Milwaukee is known for nice people and close-knit community, but those who are new to the city often find themselves on the outside looking in. It is an issue Milwaukee social architecture firm NEWaukee wants to address with a new event series called Milwaukee’s Welcome Party.
The series aims to connect newcomers to local businesses, said Jeremy Fojut, co-founder and chief idea officer at NEWaukee.
The first event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 26 at Spaces, a coworking hub located at 1433 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee.
“Because such a large population of people who live in Milwaukee are from Milwaukee, people have their own social groups, so what happens when you’re new to the city is you can become isolated,” Fojut said.
He said a large percentage of attendees at NEWaukee’s other networking-based events are usually those who are new to the city, but Milwaukee’s Welcome Party directly targets that population.
The event is free of charge and will include food and drink samples from local restaurants, area vendors, live music from DJ Shawna and networking.
The September event has already attracted 500 registrants, Fojut said. So far only one date has been announced, but the event will likely be held twice a year or more including in November.
“We are looking for more people who want to help welcome more people to the city– more businesses, more organizations, nonprofits, civic organizations,” Fojut said. “This is meant to be something that is consistent and is an opportunity to connect, especially during a time when people are rather disconnected even though we have so many mobile devices.”
