hope you appreciate the arty monochrome, which we thought was in-keeping with the retro vibe of the evening. All our photos are courtesy of Schmooze's resident photographer, Nick Scott of www.nickscottphotography.com.












Seventeen: 13th October 2008 Schmooze and Booze normally steers clear of the West End, reckoning it to be a bit too touristy (and expensive) for the likes of us. However, Stanza on Shaftesbury Avenue proved us wrong, delivering a great atmosphere - and half-price cocktails - in the centre of town. A big thank you to Luxmi Ghosh, who invited along Media Bistro to join us (confusing some of our attendees who were worried about the two events clashing, only to realise they were being held at the same place). The networking was particularly ferocious on the smoking terrace, and for the first time ever, S&B even had its very own afterparty - in next door private members' club Teatro - lending an unusually refined air to the survivors' photo.












Sixteen: 11th August 2008 Schmooze and Booze is officially a toddler! We celebrated on August 11, 2008 with a bellydancer, lashings of Moroccan food and an 'ecstatic hour-and-a-half' of two-for-one cocktails from a specially designed list at Occo restaurant in Marylebone. In fact, it was so much fun that the idea of a survivors' photo totally slipped our minds.












Fifteen: 19th May 2008 Schmooze & Booze strayed a little bit further North than usual for our 15th event, which was held at Clerkenwell House on Hatton Wall. The venue was undeniably fancy, having just emerged from a refurbishment, and the cocktail list was exemplary. Our special guest this time was Mario from www.someoneoncetoldme.com












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