One of the most important aspects of your professional life is your professional network. Creation of a large and varied professional network is essential to the successful performance of your current job, finding another job if needed and generally being a high quality contributor to the construction industry. I'm not talking about having 500 connections on LinkedIn, 1,000 "friends" on Facebook or 2,000 followers on Twitter. Social media is a great tool and I use it myself, but I'm talking about a network of people that you know and who know you, know how you conduct your business and are willing to share their network with you as well as recommending you to others.
Being active in professional organizations, such as CSI, is a great way to expand your professional network. Attending meetings, events and happy hours is a great way to get to know other professionals and with CSI's diverse membership, you can get to know people from all facets of the construction industry. While these people may not know the ins and outs of your professional endeavors, the way you present yourself in these situations and how you conduct your volunteer activities can inform people on how you conduct your other business ventures.
Another great way to expand your professional network is by attending national or regional conventions. CSI's regions represent groupings of chapters by geography which helps you get to know professionals who live near you and share similar contacts and projects. Most regions hold annual conferences which feature board meetings, awards banquets, networking and educational opportunities. These conferences are usually held in cities where there is a chapter or a nearby point of interest. Many of these occur over long weekends and feature family and spouse programs.
But, to maximize your travel dollars and expand your network beyond your local and regional communities, you should attend large, national conventions, such as CONSTRUCT and the CSI National Convention. CONSTRUCT is held each year in September and rotates between sites in the eastern, middle and western United States. This year's show is in Nashville from September 24 through 27. Registration is now open, so visit www.constructshow.com for more Information.
Now that you've registered, how do you maximize your ability to expand your network? There are a few simple ideas to think about and act on. First, when you are on-site, be on-site. Actually attend the convention and the educational sessions. These conventions tend to be held in great cities, and Nashville is no exception, but try to spend as much time as possible at the convention. Most people hang around between sessions and on the show floor, so if you're there, too, you stand a better chance of meeting people. Use the evenings or some time before the convention starts or after it ends to explore the city.
The next rule is to use meals times to meet people. I wrote a blog post here that describes a luncheon I attended at the end of a large project. Conventions are no different. Everyone has to eat, so make sure you eat either on the show floor or in the area near the convention. Many conventions, CONSTRUCT included, have some sort of food offerings for lunch time. Many convention centers have small grab-and-go coffee shops where you can get light breakfast fare. Instead of ordering room service, head to the convention center early and have a muffin and cup of coffee there. Look for someone you don't know and ask to sit with them. Introduce yourself; chances are you have something in common.
Similar to meal times, take advantage of snack breaks between educational sessions to chat with other attendees. Too often, we make a break for the lobby to check our voicemail and email. Sometimes that is essential, but it also eliminates networking opportunities. Let business associates know you are away with limited email/voicemail access. Many conferences offer snacks and drinks between sessions. Take advantage not only of the sugar high from the snacks but also the opportunity to meet and discuss the educational sessions with your colleagues. Voicemail and email can be checked later that evening or first thing the next morning.
Another benefit of attending conferences for licensed professionals is the ability to earn continuing education credits. If you're there to earn continuing education credits, make the most of the time to also expand your professional network. Sit with different people during educational sessions and then greet your neighbors before or after the sessions. Before hand, you can ask what other sessions they attended that they liked or what booths they visited on the show floor that were the best. After the session, you can continue the conversation to hear what they thought about the session and offer your own thoughts on it. This might lead to a drink later or possibly lunch or dinner.
Most national convention have some level of a product show so make sure to spend time at booths at the product show. The Show is a huge component of the CONSTRUCT experience. I hear some long time attendees complain that they don't want to go to the Show floor because they've "seen it all." I doubt that is true. I typically walk the floor with a friend who asks "what's new?" at each booth. This is a great way to get to know the new product offerings and let the vendors do what they do best: talk about their products. Make sure you introduce yourself to the vendors. Everyone is wearing a name tag, but shake hands, offer a name or nickname and really get to know the vendors. Many of them are great resources not just for their products but for their competitors and other industry leaders.
Use the time on the Show floor to try to meet other people. Many of us will avoid a booth when someone else is there talking with the vendor. Go ahead and step up to the booth and listen in on the on-going conversation, if it’s about the products. That may lead to questions that you have and a more rich conversation with the vendor and the other visitor. It might also lead to getting to know other professionals and maybe a dinner invitation. This happened to me at a sustainable laboratory design conference last year. I stepped into a booth and got into a conversation with another architect and the vendor. I walked out of the booth with an invitation to a dinner party that night hosted by the vendor. I met about a dozen people at that party and made some really great contacts.
The most important thing to remember is that creating a network takes time. Don't expect miracles at the first convention. My boss sent me to the CSI Convention several years ago with the direction to bring back the resume of a spec writer. I made several inquiries and generally heard "if you find someone, give them my card, too!" About seven years later, I haven't found the magic spec writer, but I am in a better position to find one if needed. I've also met a number of fantastic independent spec writers so when our firm's spec writer gets swamped, I can recommend independent writers to hire on a per project basis.
However, it took me seven years of actively attending CONSTRUCT year after year to build my network to this point. I've had similar experiences at the sustainable lab conference I attend regularly. I now know most of the vendors who exhibit at the lab conference and use those contacts to meet other people, learn about new projects and generally expand my network further. I recently returned from a conference that I attended for the first time. I used the suggestions that I’m giving here and came away with a number of good contacts that might not lead to work for my firm immediately, but you never know where folks might land in their next job. One gentleman I ate breakfast with started his career in the Marine Corps, landed at a large university on the west coast and is now in Ohio. One day, he might land closer to the east coast and be in a position to hire my firm. I’ll keep in touch with him and others because you never know when change may come, but I know my network is ready for the challenge.
