My last Happy Hour was outrageous, but for those of you who have attended my events know, they are all over the top!  I thought I knew everyone, but I actually keep meeting “new” people at these events.  This only proves that the chances of building new relationships are bottomless.  My venue, Studio 41, was a fantastic showroom to have an event.  The food was delicious as always, catered by Dona Delivers.  A special thanks to them for providing  gluten-free noshes and desserts enjoyed by everyone, not just me. 

So you’re expecting a rant?  Not to disappoint you, I did notice that several people came to my NETWORKING event without business cards.  This is perfectly acceptable if you only popped in to eat and drink.  Actually, this is not acceptable.  If your sole purpose was to chow down,  there are great restaurants all over Scottsdale.  If you want to meet new people and build your business, than the most inexpensive way to do this is to attend my monthly Happy Hours and pass out your business cards.  If you gave your last card out that morning, be prepared to quickly print new, temporary cards on your computer, or write your name and contact information on index cards. 

Your business cards will not work for you if you leave them in the car, unless you are attending a psychic event.  But, as far as I know, people in the design community don’t have the ability to read your mind, so have those business cards with you at all times.  And by the way, business cards with fonts that are too small to read don’t do you much good.  Also, I have seen cards with no email addresses!  Is your contact information a secret?  Think about it.  If you have taken the time to get business cards, don’t you want them to be used to increase your business?

I have to give a shout out to all of you who are very conscientious about attending networking events with business cards and a smile.  These events were created to help you build new relationships and increase business for you.  

See you at the next Happy Hour, and don’t forget to mark your calendar for our Holiday Party on December 13th!