Have you ever been to a networking event on a boat?
Nadine Noble has.
Last week she sent me this message about a networking event I helped prepare her for.
"The networking-on-a-boat went well (it operates as a ferry in the summer). I wouldn’t call it a roaring success, but it was an enjoyable evening.
I was able to reconnect with some clients I hadn’t worked with for a while. I was introduced to a few ‘people of interest’, but the timing wasn’t right for conversation – one was scanning tickets at the entrance, and the other was fighting sea sickness – but I'll reach out to them on LinkedIn to hopefully open up communication.
Perhaps my best connection of the night was a brand designer. There aren’t many designers in my area, so it was nice to discover one – my list of local referrals is almost non-existent.
I was able to reconnect with some clients I hadn’t worked with for a while. I was introduced to a few ‘people of interest’, but the timing wasn’t right for conversation – one was scanning tickets at the entrance, and the other was fighting sea sickness – but I'll reach out to them on LinkedIn to hopefully open up communication.
Perhaps my best connection of the night was a brand designer. There aren’t many designers in my area, so it was nice to discover one – my list of local referrals is almost non-existent.
I will say that networking is becoming much more comfortable :)
On a side note: I did see the most cringe-worthy networking approach from a couple.
It began with an awkward interruption of a conversation (Hey – it’s a networking event. Let’s network!) followed by a quick run-down of what they did: running a podcast AND owning a fireworks store.
The man invited us to be on the podcast, and the woman mentioned something about smoke bombs while shoving business cards into our hands, including a promo for their friend’s upcoming workshop (because she couldn’t make the event to hand them out herself).
Then almost as abruptly as they appeared, they moved on to the next group. I don’t even think they said their names, nor did they ask for ours. My client and I looked at each other in disbelief. What just happened?
The next day, I received this update from Nadine:
"In the past hour on LinkedIn, I’ve connected with (and received responses from) several people I met in passing at the event – those I wanted to have deeper conversations with but didn’t get the chance. So perhaps it was more successful than I realized."