WriterJax
Photos from the Beat
Networking Parties Do Not Have to SUCK
posted Friday, 17 November 2006
You hear 'networking event' and what do you envision? Likely, a dull assembly of suits balancing plastic cups of bad chardonnay in one hand and a cocktail napkin filled with pigs in a blanket in the other. And everyone is wearing big, garish name tags. As a business writer, I am called upon to attend these functions fairly regularly, but truth be told, would rather put my contacts in with a spoon.
But fear not, intrepid professionals! Help is one the way in the form of a new revolution in networking, and it's happening in downtown Holyoke, Mass.
David Caputo , owner and president of Positronic Design , a graphic design firm that works with a number of diverse clients nationally, has been rethinking the business model since he was old enough to say 'how much.' Caputo already does business in an historic, three-story Colonial home where he also lives, in an otherwise unassuming section of Western Mass. He subcontracts, which keeps his overhead down while attracting a bevy of freelance talent. And, he serves lunch to his staff regularly, often with the help of a whole-foods chef.
That alone is progessive. But Caputo has also reinvented the networking party to make it a rockin' event for executives of all walks of life. At Positronic, networking parties are ... well, parties.
Writer Justine Murphy hangin' on the Positronic Deck.A few times a year, Caputo tricks out his home/office with bright lights. He hires musicians -- several, who perform concurrently on each of the house's floors -- and sets up drink stations and food from the local Polish deli. He has themed cups printed for the occasion. Then, he sends out a few e-mail invitations to a number of Creatives on his radar screen, and leaves the door open from 5 p.m. until the wee hours.
The result is a mash-up of like-minded folks as well as plenty who would never meet each other anywhere else. Contacts aren't made through the exchange of business cards, but through e-mails scrawled on napkins. Both times i have attended a Caputo- soiree, I've come out with a slew of story ideas and new contacts that bolster my own business.
As my editor says, there's a story under every rock. But sometimes, those stories only like to crawl out at night, and Caputo knows that, and capitalizes on that.
As I was swaying to the mellow tones of DJ Muse in his attic, only moments after jammin' to The Concoction and their way-better-than-the-original version of Dirty Deeds, and also after lending my own voice to a piano-bar rendition of Ain't Nobody's Business, I realized that not only has Caputo uncovered a hidden gem in the world of business planning, but he's also proven that creative professionals don't have to don the corporate armor to succeed.
They just need to enter the fray in a place that lets them be themselves. Pumpkin ale, house music, homemade burgers, AND a few leads? I felt right at home.
They Do Say So Themselves (1)
1. Matthew Cornell left...
Friday, 29 December 2006 6:26 pm :: http://ideamatt.blogspot.com/
Sounds like a blast - great idea. Have you read Keith Ferrazzi's book
"Never eat alone?" I got a lot out of it.
