Noëlle Kachinsky and Steve Schuster did not know each other when they arrived in Florida for the 2015 EIJ conference, but on Friday evening they were together at an outside table, learning about each other at BB King’s Blues Club.
Kachinksy, assistant news director at WGXA Television in Macon, Ga., and Schuster, the past president of the SPJ Milwaukee and Maryland-Pro Chapters, met at the EIJ15 Opening Night Reception sponsored by CNN Newsource. The night included lively blues music, mac and cheese and chicken, and dancing.
“I think it was great just to see some old friends from past conferences and to make some new friends,” Schuster said.
The event, he said, was a “nice way to break the ice.”
Echoing that sentiment, Kachinsky called the event “entertaining” and said it was a good way to know others who have come to the conference.
“And you can socialize outside a formal setting,” she said.
Ricki Vann, a reporter with WEAR ABC Channel 3 in Pensacola, Fla., said her favorite part about the night was getting to interact with everyone.
“It was easy to strike up conversation and pass by people, whereas in a meeting room you’re focused on the agenda.”