Long Night At The Casino

Last night was yet another late night in my tux but, unlike most evenings, this time I was not at the lodge. After the usual work day yesterday it was time to spruce up and head to the Valley Forge Casino for a work related event… The Enterprise Awards. Basically, it was an entire event recognizing some of the great companies from throughout the Philadelphia area. Of course, I was rooting for our clients to receive recognition but really it was just a great time seeing everything that is being accomplished and the innovation that is being fostered in this commonly overlooked market.

Maybe it is because I grew up in the area or because my focus day in and day out is on this industry, but there are really some impressive projects, companies, and innovations happening in this region of the Commonwealth. While many people were there to cross their fingers and hope for a victory for one company or another, and to a certain extent I was doing that too, but it was not the primary driver for me. It wasn’t even the hope of finding new business or prospects (we currently have a very healthy roster of clients). Last night was about meeting people and getting to know what they can offer not just to us but to our clients.

As soon as I got my nametag and walked into the VIP reception (the benefit of my company being one of the event sponsors) I immediately sought out people to talk to that I didn’t see throughout the course of my usual week. Now, I am not a very outgoing person and I don’t have a big personality which is probably why I was never any good at sales but I enjoy meeting people and getting to know them a little. It helps that, for some reason, people feel comfortable talking with me and discussing all the intricacies not only of their business but of moments in their life from the previous week.

It was also a night to finally put faces to names as there were a few people in attendance whom I had spoken with over the phone and through email but, for some reason or another, we had never been able to get together in person. The most important of which is the man who introduced me to my current boss (she is cringing as she reads that word) and really got me back into the profession that I am passionate about. Sometimes it is not about getting new business for the company or even making connections, sometimes the best thing that can happen at events like this is the ability to thank someone properly, face to face.