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[return to "What’s the point of tech conferences?"]
1. Yizahi+GK[view] [source] 2023-04-24 13:38:06
>>Berisl+(OP)
Has anyone actually experienced this mythical "networking at the conference"? Like, how do you even do it? A talk ends and everyone have a short break before the next one starts. Presenter is immediately surrounded by 5-10 people half whom are his/her friends, half are asking about merch, and half are are the most extroverted people in the room who probably can bruteforce this networking stuff. Others are vaguely drifting around the room and trip over chairs, drinking water and talking to their friends who came together in a group. Who do you even talk to there? About what? It's like a dating site except with no bio details altogether, meaning there is no base point to start a conversation. And if you do randomly engage in a conversation with a complete stranger it's inevitably goes like this - ask each other about general profession, then more specific question about your industry, then name of your corporation, then awkward silence...
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2. jghn+bY[view] [source] 2023-04-24 14:49:25
>>Yizahi+GK
> Has anyone actually experienced this mythical "networking at the conference"?

Yes, but for me It Depends. I'm not great at starting up conversations with people I don't already know, and it makes me uncomfortable. So whether or not I'm at a conference specific to my (fairly niche) field or not makes a huge difference. If I am, I tend to socialize quite a bit as I know a bunch of people even if a bit tangentially. But when I'm at a more standard software conference I tend to keep to myself and utilize "the hallway track" a lot less.

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