Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Connector Network and Upcoming Events

Hello everyone,

With so many projects underway and events coming up, the past few weeks here at Boston World Partnerships have been going by quickly!

When it was founded by the mayor, BWP’s main purpose was to serve as a way to promote Boston as an entrepreneurial hub; a vibrant place to work and start a business surrounded by a community of innovation. BWP’s “Connector” network is a community of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other business leaders. Connectors are all experts in their fields within Boston and around the world and are willing to help provide access to all the expertise, communities and resources they represent.

BWP tracks its Connectors through Salesforce, keeping a database that goes beyond collecting contact information, but includes information about their activities ensuring they are staying actively involved. When they commit to joining the network, Connectors have to commit to meeting certain requirements for eligibility to stay in the community, including publishing articles on Boston.com’s Global Business Hub, participating in Connector Selection rounds and being a part of company Strategy Sessions. I worked this past week to reformat the Salesforce pages that track Connector activity for 2012. I have never used Salesforce, so I initially had to play around with the site to understand how it was set up. The site was overwhelming to use at first, as it has so many metrics to track, formats and options so companies can custom build the site to work in the best way for their businesses. Through repeated trials by error, I was able to come up with a new procedure system to track Connector activity and updated the page so we could begin implementing it within Salesforce. Although the site was difficult to use at first, I’m glad I was able to gain exposure to it and learn how to use a new tool that brings value to our company, along with many others.

With a few events approaching in the coming weeks, there has been a demand for logistical planning and cooperation from everyone on the team. Next Tuesday, June 19t, will be BWP’s June Open Mixer where Connectors, business people in the area and other attendees will be coming together for networking. To facilitate the Connectors networking experience, BWP utilizes an “Offer/Need” system. On it’s new website, BWP allows members to post “needs” for specific resources and support and “offers” of skills and expertise they are willing to share with their entrepreneurial community. Taking this system live, a person’s nametag at an Open Mixer includes a spot for his/her name as well as a short description of their personal need/offer. Along with making for a more binded network, this allows the Connectors and other leaders who attend the event to help make connections that they are in search of right now. At the June Open Mixer, BWP is also announcing a new program its been working on to make more of an immediate impact for startups and other members of Boston’s innovation economy. Stay tuned for next week’s blog to hear more details about the initiative!

Priya