I attended a Tech Entrepreneurs Breakfast yesterday. I met a number of interesting people with lots of energy and ideas; thank you Ben.
As Ben Yoskovitz, the originator of these breakfast, has said “(Cafeteria) doesn’t lend itself to moving around, sitting in different places and connecting with more people.” My experience with networking events is that the location is important, but perhaps more important is that there is a “structure” for the event that creates interaction between interested parties.
In trying to “pair-up” interested parties it is important to have a structure that quickly and simply identifies to everyone why a person is attending the event. If you know why someone is (and isn’t) attending you’ll have less “very nice to meet you, but I have limited time and I don’t really think that talking to you is the best use of my time today” type moments.
People who attend networking events are looking to gain something from attending. The same is obviously true for people attending the Tech Entrepenuers Breakfast, but in order for these events to evolve into something that helps produce results from the Montreal start-up scene, those attending must be willing to give as much as they gain.
So at the top of everyone’s list of why’s must be, “To contribute to the growth and success of the Montreal entrepreneurial scene”, because every time one of us wins we all have an increased chance of succeeding !
I have come up with what I belive is an original (not) and appropriate motto that those attending Montreal network events should consider.
It is not what Montreal’s entrepreneurs can do for you, but what can you do for Montreal’s Entrepreneurs !
by Mat
Hey John – I suspect you’re right (it’s hard to argue with a results-driven focus) but at the same time, I’m also amenable the idea that the WHY might be “Just to socialize”. I tend to believe that things work best when not forced, and simply putting these kinds of people in a room together can be enough for magic to happen. Let serendipity work…
But I do take what you say to heart. If there are others out there like me though, the obvious question is “Well, what can I do??” That’s not an easy question to answer… Have any ideas of your own?
by Ben Yoskovitz
Thanks for the feedback, John. The intent of the breakfast was to always keep it very relaxed and open-ended. The goal is to bring Montreal tech entrepreneurs together to help one another and the tech entrepreneur scene as a whole.
I’ve written in the past about people being able to ask “How can I help you?” (and there was a fair bit of argument over the semantics of the question) — the point being that people should be prepared to offer help and ask the questions needed to find out what help they can offer.
So I do agree structure helps, a new location may prove worthwhile too. At the same time I lean towards Mat’s feelings of just mashing people together and seeing what happens. As soon as it has an over-polished feel it will lose some of what makes it fun.
Plus, I don’t want to be manager of a structured networking event – I’ve got enough to do. *chuckle*
by john
I hear what you are both saying – and the word “structure” is not one that I am not generally comfortable with either. Maybe “protocol” may be a better word – for example, a brainstorming session with an understood protocol often leads to more creative results than a random chat. Anyway, I’m sure things will evolve as we have more of these types of events. Thanks for your feedback.
by Philippe K. Chrun
Mmm.. yea I think friendly brainstorming sessions are key to give the entire ‘montreal web 2.0 scene’ a boost. What differentiates a tech brkfst from your basic ‘let’s go to dinner to meet your girlfriend’s friends socializing event’ is that you have this group of people who all have fresh ideas, contacts, industry experience, and most importantly they share the same reason for being there (i.e. they are working on project or would like to work on a project, and they are driven by greed/passion). I’m happy I went and look forward to goin’ again…