It’s been brought to my attention that I attend a lot of events.

I can’t deny, it’s true. So why do I do it? For the networking (wOOohoOOo NeTwooorKinG *said in ghostly voice*), to learn new stuff, and getting ideas.

Networking

Firstly, don’t be afraid of this word. I honestly do not see the issue. You have a business, someone else has a business, you talk and see how you can help each other. It’s not a bad word, it’s just been ruined by people who abuse it. Looking at you Nancy! No one wants to hear about your handbag line if you’re not willing to listen about their business too! (PS – there is no Nancy…but you get the idea)

You can meet people in all different stages of their business and for me, the hope of course is to meet people that either I can help or who can help me. For example not long ago I met someone who introduced me to someone else, who was looking for a rebrand, which ended up being a great job for me. I’ve also though met someone who was an accountant, I was looking for accounting… now they’re my accountant. You really never know who you might meet. Go in with an open mind and who knows what kind of collaborations might open up to you!

“BIG TIP: Don’t let the FREE wine
accidentally
get you tanked…”

Learning new stuff

Events that are really good are the ones you KNOW you’ll get good info from. A great example of this is WeTeachMe who run a MasterSeries every Wednesday until May. I was just at one recently and I was really impressed. There was a “get to know your neighbour” bit at the start. Then two dudes (Brian Goldberg And Ronen Heine ) got up and spilled what they knew about Business and Legal IP followed by people being able to ask them more questions. Perfect. I’m actually going to do another blog on this next week because some of what they were saying was really eye opening as a designer.

Getting ideas

I also attend A LOT of womens events. Get women in a room, give them a mic, and something magical can happen. I don’t know what it is, but I find with the right speaker or the right conversation, I can walk away with a totally new way of thinking about my business. Also, I can expect a lot of wine. This can be both a gift and a curse sometimes. BIG TIP: Don’t let the FREE wine accidentally get you tanked… Because I’ve been there and it doesn’t end well. I seriously wonder how they all do it. Like, where does it all come from?? Who is this wine goddess just giving it away??

“Good attendees
+ Snacks/drinks
+ Inexpensive
+ Good Speakers =

The G O L D E N-R A T I O-E V E N T”

In conclusion

Events are a funny thing. You have to pick the right one because it sometimes feels like everyone and their mum is hosting an event and they’re definitely not all good. Some are free but not the right fit, some are expensive and don’t feel worth it, but some of them ride that fine line…the G O L D E N-R A T I O-E V E N T .

Good attendees + Snacks/drinks + Inexpensive + Good Speakers = The G O L D E N-R A T I O-E V E N T

Those are the events you want to be at. The problem is you’re going to go to a lot of time suckers unfortunately to find them. It’s worth it though, because you never know if that next event might be your meal ticket to something amazing. A trick is, I try to get into the mind of the people who might be attending the event. Who’s the target audience and will they be people that fit my needs and vis versa.

Good luck out there! You can do it! AND DON’T FORGET YOUR BUSINESS CARDS!