Undergraduate Blog / Defining Your Babson

Being Persistent in Networking

We hear so much about networking and the importance of building relationships… well, it doesn’t happen overnight and it takes some effort to meet people in person and not just send an email or a LinkedIn request. This was my main goal as I registered for the Future M Marketing conference in Boston. It was a three day event at the Boston Convention Center but I was only able to attend two out of the three days.

Over 10,000 people from all over came and not only did I attend workshops about Customer Insights, Digital Commerce, Sports Marketing, and Innovation but I got to listen to some amazing keynote speakers. In the Mobile Commerce Revolution presentation, the speaker addressed how mobile commerce has reached and will soon pass its tipping point: more than 60% of the U.S. population now owns smartphones. But mobile commerce is much more about consumer behavior and our daily lives than simply understanding social media and mobile apps. Data is important and in another workshop, the speaker talked about how consumers engage more deeply and purchase more often from brands and retailers when offered personalized experiences across channels. The folks in this panel showed examples how to create a more personal shopping experience to promote customer loyalty, and boost revenue. At one point, I think I was data overload!

So back to my networking story… I saw that Mullen was going to be there so I made sure to seek them out during the networking hour (which can be overwhelming for beginners, there was so much to take in and so many people to meet). I couldn’t find Mullen the first day so I strategized and left one of the keynote speaking session about ten minutes early the next day, I wanted to be one of the first to get out of there so I can find Mullen in the networking room. My plan worked and ended up having a conversation with the HR rep for almost half an hour about Babson. Persistence is key but when you seize that opportunity, don’t freeze up and not know what to say.