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Omaha Magazine

After Hours with the Best of Omaha

Nov 02, 2018 11:28AM ● By Daisy Hutzell-Rodman
Omaha Design Center is home to the nation’s fifth-largest fashion week. The Omaha Press Club roasted and toasted Greg and Doug McDermott there. Lili Cheng, Microsoft’s AI Developer, spoke there in August as part of Big Omaha.

Now, Omaha Magazine is joining forces with Omaha Design Center to bring you the Best of Omaha Soirée.

We previously held a Best of Omaha Festival, a casual event in which the public could learn more about the Best of Omaha winners, businesses they voted on during our summer voting period.

This event will celebrate the best of the best in the elegant atmosphere of Omaha Design Center.

“This will be a night to remember,” says publisher Todd Lemke. “It will be more targeted towards business managers and owners to celebrate winning the Best of Omaha.”

Business professionals will be interested in joining the fun, as one of the purposes behind this event is to find new contacts to add to their coteries. The dress code is business chic—wear a suit with a silk tie or scarf, or wear a tuxedo or little black dress. It will be a night to impress, and we know it will be a night that makes an impression on you.

“We are going to set the tone by having glamorous, back-lit scenery,” says Lemke. “We will have representatives of the Best of Omaha dining winners walking around with sample-sized bites and winners’ booths intermingled with the sponsors.”

That vendor you work with and know simply by text message or email will finally have a face. 

Once checked in, visitors can enter the main venue—and prepare to be wowed. Omaha Design Center is a top-notch space, with white couches, dazzling chandeliers, and cocktail tables for those wishing to set down a drink in order to shake hands. The center of the space includes an entertainment area, and people will be able to witness extreme performances throughout the evening, all situated on a circular platform so that you can walk around and meet new customers or colleagues while taking in the show.

Best of all, this is the reveal to our Best of Omaha winners for 2019. This year includes fun new categories such as best board game cafe, best escape room, and best chimichanga. A copy of the Best of Omaha book is included in the ticket price. Those who don’t want to crack the spine on their copy that night can view the winners as their names scroll across audio-visual displays.

The winners from the 700 categories represented in the Best of Omaha represent less than 3 percent of Omaha businesses, so you can be assured everything about the evening will spotlight the best of the best. The dining section alone has more than 60 categories, so you could munch on anything from the city’s best appetizers to bites of the city’s best Italian food, sushi, and more.

And you can sip on a glass of wine or beer while meeting new friends. Each attendee will receive tokens for two free drinks, and there is a cash bar available for those who want more than two drinks. 

We also have 250 VIP tickets available. All VIPs receive entry one hour early, which includes unlimited drinks during that time. They also receive valet service and premium appetizers.

Beyond the Best of Omaha 2019 winners, attendees at the event include the 2018 Best of B2B winners, the 2018 Best Doctors, Lawyers, and Dentists recipients, and the 2018 Faces of Omaha. This will be a who’s who of Omaha that you will not want to miss.

“Omaha is known as a ‘big small town,’ where relationships are important,” Lemke says. “We can’t think of a better way to honor that ‘big small town’ feeling than by putting on an event like this.”


See the video at  youtube.com/watch?v=JOxl1938u18 then visit localstubs.com to purchase tickets.

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