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Schmooze and Booze
Schmooze and Booze is a monthly informal networking event held in central London, run by and predominantly for people working in journalism and media. Created by Daily Mail sub-editor Helen Lewis in 2006, it is run on a not-for-profit basis and is held at various venues across the city. Growing from an initial base of around twenty people, Schmooze and Booze has gradually grown to a consistently oversubscribed event with a turnout of 200-250 people.
Beginnings
Schmooze and Booze's founding came about to encourage the development of cross-newspaper social networks, which was traditionally much simpler before the move of several newspapers from central locations to Canary Wharf. As founder Helen Lewis remarked in an interview with The Guardian[1]:
I really love that whole Fleet Street culture, that everybody used to meet up in pubs, but with everyone spread over London now it's not really possible.
The seed of more organized development of Schmooze and Booze as a networking event was sowed at an informal gathering of around twenty friends writing for various newspapers and magazines, many of whom were friends from Oxford University, at the Southwark Tavern near London Bridge in the summer of 2006. Several commented how difficult it was to meet people in other media organizations, and how well-connected older journalists appeared to be in comparison. It was suggested that the group make an effort to connect their respective 'work networks'.
In August, the first Schmooze and Booze was held at the Commercial Tavern in Shoreditch with the attendance of 'forty or so young hacks, politicos, meeja types and assorted hangers-on'[2].
Establishment on London Media Scene
Thereafter Schmooze and Booze became a frequent occurence, taking place every two or three months. It started to gain exposure on media websites such as Gorkana and Press Gazette[3][4]. Numbers quickly grew to over a hundred attendees, with demand for more frequent events leading to the establishment of monthly Schmooze and Booze nights by 2007. By the fourth event in January 2007, all 190 available places were booked up in advance.
No money is spent on advertising the events or booking venues - invitations are sent out and returned via Gmail and Facebook, with numbers growing organically through word-of-mouth advertising and the Schmooze and Booze [www.schmoozeandbooze.co.uk website].
The split of attendees is usually approximately 50% journalists, 30% PR, 15% documentary / TV writers and 5% non-media. From the very first event, all attendees wore name-tags to speed up introductions. These were originally handwritten, but with the advent of event sponsorship they have been upgraded to more professional-looking printed name-tags. All events feature a 'survivors photo' of the people remaining to the very end of the evening.
The following is a full list of Schmooze and Booze events:
| Name | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schmooze and Booze | August 2006 | Commercial Tavern, Shoreditch | |
| Schmooze and Booze: Parte the Seconde | October 2006 | Angelic Pub, Islington | |
| Schmooze and Booze 3 | November 2006 | Southwark Rooms, Southwark | |
| Schmooze and Booze 4 | January 2007 | Soho Lounge, Westminster | |
| Schmooze and Booze 5 | March 2007 | The Apostle, Ludgate Hill | |
| News and Booze | April 2007 | The Frontline Club, Paddington | Event for journalists only |
| Schmooze and Booze 7 | June 2007 | Garden Bar, Islington | Later referred to as "Queues and Booze") |
| Schmooze and Booze 8 | July 2007 | One One Five, Holborn | |
| Schmooze and Booze Birthday Bash | August 2007 | The Livery, Cheapside | |
| Schmooze and Booze Goes West | October 2007 | Apartment 195, Chelsea | |
| Schmooze and Booze Strikes Back | November 2007 | The Apostle, Ludgate Hill | |
| Schmooze and Booze Meets Stag and Dove | February 2008 | Amora, Picadilly | |
| Schmooze the 13th | March 2008 | Jamie's Fleet Place, Holborn | |
| Schmooze and Booze in Bishopsgate | April 2008 | The Apostle, Ludgate Hill | Moved from Bishopsgate due to difficulties with prospective venue |
| Schmooze and Booze in Clerkenwell | May 2008 | Clerkenwell House, Clerkenwell | |
| Schmooze and Twos | August 2008 | Occo, Paddington | Second birthday bash |
July 2007's Schmooze and Booze became known as 'Queues and Booze' due to the huge queues for food resulting from the overwhelming popularity of the venue's barbecue.
Future Developments
In a recent interview published on YouTube[5], Lewis admitted that the rapid growth of Schmooze and Booze had taken her surpise, desribing it as a 'beast' that had 'almost spiralled out of control'. However, she revealed that she planned no future changes to the present format and had no intention of changing its not-for-profit nature, refusing to consider charging for entry to the events.