Cocktails with Courtney

Directions Website

Cocktails with Courtney Popular networking events from 1998 in New York to 2013 in Paris, to today in the Southwest, and everywhere in between.

09/29/2026

On this day...in 1999: "Cocktails with Courtney" turned one! I was back in New York after our LA gathering, and Real Media sponsored a fall night of drinks, hors d'oeuvres and witty conversation.

Flooz was the raffle prize (not a description of the guests!), and EarthCam brought a kiosk where everyone could take a photo and send it to friends. Very 1999, and such fun.

A few of the people who came out that night:
Monte Bartlett - Surge Interactive
Diane Butler - iXL
Catherine Wi******er - Soliloquy
Michael McNally - Vantage Technologies
Peter Rowan - T3Media
Dana Blankenhorn - A-CLUE.COM
Robert Pina - Register.com
Aliza Sherman - Cybergrrl
Lauren Wechsler - Blue Marble
Lee Kaplan - cbs.com
Syl Tang - HipGuide
Henrik Brun - SonicNet
Hunter Bost - Electra Fleming Inc.
Michael Stofer - Qwest

The first "Cocktails with Courtney" was in September 1998. One year later, the circle was growing, with Austin, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Boston on my calendar next.

Thank you to everyone who made that first year possible!

Read all about it here: https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/1999/09/real-floozy-cocktails.html
And browse the photo archive here (scroll down): https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries

#1999

On this day...in 2000: I hopped into a New York pedicab on a fresh fall day, headed to Cocktails with Courtney at the Ge...
09/28/2026

On this day...in 2000: I hopped into a New York pedicab on a fresh fall day, headed to Cocktails with Courtney at the Gemini Lounge. Advaya sponsored the evening, celebrating the opening of the Aexis Room upstairs. More than 200 people joined us, with Bombay Sapphire martinis, Advaya's bright orange pens, a DVD raffle and a pineapple carried in by my friend James O'Connor. That's the sort of detail you remember 26 years later.

The room held old friends and new faces, including:
David Friedensohn - Advaya
Joli Halper - Advaya
Adeo Ressi - Xceed
Jim Marver - Vantage Point Venture Partners
William J. Marshall - Vantage Point Venture Partners
Greg Belmont - Grand Central Holdings
Melissa Blau - Constellation Ventures
James Taranto
Steve Introcaso - Sun Microsystems
Hani Elnaggar - Expression Engines
John Follis - Expression Engines
Alyssa Gelbard - Quidnunc
James O'Connor - Mercury Interactive
Erik Kvam - Cooper, Brown & Behrle
Izumi Aizu

One guest had just arrived at JFK from Tokyo and came straight over for a nightcap. That's what I loved about these nights: the room was worth finding, even after a long flight.

Read all about it here: https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/2000/09/cocktails-with-courtney-advaya.html

And see the New York photos here: https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries/cwc-200009-new-york-ny

09/28/2026

On this day...in 1999: Cocktails with Courtney made its Los Angeles debut at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. I was in town for Digital Hollywood, and VIC (Venice Interactive Community) and InternetWire sponsored a reception with martinis, hors d'oeuvres, branded napkins and, of course, sparkly confetti.

I had emailed with Marie Condron for weeks, and at last we met in person. Brad Nye introduced me to friends from the LA scene. Midway through, Brad, Michael Terpin and I climbed onto the rim of the fountain to thank everyone. I was tempted to jump in, but managed to behave. The evening carried on to dinner at Trader Vic's with a smaller group.

So many people made that first LA gathering a warm welcome:
Tony Winders - InterActive Agency
Donald Alschuler - ExperTeam
Brad Nye - VIC
Paul Wolff - Brand ATM
Sofia Agras - PeopleLink
Marie Condron - SoCal Tech calendar
Bruce Braunstein - writer
Stephen Graham
Deborah Bothun - PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Bruce Braun - Sabela Media
Brian Litman - PlayMedia Systems
Frederic Bien - Flirt.com
James Roberts - Atlantic Advisory Group
Clive Pinder - Viant
Jeremy Barnett - Viant
Lance Trebesch - Viant
Seth Palmer - Viant
Bridget Baiss
Gary Arlen - Arlen Communities
Michael Terpin - InternetWire
Bill Rini - eToys
Nina Steiner - NATPE
Rich Geist - The Zone
Mads Lillelund - Lucent Technologies
Carolyn Nisbet - PeopleSupport.com
Tony Greenberg - DEN
Michael Lindsey - LA Times
Joe Jurrell - Fullmettle
David Conlin - Cambridge Technology Partners

Read all about it here: https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/1999/09/cocktails-and-movie-star.html

And browse the Cocktails with Courtney photo galleries here (scroll down): https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries

On this day...in 2000:The NYSIA Software Summit ended across the street at MetroTech Commons in Brooklyn, where the Worl...
09/26/2026

On this day...in 2000:

The NYSIA Software Summit ended across the street at MetroTech Commons in Brooklyn, where the World Wide Web Artists Consortium celebrated its sixth anniversary.

