After more than a year covering the small-business community for In Business Las Vegas, I'm switching to a new beat (utilities).

I've met some wonderful, fascinating small-business people as well as small-business counselors and nonprofit operators over the last year. I have learned so much about the small-business economy and how its success is vital to the rest of society.

So in celebration of my final small-business column, I thought it would be fitting to highlight some of the exciting social events around the valley on the small-business front.

• The Vegas Young Professionals (VYP) are holding their annual recruitment mixer from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Ghostbar at the Palms.

The event — the White Hot Fusion Mixer — will likely be one of the group's most exciting of the year.

Participants are encouraged to wear their best summer whites, and there will be several white-themed raffle prizes including an Apple laptop, a Ping golf bag, a designer bag, a video iPod, an iPod Nano, dinner packages, golf packages and show tickets.

"This will be VYP's biggest event yet, and a great opportunity to network with the young business elite of the city," VYP Advisory Council Chairman Eamon Springall said. "We're pulling out all the stops to produce a sizzling party that will reflect the energy of the next generation of Vegas business leaders."

The mixer is being sponsored by the N9NE Group, the Palms, Las Vegas Weekly, Las Vegas Printing Press, Orgill Singer Insurance and Eliades-Springall Enterprises.

ONE Vote '08 — a nonpartisan national campaign to make the fight against extreme global poverty a key foreign policy issue in the 2008 presidential election — is the community partner of the event.

Vegas Young Professionals is a social networking organization for Las Vegas Valley professionals between ages 21 and 39. Its mission is to help young people build meaningful networks with like-minded people and grow their careers.

It is closely affiliated with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

With nearly 900 members, the year-old group's mixers have made it among the most popular business networking venues in the area.

"We're trying to attract any young professional who is interested in growing their career and taking it to the next level," said chamber spokeswoman Cara Roberts. "No matter what age you are, people do business with people they know and trust. And if you want to succeed in business, it's really imperative that you get out and meet people and build relationships. And VYP is the ideal way to do that in Southern Nevada for up and coming professionals."

In addition to mixers, VYP members can participate in intimate "Big Wig Lunchtime" events that bring in the city's most prominent business and civic leaders to dine with a small group of members.

"It's a unique way to have our business leaders mentor the next generation of Vegas business professionals," Roberts said.

The group has also begun organizing behind-the-scenes field trips to various properties and businesses around the valley.

The mixer is open to any young business professional interested in the group. Entrance is $10, and RSVPs are strongly advised.

For more information, log on to www.vegasyp.com.

• And speaking of mixers not to be missed, the Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson chambers of commerce are banding together for their annual tri-chamber mixer.

It's that magical time of year when businesspeople are invited to put civic rivalries aside in the name of something higher: making money.

Or at least connections.

Members of the chambers and their guests will mix and mingle with other business owners and professionals from across the valley.

The event will be on neutral ground — the Red Rock Resort — from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 28.

For more information or to RSVP, log on to northlasvegaschamber.com, hendersonchamber.com or lvchamber.com.

• Sick of summer?

Spice up your life with a little Latin flavor at the first Latin Food Festival, hosted by the Latin Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 19.

The event will feature cuisine from across the continent, provided by chamber member restaurants.

It will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Las Vegas Hilton. Tickets are $10 at the door for adults — children under 12 get in free.

The proceeds from this event will go to the Arturo Cambeiro Senior Center.

For more information call the Latin Chamber of Commerce at 385-7367.