Category: Networking News & Blog/Meet the Networkers

Membership of Network Provence

Published on by Rebecca Ronane

Membership In Network Provence

Network Provence is starting a new way to be a MEMBER in 2024. Instead of paying a one-off fee for the year, you can now have a monthly subscription membership, which can start and end anytime. The cost of this is extremely reasonable at 7 euros per month!

Click Here to Join

The benefits of being a member are numerous! 

  • You may attend all meetings for the cost price. Extra charges for refreshments are payable and variable depending on the venue. Often we are offered a special reduced price.
  • You may attend all online meetings for free.
  • You may do a mini-presentation(20 minutes) either at a live or Zoom meeting to showcase your business, skills and talents to the Network Provence audience.
  • You may have an advert on the website! An invaluable addition to helping other like-minded women discover what you have to offer. Specs are 300px X 250px, and your advertisement can click through straight to your website or social media when you include your URLs.
  • Be on the Meet the Members Page for extra publicity. Meet the Members is like a directory of the incredible women who make up Network Provence and a real go-to guide when others are searching for product and service suppliers in Provence. 
  • You will receive the monthly newsletter. 
  •  You can be featured in the newsletter with your story and photos. Please send your article and photo to me.
  • You may post and promote on the Network Provence Facebook page.
  • You can be part of the new Network Provence Podcast.
  • You can also be interviewed and featured on our Instagram and YouTube channels.

It would be wrong to think that membership is all about coming to meetings. 

Even for those who cannot attend regular meetings, there are many great ways to promote yourself through NP membership!  

The meetings are fantastic for socialising and learning and a great way to be inspired by women who, like you, have made Provence their choice of place to live and work. It is always a convivial time to get to see and speak with other members in person, and as we all know, these sorts of meetings keep people in our minds when we are searching for connections. However, the non-meeting connections can be just as fruitful for those wanting others to know they are out there with services, projects, products and businesses to share. 

With the membership subscription at only 7 euros monthly, there is tremendous value in being a member. Current members can take advantage of a special price as well. Please contact Rebecca to find out if you need to renew now.  

Non-members can attend three meetings with a fee but must join after three times. It is a much better value to join and be a part of this special group while having access to all the benefits.  

Network Provence is a safe, inclusive space for women in the region who are interested in business, travel, networking, food, art, culture, local happenings, and so much more. One does not have to run a business to belong and have something to gain from the group. We are proud of the inspiring and supportive way NP has evolved. Through membership, we will be able to continue to provide a warm and welcoming space for the International English-speaking community of women in Provence.

Let us know if you have more questions, OR you can click HERE to sign up for your membership.  

Maryna Fontenoy for Network Provence 

Two Top Places to Discover In Provence

Published on by Rebecca Ronane1 Comment

The past few days have positively swirled with Network Provence energy, and two major events have shown the actual value of connections made through our network, with upward spirals of collaborations in play all over the place.  

On Thursday evening, Ruth Ribeaucourt of Faire Press and founder of Mira Menerbes and Faire Residency hosted a book launch for her formidable collaboration on the Antoinette Poisson “A Year In the French Style” Interiors and Entertaining with Jean-Baptiste Martin and Vincent Farelly. This book, the papeteries and fabrics alongside as well as all the Antoinette and Poisson accessories, are heart-stoppingly beautiful, of course, but also unique and far away from the “look” we usually are served as French style, while all at once presenting such a marriage of antiquities and glorious colours and design of right now. Ruth captures magic in photographs and sends it straight to hearts like no other. The words, the images and the glimpse into the possibilities of their collaborative book are jaw-dropping.

They may become a bible of striving towards the ultimate beauty of living a French-styled life. The celebration at Mira was sublime, with sponsorship by Victoria at Maison Victoire to provide wine from Racines in Bonnieux, served up by Jess and Pierre with mini-lessons about their delectable vintages on offer. We had a sumptuous table of treats from the authors themselves. Many women of Network Provence were present, and the sparkling community of creatives and connoisseurs were an absolute delight. You can visit Mira Menerbes to see the world of Antoinette Poisson until November 26th. 

