In 2022, The Day resumed events that had paused during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and focused on bringing the community together, delivering important information and making newsroom staff accessible to our readers.

We hosted job fairs at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in April and September which provided opportunities for job seekers to meet with hiring managers from over 55 companies and have face-to-face conversations. We partnered with organizations, including Groton Public Library, American Job Center and Human Resource Leadership Association that offered free resources, including interview coaching and resume writing.

“We produced highly successful events in regards to attendance and the employers we attracted,” said Jaclyn Nardone, marketing manager for The Day. “Both parties see the benefit of having an opportunity to meet and connect in person, especially in a time where so much is done virtually.”

Best of the Best

Nardone said The Day’s Best of the Best contest and banquet is “truly a celebration of southeastern Connecticut and the thousands of businesses and individuals that make the region such a great place to live and work.”

The Best of the Best process is months long. In January or February each year we open our contest for nominations. Anyone, anywhere in the world can nominate their favorite people, places, and businesses in southeastern Connecticut in over 180 categories.

Nominations open Feb. 1 at https://www.theday.com/bestof.

The top 5 nominated entrants for each category move on to our voting phase, which takes place in the spring. Once voting closes, we invite the top three vote-getters to the Best of the Best awards dinner and ceremony, where we announce the winners in each category.

We publish the winners in a special edition of The Day Magazine and online. Our 2022 Best of the Best Winners’ Celebration took place on Aug. 25 at the Mystic Marriott. We hosted over 270 attendees for an evening of food, drinks, camaraderie and celebration.

Debates, trivia and lifestyle

During the 2022 election season, The Day hosted organized and emceed a debate of three candidates for the Second District Congressional seat in partnership with The Garde Arts Center, WFSB TV and the League of Women Voters of southeastern Connecticut.

Our “Trivia on Tap” series continued in 2022, with reporters Rick Koster and Erica Moser hosting a night of fun to a sold out crowd at Hot Rod Café in New London. Our traveling trivia night events started in 2019.

“When brainstorming unique events that we could host that were centered around interacting with our fellow community members, the idea of trivia kept coming to light,” said Nardone. “It seemed to make sense. Our knowledge of the area is extensive, and we thought it would be fun to formulate a series where we could travel from venue to venue. Trivia on Tap was born with the promise that our staff would write the questions ―― using local content only ― and we would host the event at different breweries and bars in the area.

We’ve held Trivia on Tap at Tox Brewery in New London and The Old Lyme Inn.

In September, The Day hosted the 50+ Lifestyle, Wellness + Retirement event at the Holiday Inn in Norwich.

“We wanted to create a fun, yet informative event for our region’s 50-plus community to attend to get information about a variety of topics including healthcare, finance, housing/real estate, insurance, funeral services, and more,” said Nardone.

The free event featured raffles, a book exchange, vendors and unlimited soft drinks.

We welcome your ideas for new events. Please send them to j.nardone@theday.com.