The tent glowed against a chilly, rainy night as WWWAC's founders, early members and longtime supporters gathered for a reunion. President Bob Ponce served as master of ceremonies, presenting plaques to people who had helped start and sustain the organization. The weather was crisp and wet, but the feeling under that tent was warm.

Among those honored or mentioned in the original Cyber Scene account:
Bob Ponce - WWWAC
Kyle Shannon - Agency
Larry Aronson - Webspace author
Ruth Shanen - WWWAC list-mom
Jen Runne - WWWAC list moderator
Michael Pinto - Vanguard Media
Jesse Erlbaum - Vanguard Media
Marc Bell - Globix
Howard Greenstein - Sorceron
Tery Spataro - MindArray
Otho Ross - attorney
Druce Vertes - StreetEYE
Jennifer Wolff - Richard A. Eisner
Bruce Strzelczyk - Richard A. Eisner
Murray Alter - PricewaterhouseCoopers
Mark Green - New York City Public Advocate
Nancy Youman - Deputy Public Advocate for Special Projects
Monte Bartlett - Method
Eva Ostrum - CollegeBroadband
Diana Jarvis - attorney
Glen Hauman - BiblioBytes

The Perfect Event supplied the hors d'oeuvres and drinks. People left reflecting on the previous six years and wondering what the next six might bring.

Read all about it here:
https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/2000/09/

And see all 24 pictures here (scroll down):
https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries/cwc-200009-wwwac-6th

#2000

09/26/2026

On this day...in 1999:

Cocktails with Courtney combined cocktails and a movie at the Director's Guild Theater on 57th Street.

Warner Bros. Entertainment. invited our crowd to a special preview screening of "Three Kings," and the event sold out.

Don Buckley, Warner Bros.' SVP of theatrical marketing and new media, introduced the film.

Afterward, people were talking about the story, the performances and David O. Russell's cinematography over hors d'oeuvres from Cakes & Ale and w**e from Gundlach Bundschu.

Among the guests mentioned in the original Cyber Scene story:
Alice O'Rourke - NYNMA
Diane Butler - iXL
Angela Victor - NBC Interactive
Debra Sito - E-QualityKids Corp.
Kara Holmstrom - Edventure Holdings
Lynda Fox-Frazer - Columbia House
Don Buckley - Warner Bros.
Simon Applebaum - Cablevision Magazine
Ella Newman - The Bank of New York
Robert Jutson - Griffin Capital
Francis Chimenti - Merrill Lynch
Christopher Faruol - Merrill Lynch
Todd Cohen - EZCD
Nick Boris - ABC News
Lydia Sugarman - The Good Egg
Laura Taylor - Matrix Group
Serena Doshi - Liv4Now
Sean Malatesta - Yack!

A smaller group continued to the newly opened Campbell Apartment afterward, taking in its spectacular ceiling and library details.

Read all about it here:

https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/1999/09/cocktails-and-movie.html

https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries

#1999

On this day...in 2000:Cocktails with Courtney went to Portland.I was there for the NXNW conference, from the same people...
09/24/2026

On this day...in 2000:

Cocktails with Courtney went to Portland.

I was there for the NXNW conference, from the same people behind SXSW, and I kept hearing about Portland's growing tech community. So CWC joined forces with Pint of Portland for an evening at Bar 71.

Pint.org was a network of more than 1,800 interactive professionals. Its networking premise was simple and brilliant: buy someone you do not know a drink. Everyone got a sticker at the door, and suddenly strangers had a reason to talk.

It was a beautiful sunny day outside. Inside the sleek Bar 71, I was greeted with the house specialty, a Mocha Martini, and met a terrific cross-section of Portland's interactive, media and music worlds.

Among the people in the story:
Augi Garred - Pint of Portland and Rapidigm Interactive
John Craft - Pint of Portland and Rapidigm Interactive
Ruby Bauske - NW Natural
Janice Calvert - Oregon Live
Michelle Helm-Carpinelli - Oregon Live
Rick Compton - Oregon Live
Greg Hanson - Global Qualitative Group
Cynthia Furhman - eyescream interactive
Kim Kalapus - eyescream interactive
Shelly Sweeney - eyescream interactive
Samir Shah - NXNW
Hugh Forrest - NXNW
Mike Bullington - producer and videographer
Eric Feldman - Thomas Regional Directory
Kate Johnson - Thomas Regional Directory
Angie Feldman - Thomas Regional Directory
Vernon Vinciquerra - Visual-Producers.com
Todd Denkin - HelloNetwork
John Siska - HelloNetwork
Miss Keli - Metal Edge Online
Bernard Stea - FIOS

By the time the black lights came on to signal the end of the event, I knew my next Portland trip would have to be longer.

