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.

And The Long Week Begins…

Our location for the evening.

Fortunately, the week began in a normal fashion with the usual projects and correspondences crossing my email. Actually, there was a little extra work in that I had to get the rental application completed and submitted to the MIL realtor. But, other than that, everything went according to the usual chaotic schedule. That was pretty much the end of the ‘normal’ part of the week.

Usually I leave the office sometime between 5:30 and 6:00pm and head home or to the lodge (those are the most common destinations after work). However, tonight my journey home had a slight detour as I drove into Philadelphia for a networking event that my company sponsors. Hello MoMo (Mobile Monday)! Working for a PR firm that focuses exclusively on the tech industry, this week is full of events which will be pulling us out of the office at various times. This is the nature of our work days during Philly Tech Week.

Honestly, I haven’t been to many networking events lately as my schedule has been fairly booked with work, lodge, work, apartment hunting, work, blogging, work, and other things. Tonight was a nice little change from the usual and, actually, all of the aforementioned topics came up in conversation at various points during the evening. So, with the team spread out across the Yorn office on 24^th Street, we all chatted away talking about work, tech, and anything else that happened to come up in conversation.

While some people at these events go into them with the sole purpose of getting new business that has never been my singular motivation. I just enjoy meeting and talking with new people. At the end of the night, I want to look back on an evening full of great conversations not just a score card of prospects and those not interested. By looking back at the conversations, I have a better understanding of who those people are and get a glimpse of how they conduct themselves in business (most of the time).

The same rule applies to my everyday job of reaching out to and talking with the media. If you go into the call or email with the goal of having a conversation that is generally what you are going to come away with. It is a give and take industry that I work in and embracing that way of conducting your professional life allows you to bring your own personality into the job. It is a way of communicating that translates across all mediums whether it is over the aforementioned phone or email or if it is in a one on one meeting or at a networking event.

The whole purpose is that you have to invest in conversation. People will take note, just like you do in the same situation, of the genuine interest you show in the person and to what they have dedicated their career (at least for the moment). And remember, follow up with those people that you meet and demonstrate that you were listening but also don’t be afraid to have them remind you of anything that may have been lost to the recesses of your mind. If you enjoy meeting people and getting to know them, the ancillary business benefits will naturally follow. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go write some emails.