A big part of networking is attending events not only to meet new people, but also to maintain existing relationships. Every month, I attend about 4-6 events. For some people that may be a lot and for others that may not be many at all. It really depends on your job and motivation. With my job, I am in the business of helping entrepreneurs so I need to continuously interact with people so I can either help them or connect people together. Regardless of my job, I just enjoy meeting new people so I would be attending this many events anyways.
Tonight, I attended TECH Cocktail, which was organized by Eric Olson and Frank Gruber. This is the 3rd event that they have organized in Chicago. TECH Cocktail is a mixer for bloggers, technology enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and other business professionals interested in the technology arena in Chicago and other underserved technology communities. These events remind me of the tech boom in Chicago in the late 1990's and early 2000's. During this time period, the technology community was vibrant and people interacted with each other on a more regular basis at events such as First Tuesday and Big Frontier.
While Chicago still has a very good technology community, it is very fragmented. The great thing about TECH Cocktail is that it is organized by technologists unlike in the past when these types of events were more organized by the business community. So, I am excited that Eric and Frank have created this platform to bring people together. They have generated a lot of interest and momentum from the community. The attendance has gotten bigger with each event.
For me, it was a great event to see some of my clients, friends, and other associates in the technology and entrepreneurial communities. In fact, even investors show up at these events. So, Eric and Frank do a great job of getting various parties together.
Great job guys! I look forward to the next one.
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