Sofia Networking Dinner #001 Recap: Career Growth and Personal Branding

On July 25 at 7:00 PM, Women in Marketing – Bulgaria hosted its first in-person event, a private networking dinner at Klubovna. The event featured two speakers, Vassilena Valchanova and Ana Dinkova, who discussed advancing careers and personal branding.

Here are just some of the feedback notes from our community members, who attended the event:

The most important thing for me was the sense of spontaneity, the sharing of personal moments and stories that prove you managed to make the ladies feel comfortable, to be open to crossing the boundaries of standard professional presentations and networking etiquette, and to share more of their “true selves.”

Another woman shared:

The organization was good, with excellent information provided via email, as well as enough reminders and communication before the event. The speakers were interesting, and the community was inspiring. I really liked the format, and I believe it will be very successful in the future.

Speakers and Lectures

Vassilena Valchanova on Personal Branding

Vassilena Valchanova is a seasoned expert in content marketing, brand positioning, and copywriting, with over 15 years of experience. She has worked with SaaS platforms and e-commerce businesses, helping them refine their marketing strategies and strengthen their brand identities. Vassilena is known for her dual role as both a performer and trainer, helping clients create sustainable strategies while equipping their teams with the knowledge to carry them forward independently.

Vassy delivered an amazing presentation on the topic “The 4 Stages of Building a Personal Brand”, where she discussed how to differentiate yourself in your field, create impactful content efficiently, and establish a strong personal brand. She provided participants with practical templates and resources to kickstart their branding journey, ensuring they could implement these strategies with ease.

The reception of Vassy’s lecture was incredible! One person shared:

Vassy is amazing! It was very interesting, and I definitely learned new things. The topic was crucial for me and directly relevant. So, I want to thank her for her passion and the way she presented everything. It was very engaging!

Ana Dinkova on Career Growth

Ana Dinkova has 23 years of experience in corporate communications and public relations, currently serving as the Communications Lead for PR & Media Relations EMEA at Endava. Her career spans roles in leading banks and organizations, where she developed communication strategies and managed PR initiatives. Ana is also a co-founder of a digital marketing agency and a freelance writer for prominent publications.

Ana delivered a heartfelt tank on the topic “The Career ‘Self’: Personal Growth, Potential, and Career Path” focused on aligning personal talents, interests, and hobbies with career goals. She emphasized identifying strengths and weaknesses to find the right career path, and the importance of trusting one’s instincts, even when it means defying others’ expectations. She also shared resources, including personality assessment tools, coaching tips, and guidelines for effective goal-setting.

We were all amazed by the vulnerability and honesty, with which Ana delivered her talk. Here’s what one attendee shared after her talk:

She was amazing, inspiring, and a role model. Kudos! I definitely want to take some of her spirit and energy.

Sponsored by Screaming Frog

This event was sponsored by Screaming Frog as a networking dinner sponsor. 

Screaming Frog 🐸 has recently released Version 20.0 of their SEO crawler, with features like: Custom JavaScript Snippets, generative AI features like Crawling with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, etc., mobile usability audits, n-gram analysis, and carbon footprint calculations for web pages. Be sure to support our sponsor and download their crawler today.

5 Scholarship Seats were funded by Women in Tech SEO

We are also very happy to announce that we secured 5 Scholarship Tickets for this event, purchased by our Scholarship Sponsor – Women in Tech SEO.

This allowed five women from the community to attend the event completely free!

Women in Tech SEO is the most engaged global community for search marketers. WTS is a support network aimed for women in the Technical SEO (digital marketing) field, to discuss, share and learn from each other. It is a space welcoming women in all stages of their careers and life. Sign up to the community today. 

Hosted in the heart of Sofia

The private venue offered an exceptional setting for networking, featuring a unique three-course menu with appetizers and selected wines. After dinner, attendees enjoyed a cocktail session with refreshing summer drinks. The culinary experience was crafted by Bozhana Katsarova, winner of ‘MasterChef Bulgaria’.