Read all about it here:
https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/2000/09/

And see all 17 pictures here (scroll down):
https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries/cwc-200009-portland-or

#2000

On this day...in 1998:Cocktails with Courtney took over Hudson Street Bar and Restaurant in New York, with PR 21, Pulitz...
09/24/2026

On this day...in 1998:

Cocktails with Courtney took over Hudson Street Bar and Restaurant in New York, with PR 21, Pulitzer Promotions, and my friend Tery Spataro helping bring the city's new-media crowd together.

This was still the beginning of CWC. The pictures show that wonderful late-1990s mix of producers, editors, designers, investors, lawyers, business-development people and web pioneers. I was busy being the hostess, which explains why I seem to be in so many of the photos!

Among the people captured that night:
Ravi Chandran - ABC.com
Tery Spataro - new-media business trainer, branding consultant and VC matchmaker
Andrew Playton - Think New Ideas.com
David Kidder - Think New Ideas.com
Gabrielle Shannon - Urban Desires.com
Kiley Bates - Urban Desires.com
James O'Conner - Mercury Interactive.com
Melissa Grossman - iXL.com
Lori Schwab - Sunny Bates Associates
Bill Carmody - Marden Kane.com and WWWAC
Peter Marquis - SG Barr Devlin
Marc Scarpa - Jumpcut
Michael Diamant - T3 Media
Marisa Bowe - Word.com
David West Smith - Global Emerging Markets
Sam Albert - radio host and M&A/strategic-relationships consultant
Armand Alciatore - Abaco International

The September 1998 Cyber Scene archive is here:
https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/1998/09/

See all 22 surviving pictures here (scroll down):
https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries/cwc-199809-new-york

#1998

On this day...in 2001:Nine days after September 11, Cocktails with Courtney became a benefit for the New York Firefighte...
09/23/2026

On this day...in 2001:

Nine days after September 11, Cocktails with Courtney became a benefit for the New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund at the Carnegie Club.

From 6:30 to about 9:00 PM, a little over thirty friends came together for Bombay martinis and hors d'oeuvres, compliments of the Carnegie Club. The gathering was small, but the support was strong. Together, we raised more than $700 for the fund.

The original account did not name the individual guests. In that moment, the important thing was simply that people showed up for one another and for New York's firefighters.

The Carnegie Club - cocktails and hors d'oeuvres
New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund - beneficiary

Read all about it here:
https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/2001/09/cocktails-with-courtney-firefighters.html

And see all 18 pictures here (scroll down):
https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries/cwc-200109-new-york

#2001

On this day...in 2001:Cocktails with Courtney went to Austin for a reception at Cool River Cafe. Miranda Berner stepped ...
09/23/2026

On this day...in 2001:

Cocktails with Courtney went to Austin for a reception at Cool River Cafe. Miranda Berner stepped in as our designated hostess, Exodus sponsored the evening and the program included several presentations followed by cocktails.

The original Cyber Scene item was written before the event, so it does not include a post-party guest list or a recap of the night. What remains clear is the idea behind it: bring the local technology community together, give people something useful to hear and then give them room to talk.

Miranda Berner - Cocktails with Courtney Austin hostess
Exodus - event sponsor and presenter
Cool River Cafe - host venue

Read the original Cyber Scene announcement here:
https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/2001/08/publishers-note-cpc-events.html

And see the surviving gallery image here:
https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries/cwc-200109-austin-tx

#2001

On September 12, 2000, I was in Atlanta for the city’s first Cocktails with Courtney event, excited to learn more about ...
09/14/2026

On September 12, 2000, I was in Atlanta for the city’s first Cocktails with Courtney event, excited to learn more about this thriving, burgeoning dot-com community.

Whenever I brought my events to cities across the U.S., I leaned on the wisdom and networks of the people I knew there. In Atlanta, my Cyber Scene correspondent, Frank Wrenn, was my anchor.

Frank and I hosted a mini Cocktails with Courtney at the downtown Ritz-Carlton. Around one table were Brian Newman of IMAGE, Win Lochridge of Metamorphosis, Chris Bell of PlanetJam.com, Lauren Brenner of PRessCafe.com and Brian Hankin of Screen4Me.com.

The conversation ranged from incubators to whether Atlanta could rival Austin’s tech scene—and I think it has more than held its own. We showed up, talked shop and left with a few new friends.

Twenty-six years later, I still believe that part works: a room, a table and a reason to gather.

Here’s the original Cyber Scene write-up:
https://thecyberscene.blogspot.com/2000/09/the-cyber-scene-in-atlanta-by-frank.html

Photos from the night:
https://pulitzer.com/cocktails-with-courtney-photo-galleries/cwc-200009-atlanta-page

Address

Main Street
Tucson, AZ
85716

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cocktails with Courtney posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category