Let’s face it.  In the business world, despite every terrific tweet, luminous LinkedIn recommendation and fantastic Facebook post, sometimes a little quality time and face-to-face action is just what it takes to really connect with your clients and get the job done.  With this week’s Pulse, we step away from our usual online and social media focus in order to highlight offline hot spots — specifically, some of the best-recommended restaurants from around the world for hosting agency clients.   We know that online presence and audience engagement across the social sphere are critical for public relations and marketing professionals today, but we also recognize that offline “real life” is where some really great stuff happens. After all, contracts aren’t signed on Twitter, and most new business pitches are still sealed with a handshake and a smile.  Here’s a list of ten sit-down social hot spots.

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As a part of my role as a client relations manager at the Vancouver Marketwire office, I attend numerous networking events every month. Among them are association events for CIRI, CPRS, IABC, BCAMA and many more.

Networking, which I considered a formidable activity when I started my career at Marketwire, has become one of the most enjoyable parts of my work day.

Here are some of the lessons I learned over the past three years: (more…)