Being active in professional organizations, such as CSI, is a great way to expand your professional network. Attending meetings, events and happy hours is a great way to get to know other professionals and with CSI's diverse membership, you can get to know people from all facets of the construction industry. While these people may not know the ins and outs of your professional endeavors, the way you present yourself in these situations and how you conduct your volunteer activities can inform people on how you conduct your other business ventures.
Another great way to expand your professional network is by attending national or regional conventions. CSI's regions represent groupings of chapters by geography which helps you get to know professionals who live near you and share similar contacts and projects. Most regions hold annual conferences which feature board meetings, awards banquets, networking and educational opportunities. These conferences are usually held in cities where there is a chapter or a nearby point of interest. Many of these occur over long weekends and feature family and spouse programs.
But, to maximize your travel dollars and expand your network beyond your local and regional communities, you should attend large, national conventions, such as CONSTRUCT and the CSI National Convention. CONSTRUCT is held each year in September and rotates between sites in the eastern, middle and western United States. This year's show is in Nashville from September 24 through 27. Registration is now open, so visit www.constructshow.com for more Information.
Now that you've registered, how do you maximize your ability to expand your network? There are a few simple ideas to think about and act on. First, when you are on-site, be on-site. Actually attend the convention and the educational sessions. These conventions tend to be held in great cities, and Nashville is no exception, but try to spend as much time as possible at the convention. Most people hang around between sessions and on the show floor, so if you're there, too, you stand a better chance of meeting people. Use the evenings or some time before the convention starts or after it ends to explore the city.
The next rule is to use meals times to meet people. I wrote a blog post here that describes a luncheon I attended at the end of a large project. Conventions are no different. Everyone has to eat, so make sure you eat either on the show floor or in the area near the convention. Many conventions, CONSTRUCT included, have some sort of food offerings for lunch time. Many convention centers have small grab-and-go coffee shops where you can get light breakfast fare. Instead of ordering room service, head to the convention center early and have a muffin and cup of coffee there. Look for someone you don't know and ask to sit with them. Introduce yourself; chances are you have something in common.
Similar to meal times, take advantage of snack breaks between educational sessions to chat with other attendees. Too often, we make a break for the lobby to check our voicemail and email. Sometimes that is essential, but it also eliminates networking opportunities. Let business associates know you are away with limited email/voicemail access. Many conferences offer snacks and drinks between sessions. Take advantage not only of the sugar high from the snacks but also the opportunity to meet and discuss the educational sessions with your colleagues. Voicemail and email can be checked later that evening or first thing the next morning.
Another benefit of attending conferences for licensed professionals is the ability to earn continuing education credits. If you're there to earn continuing education credits, make the most of the time to also expand your professional network. Sit with different people during educational sessions and then greet your neighbors before or after the sessions. Before hand, you can ask what other sessions they attended that they liked or what booths they visited on the show floor that were the best. After the session, you can continue the conversation to hear what they thought about the session and offer your own thoughts on it. This might lead to a drink later or possibly lunch or dinner.
Most national convention have some level of a product show so make sure to spend time at booths at the product show. The Show is a huge component of the CONSTRUCT experience. I hear some long time attendees complain that they don't want to go to the Show floor because they've "seen it all." I doubt that is true. I typically walk the floor with a friend who asks "what's new?" at each booth. This is a great way to get to know the new product offerings and let the vendors do what they do best: talk about their products. Make sure you introduce yourself to the vendors. Everyone is wearing a name tag, but shake hands, offer a name or nickname and really get to know the vendors. Many of them are great resources not just for their products but for their competitors and other industry leaders.
Use the time on the Show floor to try to meet other people. Many of us will avoid a booth when someone else is there talking with the vendor. Go ahead and step up to the booth and listen in on the on-going conversation, if it’s about the products. That may lead to questions that you have and a more rich conversation with the vendor and the other visitor. It might also lead to getting to know other professionals and maybe a dinner invitation. This happened to me at a sustainable laboratory design conference last year. I stepped into a booth and got into a conversation with another architect and the vendor. I walked out of the booth with an invitation to a dinner party that night hosted by the vendor. I met about a dozen people at that party and made some really great contacts.
The most important thing to remember is that creating a network takes time. Don't expect miracles at the first convention. My boss sent me to the CSI Convention several years ago with the direction to bring back the resume of a spec writer. I made several inquiries and generally heard "if you find someone, give them my card, too!" About seven years later, I haven't found the magic spec writer, but I am in a better position to find one if needed. I've also met a number of fantastic independent spec writers so when our firm's spec writer gets swamped, I can recommend independent writers to hire on a per project basis.
However, it took me seven years of actively attending CONSTRUCT year after year to build my network to this point. I've had similar experiences at the sustainable lab conference I attend regularly. I now know most of the vendors who exhibit at the lab conference and use those contacts to meet other people, learn about new projects and generally expand my network further. I recently returned from a conference that I attended for the first time. I used the suggestions that I’m giving here and came away with a number of good contacts that might not lead to work for my firm immediately, but you never know where folks might land in their next job. One gentleman I ate breakfast with started his career in the Marine Corps, landed at a large university on the west coast and is now in Ohio. One day, he might land closer to the east coast and be in a position to hire my firm. I’ll keep in touch with him and others because you never know when change may come, but I know my network is ready for the challenge.
