Why you Should quit going to conferences and come to summer camp instead
You think you’re gonna meet your next business partner, co-founder, employer, or employee at a conference or networking event; but you’re wrong. You’re gonna meet them at summer camp for grown-ups. Networking events are dripping with desperation and crawling with neediness. Conferences are stiff and predictable. What about un-conferences? They’re different! They’re shaking things up! There was a popcorn maker at one that I went to and it was so wacky and fun… Bullshit! Name badges with your title, the company you work for, and the city you hail from are a one way ticket to boring town, population however-many-people-are-at-that-conference.
Sure, there are some decent structures out there and not everyone is terrible; but consider how quickly you judge and feel yourself judged in parallel as you glance down at a name tag and assess whether this human is worth engaging. Are they a decision maker? Are you in similar industries? Will either of you even say anything you haven’t practiced? Who has more power? Do you want to date them or do you want to work with them?
