Networking takes off as economy sours - Boston Business Journal:

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“I’m looking for a said the 2002 graduateof MIT’s Sloan schooll as he waited for a panek discussion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologhy Enterprise Forum’s event, “Paint it Avoiding the Financial Beast of Burden in 2009 and Even more than catching the discussion abourt economics, he was keen on working the crowd of 120. “Every job I’ve ever had has been a resultfof networking, so I knew that these were the placess I had to go to reactivatde my network,” said Parduhn, who beganb frequenting events in January and now attendsw one or two a week.
And he is far from for these days, old-fashioned networking is In a tough economy, LinkedIn and Faceboo k have nothingon face-to-faces meetings, where connections forged over plastic cups of wine and finger sandwichex can ultimately translate into new Industry groups say that for the past several monthxs events have regularly sold out as membera of the business community look to expan d their network, whether they’re unemployed or just worried.
The has seen an uptico in attendance atits events, with the exception of pricier golf tournamentsd and wine tastings, according to Erin vice president of communications at the “The same energy doesn’t come through in a Tweeyt or Facebook posting, as when you’r sitting next to someone sharing a meal and chattinfg about your job,” Murphy said. In addition to collectinbg business cards, event attendees will find that locao organizations have tailored topics to includre timely information about dealing withthe recession.
At the Massachusettz Innovation & Technology Exchange in for example, many programe incorporate tips on how to deal with the Thisyear MITX, whic h holds 70 events annually and has 250 corporatse members, has seen a 15 percent increas e in attendees. “When you’rr uncertain, you need to find answers, something — and that’e best solved by connecting with people,” said Kiki Mills, executive directo at MITX. Uncertainty is the prevailing mood amonhg attorneys who have shown up in drovesx to attend recent which saw attendance rise 25 percenft from September 2008 through the beginning of compared to the same periode theprevious years.
The legal community has experiencerd a wave of layoffs inrecent weeks. “In late January at a new lawyers’ wine tasting reception, we had over 200 peoplr on a freezing coldFriday night. I thinkl we might have expected, in the past, aboutt 60 or 70 people,” said Bonnie Sashin, communication s director at the BBA. “People seem to be networking a lot more in a challenginbg economy and some people have a little more time on their hands.” Besides providing leads for job networking events provide opportunities for small businesses looking to make severalp customer contacts in one evening.
Todd Freund attended last week’s MIT Enterprise Forum “The Future of Biotech” event to work the crowdd of 300-plus people. Freund, staffing director at the biotechb placement firm Momentum Scientific Staffing LLCin Cambridge, recently startede attending networking events to generate leade for his company. “With face-to-face networkingg you get a much better idea of what theif real thoughts are and the gossip and the strategid direction ofthe industry. It’s a more unguardee perspective,” he said.
Many business types at the “Futurde of Biotech” event had a similar agenda and thers was even awaiting list, said Jenniferr Houghton, marketing manager at the Boston-based law firm Foleg Hoag LLP, which sponsored and helped organiz the MIT Enterprise Forum Event. The Enterprise Forum events have been selling out inrecent months, as well as other eventss the law firm has organized, according to Foley Hoag’s event “Solar in Boston/Solar in on March 4 sold out in 24 hours. “There are more peopls who have more time to networik and peoplerealize it’w an opportunity for business development,” Houghton said.
Such opportunitiesa often come withprice tags, sometimes hefty ones. The cost to attend events can ranges from complimentary to more than but nevertheless theyare bargains, said Tom president and CEO of the Massachusettsd Technology Leadership Council, who has seen attendance jump in the past eighy months. Attending events is “one of the most cost effective ways of gettint the messageout (about your Hopcroft said. In addition to the mainstream eventds like MITX and the MITEnterprise Forum, Mark founder of Boston-based MarksGuide.com, a listing Web site of localk events, notes that less establishedr networking groups have started to form in recent months.
“I think people enjoy sitting down withothefr people. It comforts them to know that otherd are in asimilar situation,” said Doerschlag.