Following this on Friday, we met again at the vernissage of Janice Jaquet‘s exhibition “Landscapes in Chromatic Abstract” Ode To Provence, at Le St Hubert in Saint-Saturnin les Apt. Long-time member Janice presented her beautifully executed, ethereal and dreamlike paintings that graced every wall of the restaurant. The canvases in this collection represent Provence’s skyscapes, landscapes, and colours, echoing the rich glow of light that causes the viewer to see in paint the views we imagine we are looking at in the dawns and golden hours, which nature treats us to here. The turnout of guests was formidable, and the only negative was the brevity of time allowed before the restaurant hosted a private dinner with the artist. Again, many of the audience were NP ladies, always an inspiring mix of personalities and talents. One could have spoken for hours with all the guests; however, time was limited as we were seated to enjoy a delightful meal inspired by Janice’s Caribbean, Indian and Scottish heritage. St. Hubert did a fantastic job interpreting this fusion to make the meal delicious. Ode to Provence will be showing at Le St Hubert through December 24th. As Lise has recently announced new hours (and menus!), we highly recommend visiting to view Janice’s heavenly paintings and experience the restaurant’s hospitality.

We are fortunate to have this community and these outings to meet our fellow Provence lovers in person. Even at such high-profile events, it is certain that you will feel not only inspired but included with Network Provence. Of course, not everyone can attend the daytime meetings, but going out together allows us to speak, dream up future collaborations, and see what is happening in the region.

By Maryna Fontenoy for Network Provence

How We Network Staying in Provence

Published on by Rebecca Ronane

How We Network in Provence

On Friday the 13th, Network Provence stayed IN, meeting at the Maubec home of our founder Rebecca Ronane, where we were treated to an insightful presentation by home styling expert Karen Stride and shared a delicious potluck lunch in the garden. It was a lucky day for all of us, enjoying great company under the sunny October skies with a clear view of the petit Luberon’s majestic heights.

 

What is it like to come to a Network Provence meeting? You might be intimidated to show up at a stranger’s home and meet new people in an intimate setting. However, I can assure you that more than in any other gathering I’ve attended, the welcome of NP women is uncannily relaxing and inclusive. This group celebrates our diversity in age and origin because of the knowledge that we have one thing in common. We have all come to this region to attain a change of life, direction and often career. We are of different ages and have lived in the area for various periods. Our family styles, income levels and goals are varied as well. Still, here we are, communing in Provence, in love with the light, the land and the possibilities we are creating as women of Provence. The odds are good for making creative connections within the group, which Network Provence also celebrates. More than just a network to find tradespeople or customers, Network Provence sees regular collaborations arise from the individual members. We are enthusiastic about encouraging and supporting each other’s endeavours as a group. So, when discovering Network Provence, the intimidation factors soon evaporate. To be in the company of such warm women is at once a comfort and an inspiration.

A few weeks back, Karen Stride gave a notice to develop her presentation of the day using a home needing an update. Jan Burgess took up the challenge and sent photos of her “snug” – a cosy room where she loves to pass the time but which had become cluttered and needed an update. Karen came back with many ideas for brightening and bringing in light, moving current objects and artwork to maximise space and comfort, and ideas for new objects that could update the space. Her knowledge of where to source furnishings and her expertise in colour theory was explicit. Karen knows so much about colour, both what is typical of the region and how to modernise it. Jan left with many suggestions to help her craft a better snug with her current furnishings, plus some new items she had not previously considered. We all left with ideas for our decor and a small amount of lamp envy. If you have a decorating dilemma- Karen should be your first port of call.

Our al fresco lunch was simply delicious, made by everyone, and enjoyed in Rebecca’s natural garden, which has a beautiful array of plants and flowers suited to this dry garden region. This meeting was “fill your plate and grab a seat” with lively conversation and laughter. No stuffiness, political debates or pretences allowed. We discuss our businesses, our latest restaurant or new shop discoveries, our upcoming plans and everything in between. There is a very comforting sense of being seen and heard. We searched Rebecca’s garden for seeds we could forage for our gardens, which became a metaphor for a deeper sense of why we gather like this.

Hopefully, if you are new to the region or just new to Network Provence, you can join us soon at one of the future events and enjoy community benefits with the women of Provence.

By Maryna Fontenoy for Network Provence