Our Networking Guide To Navigate This Summer's Biggest Conferences
Summer is all about vacations, barbeques, and rooftop day parties, but it's also a chance to gift yourself with a little career development.
This summer is filled with many conferences and festivals catered to women of color looking for an opportunity to exchange ideas and meet like-minded individuals when our everyday corporate settings don't allow for it. It's that chance to let your hair down and engage in dialogue on diversity inclusion while meeting the "friends in your head" that you root for online for their achievements.
However, attending a conference can be overwhelming and intimidating when over 400 women are in a room. Where do you even begin?
Related: 10 Conferences Women Should Invest In For A Successful 2018
When you have the right strategy in place networking and getting the most out of this summer's conferences can be easy. Networking has to be done differently depending on the attendees and subject matter of each event. We broke down some of the most popular events of the season and asked past attendees to share their best advice for networking at each and the best places to engage other attendees and speakers. You'll learn which spots to have dinner with someone you connected with after the conference, how to avoid long lines for a moment with a keynote or celebrity, and where to escape when you need a break from the information overload.
Click Next Page for our guide to enhancing your networking experience at 5 of this summer's biggest conferences:
- How to Network Effectively at Conferences - YouTube ›
- HOW TO NETWORK AT CONFERENCES ›
- Pro Tip: How To Maximize Networking At Conferences ›
- How to network at conferences even if you're not a natural — Quartz ... ›
- 6 Secrets to Better Networking at Conferences | Dave Kerpen | Pulse ... ›
- How to Network at a Conference: 15 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow ›
- 5 Ways to Make Conference Networking Easier ›
- 21 Networking Tips That Will Rock Your Next Conference ›
- How to Network at a Conference: 101 Tips From Marketing's Best ›
- How to Make Networking at Conferences Feel Less Icky ›
- Why Conferences Are the Best Place to Network - The Muse ›
- Networking Conferences Statistics ›
- Top Conferences for Networks and Communications ›
Brittney Oliver is a marketing communications professional from Greater Nashville. Over the past three years, Brittney has built her platform Lemons 2 Lemonade to help Millennials turn life's obstacles around. Her platform is known for its networking mixers, which has brought over 300 NYC young professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives together to turn life's lemons into lemonade. Brittney is a contributing writer for Fast Company and ESSENCE, among other media outlets.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Tyler James Williams Explains Why His And Quinta Brunson 'Abbott Elementary' Characters Should Remain Friends
While Abbott Elementary fans are hoping that Janine and Gregory end up together, the show’s star has another take. Tyler James Williams plays Gregory on the Emmy award-winning sitcom, and he recently stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show to share his point of view on his storyline with Janine, which Quinta Brunson plays.
“I hate to say it. I know that everybody’s always mad at me for this. I don’t necessarily want to see them together,” he revealed. “It’s partially an actor’s choice, but also somebody who, like, I read a lot of scripts all the time. I watch a lot of TV, a lot of film. I don’t think that we see displays of platonic love between two people often. I think it’s really easy to go right to they have feelings for each other, therefore they should be together. I like this dynamic of exploring withholding that and just actively loving each other where they are. That I like to see more.”
If you recall, they were co-workers who became friends but were secretly crushing on each other. They’ve had many awkward run-ins during and after school, like the unforgettable club scene where they were dancing nervously with each other in season one, and in season two, they finally kiss. However, it only made things even more awkward, and they decided to just be friends. Tyler further explained why he thinks it’s important to showcase that type of relationship on screen.
“I think it’s time for that. I think TV allows people to see things that could be their lives for the first time, and I think seeing a healthy friendship that is deeply caring about one another in a work atmosphere needs to be shown more than the relationship,” he concluded.
Abbott Elementary comes on every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
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Feature image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
