5 Can’t-Miss YPWeek Events
Top picks from a week of events for young professionals and those young at heart.
YPWeek 2018 awards presentation. Photo from NEWAukee.
YPWeek is back. The annual statewide event is hosted by NEWaukee and focused on providing young professionals with opportunities to grow professionally, connect with their peers and engage with their community.
In Milwaukee more than 35 events are scheduled, some free, some with a fee and a number of which are already sold out. The series kicked off Monday morning with the soldout Boss Lady Breakfast and ends Saturday with six different events scheduled.
The programs range from longstanding events tailored for the week with a special focus (Gallery Night ART Bus) to entirely unique events (The Exchange). Here’s our pick of the top 5 events:
1. The Speaker Crawl – Tuesday, April 23rd
The Speaker Crawl is a choose-your-own-adventure style event, with a number of speakers presenting on a wide variety of topics at scheduled times. An introduction and closing keynote bookend the event, which will be held at Milwaukee Brewing Company‘s new 9th Street Brewery. The event is free, but registration is required.
2. The Big Impact – Wednesday, April 24th
Are you strapped for cash, but still want to make a big impact on a local non-profit? The Big Impact provides one of the best opportunities to do so. Attendees will hear pitches from participants in the Co:Lab project, a program where area college students were paired with business improvement districts to solve problems in city neighborhoods. The winning pitch, as voted on by the audience, will go home with 100 percent of the ticket revenue from the event. Admission is $25. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Sherman Phoenix.
3. SideWAUK Session: Mitchell Street – Thursday, April 25th
Designed as an active, engaging way to encourage exploration of the city, the Mitchell Street SideWAUK Session is centered around an approximately two-mile walk down the south side main street. The walk starts promptly at 8 a.m. and will include a surprise presentation from at least one neighborhood stakeholder. The event is free, but registration is required.
4. The Collage – Thursday, April 25th
The Collage borrows the principles of The Big Impact, and applies them to art. The event will have current students and recent graduates from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) and UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts creating pieces as the event goes along. The twist is that the artists will be paired with peers from different schools, designed to encourage collaboration and creative thinking. Attendees will vote for their favorite piece, with the winners receiving a cash reward. Admission is $10 for the public, $5 for students. All the proceeds go towards the artists.
5. All Boats Rise Happy Hour – Friday, April 26th
The happy hour of happy hours. On Friday, over 20 young professional groups will host happy hour events at East Side bars near E. North Ave. They’ll run independently (although many groups will pair up) from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. before all converging at Landmark Lanes. The event is intended to encourage young professionals to meet others within their existing social networks as well as getting introduced to entirely new people. Make sure to bring non-perishable food for Feeding America. A collection will be held at Vitucci’s. The event is free.
Jeramey Jannene serves on the advisory board of NEWaukee.
