Recap of the ConnectHV Meetup in Poughkeepsie

Hundreds of Hudson Valley creatives and small business owners gathered at Scenic Hudson's Northside Hub for a magical evening.

The Northside Hub is right by the Poughkeepsie entrance to the Walkway Over the Hudson. Originally a turn-of-the-century gauge factory, it’s now the headquarters and community space run by Scenic Hudson, and a perfect venue for a gathering like the ConnectHV August meetup.

I generally assume that around 60% of the people who RSVP will show up for an event (risks of running a free meetup!), but the crowd at this one felt MUCH bigger than that. Over 250 people RSVP’d, and I’d estimate there were at least 200 people there throughout the night.

We had pizza from Pizzeria Bacio as well as beverages of all kinds, all courtesy of our generous sponsors. (They also made it possible for us to pay for the permits, security, and cleaning service we users — a lot goes into these!)

I saw plenty of familiar faces, and also made a lot of new friends. I met tech founders, comedians, several photographers, realtors, lawyers, artists, designers, and one of my elected representatives. There was a wide swath of the Hudson Valley represented, and even some people from further afield (I met someone from NYC, plus someone from Mexico who came to check out the vibe!)

I want to extend a big thanks to our generous sponsors, without whom we wouldn’t be able to do events like this:

• Christina Ahouse — Real estate agent with Four Seasons Sotheby's.
• Billet Doux Bridal — Luxury wedding gown studio in Rhinebeck.
• Little Sister Wine Shop — Downtown Poughkeepsie wine store specializing in natural, uncommon, and excellent wines.
• Makers & Lovers — Weekly newsletter and intimate event series for Hudson Valley's eaters, drinkers and community seekers. Our mission is to produce deep, lasting connections that sustain our local producers and community.
• Stockade Collective —  Performance-focused advertising partner for teams that want predictable growth and smarter spend, based in Kingston.
• Don Minichino — Commercial real estate in Poughkeepsie and beyond.
• HUDSY — Educating and connecting communities through the power of visual storytelling.

Make sure to join the newsletter and follow on social media to hear about our next meetup. We’re going to take September off because of school starting and everyone being generally busy, but expect exciting news soon about October!