In my post, Guilty by Association, I said that you must associate with other successful people in order to be successful. You are who you associate with and if you have aspirations for more than the 9 – 5 rat race, you need to roll with people who are on the fast track or heading to the fast track. But how do you find successful people to associate with? I’m glad you asked.
Let’s Meet Up!
One of the best ways to associate with like minded people is by attending local networking events. If you live in a major city, they’ll extremely easy to find. A good place to start is at Meetup.com. Here, you will find local meet ups on pretty much any topic you have an interest in. I belong to several meet up groups, including the Vancouver Blogger Meetup, The Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup and Third Tuesday. These meet ups are a great way to make new friends and network with people who have the same goals and dreams as you.
Making New Facebook Friends
Another way to find face to face networking groups is by Facebook. I find that Facebook doesn’t work as well as Meetup.com. Most of the Facebook groups I belong to as not local. However, Facebook is great for hooking up at major events like Blog World or Affiliate Summit. I get a ton of party invites via Facebook.
The Major Trade Shows
The easiest way to hook up face to face with the big name bloggers is by attending a major trade show like Blog World. I attend trade shows more for networking and association than I do for knowledge. Yes, you can learn a lot of things at a show but you’ll pick up the really cool stuff at informal lunches or the after parties that these show always have. I got the best piece of branding advice ever during lunch with Joel Comm at the 2008 Affiliate Summit.
In addition to the major trade shows, there are a bunch of local show I like to attend. The advantage of the local show is of course money – it’s a lot cheaper. No plane ticket or hotel room required.
Network With Me At The Following Events
I will be at the following Vancouver events this month. Feel free to come out and say hi. I would love to meet you. As you can see, my calendar is pretty full. I only look like I don’t do any work.
Jan. 15 – Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup: This is one of the biggest local meet ups for entrepreneurs in Vancouver. The meetup is great for promoting your business and meeting other business people. The event is free to attend but they do encourage all members to bring a bottle of wine or snacks to share with everyone. RSVP here.
Jan. 17 – Dot Com Pho: The weekly Dot Com Pho feast happens every Saturday at 12:30. All the Dot Com crew are back from Vegas and we’re looking forward to a nice bowl of Pho. Anyone is welcome to join. Follow me on Twitter to find the location.
Jan 20. 3rd Whale Party: I don’t know what happen to the 1st and 2nd, but the 3rd Whale is hosting an Obama inauguration party at the top floor of the Ceili’s Irish Pub – 670 Smithe Street. Join the whale for drinks and prizes. RSVP here.
Jan. 21 – Vancouver Blogger Meetup: Location is TBA right now. However, you can RSVP to the meetup here. I’m sure once Rual finds a good location, he’ll be updating the page.
Jan. 22 – Taste BC: The second annual celebration of local food and drink takes place January 22, 2009 (4:30-7:30 p.m.) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver. Event goers will not only indulge in tastings from some of the finest restaurants, wineries, breweries and cheese purveyors in BC, they will also benefit one of the province’s most vital medical institutions. Tickets are $49.99 each and all proceeds goes to the BC Children’s Hospital – Oak Tree Clinic
Jan. 22 – Ideas On Tap: This is a very fun event happening at the Yaletown Brewing Company at 1111 Mainland Street, Vancouver. Ideas on Tap is a light business networking event for hi-tech professionals in Vancouver. This free event features a competition where 5 contestants deliver a 60 second elevator pitch. The audience will vote for their 2 favorite pitches and prizes will be awarded. The event starts at 5PM but I’ll be there late because I’ll be coming from Taste BC. RSVP here.
Jan. 30 Big Night Vancouver: If you really want to rub elbows with the rich and famous of Vancouver, then Big Night is one of the best night to do it. Held at the very high end Vancouver Club, Big Night is a night of fine food and wine. There is a dress code in effect so you want to look your best and leave the jeans at home.