'Social empire' encourages art of mingling

By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer

Most women buy a dress to attend a party. For Miss V, it was the other way around.

When Miss V, a.k.a. Veronica Vinje-head diva of Miss V's Social Empire-saw the floor-length Grecian-style blue dress, she had to buy it. "But then I had nowhere to wear it," she said. "I decided to plan a party around it and this is it."

The 150 invitees to the True Blue Patio Party Thursday evening at Zin Restaurant and Lounge on Robson Street were instructed to wear blue, and the drink specials of the evening-no surprise-were blue martinis and even bluer coolers.

The patio party is just the latest in a string of events Miss V has presented since she came up with the concept of a social empire almost two years ago, spawning a new social phenomenon in the city.

Tired of the "attitude" of local bars and clubs, Miss V started gathering friends and friends-of-friends for large parties. The concept exploded and now most parties attract between 150 and 200 people.

"I was so tired of the scene, I decided to create my own," she said. "I was going to these really lame parties and the crowds had such attitude I decided I was so done with that."

The key to her success, she said, is keeping the calibre of members and guests high. Twenty-five-to-45-plus-year-old professionals or entrepreneurs are preferred, although Miss V-who has a background in government consultating-likes to throw in a handful of artists, poets and politicians just to mix it up. (One recent visitor was MLA Lorne Mayencourt.) The primary rule is that you must be interesting, well mannered and willing to speak to anyone in the room.

Members must apply to join and pay a membership fee of about $7 a month. Guests pay $10 to enter an event, but a drink and appetizers are included. Miss V stresses her empire is not a dating scene and couples are welcome. "It seems sometimes that when couples get together, they disappear into social Siberia-well they're welcome here and we call them Dynamic Duos."

On Thursday, Heather McCarthy dropped by at her sister's invitation to check out the scene. A first timer, McCarthy, an actress who also manages the Festival Ticket Box Office, said she was just going to finish her glass of wine before jumping into the fray and mingling, something she wouldn't dream of doing at a club or bar.

"This is not like a singles night in a bar, though I have noticed some really good-looking men here," she said. "The pressure is off and many people have dropped by the table to say hello, and that's been really nice."

Mark Hicken, a married lawyer who also owns an Internet company called legaldocument.com, said he likes to drop in to Miss V's parties because it helps him keep up on urban trends-a two-year-old child at home means he and his wife don't get out as often as they used to. He adds he was attracted to the club by the cross-section of people who attend. "It's a very progressive crowd and I have gotten some really good ideas [for my company]. Also the food is really good and V picks really good venues, new places I haven't been to before."

Though the club is neither a dating nor a networking organization, both happen often and successfully, says Miss V, whose card reads: "Drink. Mingle. Meet. No attitudes. All smiles."

It's a mantra members and guests of the empire must adhere to or risk the wrath of Miss V and expulsion from the club.

"Say, for example, you invite 10 friends to join and two of them turn out to be undesirables. I'd be asking. 'Who the hell invited these people?'" said Miss V, who describes her day job as "consulting." "Once I found out, I'd be talking to you about your friends."

Miss V admits it seems ironic that the membership criteria is so strict when the rules prohibit snobs and attitudes.

"It's inclusive, not exclusive," she said, walking off with champagne glass in hand.

For information regarding Miss V's Social Empire, check out www.socialempire.com.