Local Entrepreneurs Meet and Mingle at Atlanta Event

Business owners from Atlanta and beyond gathered to share insights, make connections and collaborate at the quarterly Accelerate event hosted by What Now Media Group in West Midtown.

The free event hosted more than 30 representatives from businesses that have been featured on What Now Atlanta , including restaurants and retail concepts, as well as more than 20 industry-leading experts in What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners.

Attendees mingled while enjoying bites and beverages from Postino West Midtown . The wine café located at Brickworks Atlanta serves a unique lineup of flavorful bruschetta, charcuterie boards and more. Guests can enjoy a spacious patio, offering al fresco dining while beating the heat in the shade. The West Midtown restaurant opened last year following a successful location in Buckhead.

Throughout a presentation from What Now Media Group Founder and CEO Caleb Spivak , business owners took turns introducing their concepts, giving updates about their progress and sharing their stories. Attendees also heard from industry-leading experts who shared more about the vital services they can provide to existing and upcoming businesses.

The event was made possible by Easy Ice , one of the experts who shared how their services can help restaurants, including regular maintenance of ice machines. Dirty or malfunctioning ice machines are a common reason for failed health inspections, so this is an essential part of keeping a food-and-beverage establishment running smoothly and cleanly.

This is the type of essential service that restaurant owners can learn about at Accelerate events, where they can connect with service providers and experts who can provide solutions to their problems or questions.

This was the first Accelerate event for Frederica Gaddis , the owner of It’s A Vibe Cafe , a recently opened eatery in South Atlanta.

She connected with Tomika Joyce , the owner of On Da Spot BBQ & More , a local food truck opening a new location in Grayson , as well as franchisees of Jersey Mike’s who gave her insight about growing to additional locations.

Gaddis made connections not only in regards to It’s A Vibe Cafe, but on other ventures she had been thinking about. Meeting other business owners and people with different areas of expertise showed her that her dreams may be more in reach than she thought.

“It seemed like four or five different things I want to do were here,” Gaddis said. “I was collecting cards, I was able to talk to a couple people. I’ve networked on not just my business here, but a couple new ventures that I have already been thinking of and kind of shied away from or not put so much effort into doing research on because I thought it was too much. They told me it’s not. If I had never met them, I would have never known.”

Gaddis said her favorite aspects of the event were the variety of people who were there and the opportunity to have a spotlight put on local business owners.

“The fact that someone had been checking on different businesses and different concepts that are coming is amazing,” she said. “That’s one of the best things we can have is someone else marketing us, and that’s exactly what What Now Atlanta is doing.”

What Now Media Group shares restaurant opening news in 31 cities across the U.S., breaking news and providing timely insight into yet-to-open brick-and-mortar businesses. Across all 31 cities, the platform shares news of thousands of openings a year.

The industry-leading experts in What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners help new businesses open and existing businesses grow.

Stay tuned for future Accelerate events from What Now Media Group in 2024. See the Accelerate page here for more details.

Keep up with What Now Atlanta’s restaurant, retail, and real estate scoop by subscribing to our newsletter , liking us on Facebook , and following us on Twitter . Opening a restaurant? Browse our Preferred Partners .