I spent $500 on a networking event and it was a total waste

I used to think paying for those big conference tickets was the best way to meet people. Last month I dropped about $500 on a 'premium' startup mixer in Austin. It was just a crowded room with everyone pitching themselves, no real talk. I got maybe two business cards from people who weren't even in my field. Now I'm just going to free local meetups or setting up my own small coffee chats. Has anyone else had a bad experience with a pricey event and found a better way to connect?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_jones992mo ago

Man, that's a brutal way to spend five hundred bucks. Those big events can feel like a factory for empty handshakes. I've had way better luck just inviting a couple interesting people for a coffee.

robertb472mo ago

My best contacts came from small dinners, not big rooms.

king.aaron2mo ago

Five hundred bucks for a factory handshake? Victor_jones99 has it right. That's a full tank of diesel to get from Chicago to Denver. You could take six people out for a real steak dinner with that kind of money and actually hear their stories. Big rooms just make everyone talk like they're reading from a brochure.