Queenstown Young Professionals committee (from left) member
Wendy Sherlock, treasurer Joel Peasey, president Annabel
Ritchie and secretary Katy Baxter greeted about 150 young
professionals at the networking group's launch at Guilty on
Thursday. Photo by Felicity Wolfe.
The mix of business and pleasure proved a potent
attraction for Queenstown's young professional people last week
with nearly 150 turning up for the launch of a new business
networking group.
The Queenstown Young Professionals (QYP) networking group
started as it means to go on, launching at Guilty Bar and
bringing together many of the resort's young and talented
business people.
The group is catering for the hard-working professionals in
their second to 12th working year and hopes to provide them
with skills, support and contacts which will benefit their
careers.
"We will be targeting skills for . . . the next generation of
Queenstown professionals," QYP president Annabel Ritchie
said.
She encouraged younger people to get involved with
"like-minded" others in town and said while there were other
business networking groups in town, there had been a gap for
younger people who often found working and living in
Queenstown challenging.
That was part of the problem with retaining skilled staff in
the town.
Many people stayed for only a few years before moving on.
Meeting other professionals might be part of the solution in
slowing that trend by helping people get the tools and skills
they needed to progress "to the next level in Queenstown".
The group was open to people from all professions.
With the sponsorship of Anderson Lloyd Lawyers and ASB
helping with costs, QYP plans to hold regular skills seminars
and evenings.
The first is planned for the end of July and will deal with
how young professionals promote and market themselves.
"This will benefit and bring skills to the next generation,"
Ms Ritchie said.
The support of the sponsors means the joining fees have been
kept down to $20 a year - an important consideration because
of the high cost of living in Queenstown, Ms Ritchie said.
On the social side, the group plans to meet in local bars.
"We need that social element to attract people. In
Queenstown, people expect to have a bit of fun."
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