Over this past weekend I participated in Trimania, a networking event hosted in the Tri Main center in Buffalo. The Tri Main center used to be a factory building but recently it has been converted into offices that local companies can rent out. The interesting thing is the Tri Main center is mainly housing many local art, music, dance, and design companies. So the Trimania event was a way that these companies were able to meet new people, show off what they have done, and earn a little bit of money. For me personally when I heard about this event I was excited to see what tri main had to offer. What I saw changed my perspective on networking. Everywhere you went there was music, art pieces everywhere and so many smiling faces there to have a great time. At first I was a little overwhelmed and I spent about an hour watching performers and just having a good time. A little later in the night, I met quite a few people I never knew before. 5, 10 even 20 minutes would go by in just one conversation, and I would think to myself, ‘I am doing it, I am actually networking!’
Never once did I imagine that going to a networking event could be this much fun. I was having a blast listening and watching such amazing talent in Buffalo and getting to know such amazing people and hear their stories. 3 and a half hours in the event, lots of chatting and a lot of business cards stuffed my pockets… then it happened. I was drawn to the smell of popcorn down a hallway and I began to wander to find this source of this amazing smell. On my way I bumped into another wanderer on their own quest to seek out the corn of pop. We began to chat and then, boom! I found out that this other popcorn adventurer happened to be an owner of a web designing company in Buffalo. Finally after a night full of fun at trimania, my new friend handed me his busness card and wrote his personal cellphone number on the back, leaving me with his final words, “call me this week, I would love to have an interview with you, we need creative and free spirits like yourself at my company.”
And now I am here, post interview awaiting the results, still full of memories of a great time. My fears of networking were erased by so much culture, creativity, and popcorn.
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