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The shortcut I found for making friends at conferences in Austin
I kept going to tech meetups and standing in corners not talking to anyone. After three bad tries I started hanging out near the coffee station instead of the crowded bar area. People trickled in one at a time to refill and you could actually have a conversation without yelling. Met a guy named Mike from Dallas that way and he ended up referring me for a job six months later. Has anyone else found a weird spot that works better than the main gathering area?
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cole3565mo ago
Yeah the "weird spot" thing is real... I do the same thing at SXSW every year. The coffee station or even the hallway between session rooms works way better than the main chaos. People are less guarded when they're just grabbing a drink or waiting around. They're not trying to network hard, they're just existing. That's when real talk happens. I met my current business partner near the trash cans of all places.
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stellaa695mo ago
Wait, did you really meet your business partner by the trash cans @cole356? That's kind of hilarious but also makes total sense. Those low pressure spots really are where the best connections happen.
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mila_harris5mo ago
Disagree completely. Tried the "low pressure spot" thing at a few conferences and it was just awkward small talk that went nowhere. The best connections I've made were when I actually put in EFFORT and approached people during the main events, not hiding by the coffee machine.
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