I’m on the subway and had to start writing on my phone because I just left one of the best networking events ever..
I’ve been to hundreds of networking events. Unless I radically change my career, I’ll probably cross the thousand mark at some point. Hotel conference rooms, rooftop mixers, industry panels, pitch competitions, chamber luncheons. I’ve done them all. Most of them blur together after a while.
But tonight I’m going to say it is THE best networking place – The Manhattan private school I’m doing contract work in.
The access to people I had tonight was insane., I’m in the room with some of the most affluent parents/grandparents in New York – hedge fund managers, big media producers, real estate players, old-money families, and some celebrities I didn’t know but apparently are a big deal. These people weren’t there to network and to be honest initially neither was I. I don’t know why it didn’t cross my mind the type of people who would be there before the event.
The attendees truly care about the way education is conducted. Concerns and questions about the community and school, big or small, were addressed to our faculty in a manner that wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t like “you need to do this”, but more like: “what do you need to make this happen?”
Which makes the conversations far more real than the usual parent teacher event I would imagine. It was not “you need to do something about this” but more “I can make this happen alone or with other community members, is that ok with the school?”
These affluent parents had to give us their ear. Needed our insight. Needed to be on my good side. Loosely speaking, they needed our permission. I explained I’m an external contractor hired by the school and my involvement was strictly involved with the international student project. They didn’t care about my limits within the school. They wanted access to me. They made sure I had their private phone numbers, email, area they lived in, knew their professional roles and responsibilities. What their schedule looked like. Freely giving me information I would have to practically dig for in any other environment. I’ve never felt this type of power.
A part of me kind of wishes I still had LinkedIn. It would’ve been the perfect flex to post: “Great catching up with so many inspiring leaders at the XYZ School Benefit Auction.”
I have access to some publicly well known people but I never name dropped because it felt cringy. Also, I don’t know how to fully utilize these connections in a manner that would directly benefit what I do. There’s something about operating under the radar that makes this network even more valuable.
I took a master class in anthropology without realizing it
June 25, 2022