“I thought the event was great! I don't believe I have ever attended an IEEE event that had such a great mix of the IEEE community....young and those more established/experienced, women and men, government, public, and private sector engineers, consultants, managers, professors, students....it was truly a well planned event that had something to offer everyone who attended. The food, location, and abundance of door prizes was a real bonus as well.”

“I’m so glad I was able to meet the new faces and students. I met a student who would like me to come speak to her student branch and tell them about the benefits of IEEE and WIE. I will be speaking to the students about the great benefits of joining IEEE, my experiences as a student and professional, and how to go about obtaining an internship/career while in school and after graduation.”

“I thought the Fiesta was great fun, the food delicious, and the prizes were many and generous. I ran into a friend from the Department of Homeland Security I hadn’t seen in almost two years! My friend or else his colleague won a satchel.”

“It was a nice group and good food. I think that this an excellent way to network and also find out about the many different groups affiliated with IEEE.”

“It was interesting to talk to the two students from George Washington University. It’s nice to see the interest and enthusiasm of youth.”

“Of particular note coming from a single man…I especially enjoyed meeting some of the Women in Engineering. Please invite them again!”

“I want to thank you for the link to the IEEE Scanner. I will check it from time to time for the many interesting talks that I saw listed there. I am looking forward to another activity in the future.”

“I'm relatively new to the area, so this event gave me a chance to network and meet IEEE members, fellow engineers and other consultants locally. I chatted with one fellow who had been a submariner in the Navy and had lots of experience with the nuclear power industry. With the price of energy today, he was speculating that nuclear power would make a return in the USA.”

“Another gentleman had flown in from Arizona to visit his daughter. He is employed by the local electric utility back in Phoenix. The daughter had invited him to the reception and he was surprised to win a door prize.”

“A third attendee with whom I spoke had worked for DARPA for nearly 20 years and had retired from that organization just recently. He was looking to enter the consulting field so I encouraged him to attend Consultants Network meetings.”

“I felt very welcome and met several people in the Northern Virginia and Washington sections, and learned about the activities of the sections. Being an IEEE member makes one feel among friends anywhere in the world. I met Amarjeet Basra, past chairman of the Northern Virginia section, and established a personal relationship. As vice chair of the IEEE Phoenix Section, it helps me a lot discussing with experienced people. Thank you for directing me to the Scanner website. I found out about the e-notice electronic newsletter subscription, which we will be trying out in Phoenix. All this, and I had good time, too. Thank you for inviting me – hope I will have the opportunity to welcome you to Phoenix Section. (Our web site: www.ieee.org/phoenix)”

“I enjoyed the party and had opportunity to network with a manufacturer of fire alarm systems, other professionals and students. The students I talked with discussed their interesting projects. Bringing in more professionals and business owners will enhance networking opportunities.”

“I personally liked the casualness of the event; it was not tense, it did not feel like you were in the classroom being questioned by your professor. You were able to learn things in a relaxing way, which I personally believe will help you retain longer. All in all, it was a fun get together.”

“Thank you for organizing the IEEE event. I enjoyed myself thoroughly.”

“I am involved with the Life Member Group, and I was pleased to meet a couple of other life members during the Fiesta, who may be interested to attend our LM meetings.”

“The location was perfect (for me at least) and the service and food were excellent. I wish I knew in advance to bring my business cards, not only for networking, but also to get drawn for raffle door prizes! Overall, I thought the party went really well. Nice to see some student members in the crowd, as well as a good mix of civilians, military, military contractors, DoD employees, and others with the one common background that we're all IEEE members!”

“The Power Fiesta was a great success, and I truly believe each IEEE society and chapter should have more of these events. This networking event brings together several IEEE Chapters and Affinity groups and provide a great way to meet new faces, recruit new members, and make more professional friends. Not only did I meet several students at the Power Fiesta, but I recruited two new women engineers into the Women In Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group. I also met two IEEE students from DeVry University: Aubrey and Harita, officers of the IEEE Student Branch. Both students were extremely excited about learning how to develop an IEEE chapter. We will be planning future networking events for early 2006, so stay tuned for details!”

“Intellectual and social salsa!”

“A fantastic synergy describes the “electrical” interaction that occurred among men and women, and engineers of all cultures.”

“Besides the wonderful fun with Dr. Ohm, engineers shared many moments about why and how they are devoted to the field. It was a terrific opportunity to find and become mentors. And to think I almost didn’t go… What a loss that would have been because it was clear that it is the interaction between ‘persons’ and their ‘ideas’ that was the magic of the evening!”

“Engineers plus ideas multiplied by interaction equals exponential opportunity for us all. Let’s make the next event have an even greater turnout.”

“What can I say? I had a great time, met a lot of nice people, saw some women that I met at the WIE meeting, the Consultants Network has a most excellent banner, and a good time was had by all.”

“I was happy to be there – and I’d be happy to be part of the group in the future.”