Have you ever gone to a professional meeting and showed up early for the “networking” opportunities? Many of these pre-meeting networking sessions remind me of the grade school playground. Some of the attendees are “in” and others are made to feel “out.”
As a newcomer to one these events , have you ever gotten “the look” from the old guard, been-around-for-a-while, in-crowd folks? Were you greeted by any Board Members and/or sponsors? You either find a cracker to munch on and a quiet corner and your iPhone with which to pass the time until the program starts, or you dive right in and meet-and-greet on your own. Polite handshakes, perhaps biz cards are exchanged. Then they turn back to their conversation and leave you out. Again. Everyone’s got more important folks to speak with , other than you. [Read more...]
