A Night for the Twitterati and Facebook Elite

If I could pick any invention of my lifetime and crown it the best, I would pick social media. Seriously, how boring would your life be without it? And yea, I know, my life sort of revolves around it. So when you throw social media a party, it better be an awesome one, complete with free drinks. With Thrillist having a proven reputation for throwing a kickin' party, it was a no-brainer that they co-sponsored the closing party for Social Media Week last Friday. 

Anyone could RSVP through Thrillist's email invite, but I scored a pair of VIP passes through a promotion sponsored by Meebo, the Internet's newest check-in gadget. The party was held at midtown's newest club, District 36, swanky yet chill with easily accessible bars and a friendly feel. The open bar was sponsored by Macallan's, and though I'm not usually a scotch drinker, whatever they were mixing up with a splash of grenadine and soda tasted amazing. The Korilla BBQ truck was also passing out kimchi tacos which were tasty but definitely spicy and not the neatest thing to eat on the dance floor. Social media made an appearance as well, with everyone being asked to tweet, check-in and blog about the event.

Since I was with friends who weren't cool enough to be sporting green VIP wristbands, I spent the majority of time on the lower level, which was just as well because it was very easy to get drinks and they thankfully didn't overpack the place. However, just because I could, I took a trip upstairs to see what was so cool about being a VIP. Truthfully nothing. It was like a can of sardines in the VIP section and though they had some seating, it was hot and sweaty and there was no place to dance...gasp!

View of the dance floor from the VIP section

A Thrillist party wouldn't be complete with out a "celebrity" appearance, and thought I still don't know who he is (sorry), Chiddy Bang performed and even rapped about Twitter, Foursquare and Facebook, which got the social media geek-filled crowd hyped up. 

Chiddy Bang

Overall, the party was a fun way to close a week full of all that is social media. So tell me, when's the next Thrillist party and can they just keep my name on the list indefinitely?

AWESOME GIVEAWAY: La Societe - You Know You Wanna

Social media is an expanding beast and brands are doing all that they can to use it to their advantage. When brands have to come to the consumer's level, the consumer benefits - hence, La Societe by Stella Artois. 

We've seen communities like Crowdtap reward users for opinions on brands and limited-time engagements like Lexus Dark Ride use celebrity and fashionable offerings to promote their new automotive concepts, but Stella Artois recently launched this invite-only community designed to link the brand with luxury and exclusivity. Users can earn points by filling out their information, inviting users (each person only has 15 invitations to give - takes you back to the first days of Gmail huh?) and promoting La Societe via Facebook and Twitter. Points can be redeemed for entrance into high-profile events like Heidi Klum's Halloween Party, Suite-tickets to an MLB game, or my beloved Star Chef's Rising Stars Gala.

Lucky for you, I'm giving away three invitations to Awesome in New York Readers. Just follow the blog and post a comment by 5 p.m. today saying why you want the invite and I'll select three winners using Random.org. Be sure to include your email in the comment so that I can send the invite to the proper address if you've won. Good luck!


The winners have been chosen and contacted. Thanks and enjoy!