A two-level networking experience designed around capacity, choice, and connection. Move up — or down based on energy, NOT expectation.

The Upstairs–Downstairs Exchange is a curated networking experience designed around energy, not expectation. The venue offers two floors — or levels, upstairs and downstairs, each offering a different way to connect.

There’s no “right” place to be. You’re free to stay upstairs — or downstairs all night, or move between as your energy shifts.

How it works:

• Downstairs is a low-hum space — casual conversation.

• Upstairs is a higher-signal space — deliberate dialogue.

Both levels are open all evening.

And to make networking feel easier, everybody receives optional tools at check-in, including name tags and visual connection signals, so folks don’t have to guess how to approach you — or what they’re open to.

This event may be a good fit if you:

• feel curious about networking, but unsure where you fit,

• prefer real conversation over pitching,

• warm up once you’re in the room,

• appreciate choice, pacing, and low-pressure spaces, and — or

• want to meet folks without having to perform

And — or a/an:

• entrepreneur or early-stage founder,

• creative professional or independent worker,

• introverted, thoughtful, or neurodivergent (including ADHD),

• new to networking, returning after a break, or new to the city, and — or

• rebuilding or redefining your professional network.

Dinner and drinks are available for purchase throughout the evening.

This is a two-level venue with multiple stair access points. Seating and standing options are available on both levels.

Tickets are on sale.

Instructor: Kenyana David, MBA, DBA(c)

Kenyana David, MBA, DBA(c), is the founder of 81Eighteen™, a curriculum-based marketing firm specializing in email marketing education for underestimated entrepreneurs. She’s the creator of the Fe-Mail Marketing for Entrepreneurs (FEMME) Academy™, a school teaching email marketing curricula to women and gender-expansive, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and first-generation creatives and innovators.

An Applied AI experience that reframes ChatGPT as a thinking collaborator —not a search engine — and shows you how to work with it.

Apps: Applied AI is a hands-on learning experience built around applications — not theory.

Instead of treating ChatGPT like a search engine or a “give-me-an-answer” machine, this workshop focuses on using AI as a thinking collaborator — something you can actually work with, not just pull responses from.

We’ll go behind the scenes of ChatGPT to shape how it responds, asks questions, and engages with your ideas — based on how you think, communicate, and reason.

Think less “asking better questions” and more teaching the tool how to think alongside you.

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:

• move beyond copy-and-paste answers into real dialogue with ChatGPT,

• shape how ChatGPT responds by setting tone, boundaries, and context,

• get better results by pushing back, refining, and clarifying — not starting over,

• use AI to organize and sharpen your thinking instead of replacing it, and

• spot where you’re under-using the tool and open up more of its capacity.
  

You’re not learning tricks, hacks, or prompts. You’re learning how to relate — or model ChatGPT as a tool.

This event is a good fit if you:

• mostly use ChatGPT to ask questions, skim answers, and copy-paste results,

• haven’t spent time in the settings or personalized how ChatGPT works with you,

• feel like the responses are “fine” but not quite you,

• know the tool is powerful, but aren’t sure how to use it beyond the basics, and — or

• want AI to support real thinking — not just output.

And — or a/an:

• entrepreneur or founder,

• creative or systems thinker,

• strategist, or educator,

• writer, speaker, or facilitator, and — or

• neurodivergent or cognitively diverse (including ADHD).

Appetizers — Rice Bowls — are provided. The Rice Bowl menu includes the Chipotle Chicken Bowl, the Tropical Bowl (Spicy), the Chili Rice Bowl, and the Meatless Rice Bowl. Larger portions — as well as additional food and beverages — are available for purchase throughout the evening.

Bring a device — laptop, tablet, or smartphone. WiFi is available.

Tickets are on sale.

Facilitator: Kenyana David, MBA, DBA(c)

Kenyana David, MBA, DBA(c), is the founder of 81Eighteen™, a curriculum-based marketing firm specializing in email marketing education for underestimated entrepreneurs. She’s the creator of the Fe-Mail Marketing for Entrepreneurs (FEMME) Academy™, a school teaching email marketing curricula to women and gender-expansive, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and first-generation creatives and innovators.