News

PMI Northeast Ohio (PMINEO) and UX Akron came together for the 2026 Summer Networking Social at Missing Falls Brewery, bringing project management and user experience professionals together for an evening of conversation, connection, and community.

This year's event marked the second consecutive year that PMINEO and UX Akron have partnered for the Summer Networking Social, continuing a collaboration that creates opportunities for professionals from different disciplines to expand their networks, exchange perspectives, and build new relationships.

Bringing Two Professional Communities Together

Approximately 30-40 attendees joined us for the evening, including many new faces from both the project management and user experience communities.

One of the highlights of the evening was seeing connections happen naturally. Professionals who may not normally cross paths had the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, discover common interests, and learn more about each other's work.

While project management and user experience represent different disciplines, both depend heavily on understanding people, solving problems, collaborating across teams, and delivering meaningful outcomes. Bringing these communities together provided an opportunity to explore that common ground while learning from different professional perspectives.

Continuing a Growing Collaboration

The Summer Networking Social is a joint initiative between PMI Northeast Ohio and UX Akron and builds on the successful collaboration between the two organizations.

The event was coordinated by Vishnu Themura, Technology Programs Manager at PMI Northeast Ohio, and Melanie Bozzelli, Chairperson of UX Akron. Their collaboration over the past two years has focused on creating opportunities for members of both communities to connect beyond their usual professional circles.

The continued partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Northeast Ohio's professional community through collaboration, relationship building, and the exchange of ideas across disciplines.

Networking in a Relaxed Setting

Missing Falls Brewery provided a welcoming and casual atmosphere where attendees could step away from formal presentations and structured programming and simply enjoy conversations with fellow professionals.

Throughout the evening, attendees connected over food and beverages, shared experiences, discussed their work, and made new professional connections. The food and beer added to the relaxed atmosphere, and the pizza was certainly a highlight of the evening!

The informal setting reinforced an important aspect of professional development. Not every learning opportunity happens in a classroom or formal session. Sometimes a conversation with someone from a different discipline can introduce a new perspective, spark an idea, or lead to a professional relationship that continues well beyond the event.

Building Connections Across Northeast Ohio

The Summer Networking Social demonstrated the value of bringing professional communities together. By creating space for project management and UX professionals to connect, PMINEO and UX Akron are helping strengthen relationships and encourage collaboration across Northeast Ohio.

PMINEO extends its sincere appreciation to UX Akron, Missing Falls Brewery, and everyone who joined us and contributed to the success of the evening. A special thank you to Melanie Bozzelli for her continued partnership and collaboration with PMINEO.
Most importantly, we thank everyone who attended, especially the many new faces who joined us this year. Your conversations, enthusiasm, and willingness to connect made the evening a success.

After two successful years of bringing our communities together, we look forward to continuing the collaboration and creating more opportunities for professionals across Northeast Ohio to connect, collaborate, and grow together.

Everyone is welcome at their events. PMI NEO members interested in future events can go to https://www.uxakron.com/events/ to follow future events.