You Belong in The Room: A Seat at the Table For the Next Gen
Schedule
Sat Feb 28 2026 at 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Cafe Landwer Front | Toronto, ON
About this Event
An intimate evening for rising professionals & new grads
You Belong in the Room is a curated, small-group experience designed for those navigating the exciting (and sometimes uncomfortable) early stages of their careers. This evening creates a space for honest conversations about confidence, imposter syndrome, and building a career that feels aligned—not just on your resume.
Think less panel, more fireside chat. Less awkward networking, more meaningful connection. This is a room where you can ask the questions you’ve been holding onto, hear real stories from professionals who’ve been there, and leave feeling grounded, seen, and supported in your next chapter.
We'll be talking about:
- Building confidence in the workplace (even when you don’t feel “ready” yet)
- Navigating imposter syndrome and self-doubt
- Setting intentional early career goals
- Finding mentors, advocates, and people who genuinely get it
Set over a family-style dinner, this evening is about slowing down, sharing space, and building connections that extend beyond a LinkedIn follow.
📍 Event Details
Date: Saturday, February 28
Time: 6:00–9:00 PM
Location: Cafe Landwer (Front), 33 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5E 0A9
🎟️ Your Ticket Includes
- Entry to our private event space at Cafe Landwer
- Access to an intimate fireside chat with featured professionals
- Family-style dinner and free-flow networking with members of The New Hire community
🍽️ Dinner Menu (Family-Style | Subject to Change)
Starters
- Mezza Platter: Hummus, halloumi sticks, labaneh, falafel, and pickled vegetables served with freshly baked focaccia
- Moroccan Cigars: Crispy phyllo rolls filled with spiced ground beef/lamb and pine nuts, served with pickled onion, tomato relish, tahini, and schug
Salads
- Mediterranean Salad: Mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, radish, basil, mint, green onion, Kalamata olives, and feta with lemon-garlic dressing
- Halloumi Salad: Halloumi cheese, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, cucumber, mixed greens, pistachios, red cabbage, and radish with lemon-garlic dressing
Mains
- Shawarma Plate: Landwer’s shawarma-spiced chicken with onion and amba aioli on focaccia, served with pickled vegetables, schug, and hummus
- Pesto Chicken Pappardelle: Pappardelle pasta in pesto-mascarpone sauce with roasted cherry tomatoes and broccoli
- Landwer’s Famous Schnitzel: Served with French fries
Dessert
- Rosalach: Nutella, Lotus, and Halva
🎤 Who’s Speaking
We’re bringing together professionals across consulting, tech, entrepreneurship, and marketing/design to share candid experiences, career pivots, and lessons learned the hard way.
Senior Consultant, EY
Shayandeep Das is a healthcare and life sciences strategy consultant focused on venture capital, innovation, and growth-stage investing. He blends clinical, operational, financial, and digital expertise to drive healthcare transformation and scale impactful solutions.
Enterprise Account Executive, Salesforce
Marco D’Agostino is an Enterprise Account Executive at Salesforce who worked his way from BDR to Presidents Club. He’s passionate about honest conversations, building confidence early on, and proving that long-term success is built through trust and teamwork.
Founder & Creative Director, Vibn
Mehul Adlakha turned a passion for thrifting into Vibn®, one of North America’s leading vintage mystery box brands. Now a $10M+ business, his journey is rooted in creativity, resilience, and building confidence before feeling “ready.”
Strategy Director, Huge
Kima bring 15+ years designing CX platforms, scaling DTC ecosystems, modernizing brand architectures for Fortune 500s and startups. She is a writer, educator, mentor, cook and traveler. Here to help you find your through line.
Moderated by:
Founder, The New Hire
Launch & Implementation Program Manager, Uber Canada
Rio Alegre is the Founder of The New Hire and a Program Manager at Uber Canada. Her career spans public health, government, and tech — shaped by pivots, purpose-driven work, and a belief that early career professionals deserve rooms built with them in mind.
🕰️ Agenda
- 6:00–6:30 PM: Check-in & arrival
- 6:30–7:15 PM: Fireside chat
- 7:15–9:00 PM: Family-style dinner + freestyle networking
We saved you a seat at the table (no catching up required!).
If you’re early in your career and craving honest conversations, thoughtful connections, and reassurance that you’re not behind, you belong in this room.
f you can no longer attend, please let us know so we can open your spot for another community member by emailing: [email protected] or responding on Eventbrite
_ _
About The New Hire:
We’re creating a community for rising professionals to grow, connect, and thrive through the early stages of their careers.
Every month our social networking club hosts events for us to connect. With a supportive group of professionals we lift one another up, while keeping each other accountable through:
💼 Networking and fostering relationships
💼 Career development and learning
💼 Mentorship and support
💼 Community engagement and belonging
Keep up to date with upcoming event drops through our socials LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok!
Agenda
🕑: 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Check-In
🕑: 06:30 PM - 07:30 PM
Fireside Chat
🕑: 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Family Style Dinner + Free Flow Networking
Where is it happening?
Cafe Landwer Front, 33 Yonge Street, Toronto, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 65.23 to CAD 70.56
