The holidays are a great time to network. Most industry groups, clubs, and companies try to host some form of a planned event in December to bring people together in a social setting. Despite the poor state of the economy, this Christmas season was no exception. While many organizations chose to scale back their festivities, there still seemed to be plenty of networking events to choose from. If planned carefully, such events can be a goldmine of opportunity to expand your reach and connect with others. Unfortunately, my own lack of planning led to what could have been one of the most disappointing engagements I have ever attended. Fortunately, I’ve learned the benefit of making up the rules as I go.

 Prior to this particular industry association event, I cannot recall ever attending a networking social where I did not recognize at least one other person in the room. Yet, there I was, nametag proudly displayed on my lapel proclaiming “Hello, my name is A.J.,” staring out over a crowd of strangers who seemingly couldn’t care less. “This was a mistake,” I told myself. My biggest mistake was not adequately preparing for this event. I had known about it for weeks in advance, yet, against my better judgment, I postponed my usual pre-meeting preparations until the last minute.  Ordinarily, I would try to get my hands on an attendee list and run profiles on those prospects that I most wanted to meet. This strategy works well in allowing me to identify and connect with specific individuals with whom I hope to someday do business. Of course, I got busy and ended up not preparing at all. I still decided to attend because I figured that I would be able to draft off my colleague who was supposed to attend and was better connected with this particular group than I; but, something came up and she ended up not showing. I knew it was time to break out the big guns.

 I tried everything in the toolbox. I asked the host for a copy of the attendee list – sorry, no such luck. I scanned the name badges on the welcome table – most of them were already gone. I hung out by the hosted bar – just a bunch of drunks. I hung out by the food table – just a bunch of moochers. I worked the room – just a bunch of depressing folks griping to their associates about the sad state of affairs of the current market. I left the gig feeling completely defeated, upset with myself for not seeing this one coming.

 On my way out of the hotel, I heard some jazzy music coming from a banquet hall just off the lobby. The music was being drowned out by a large crowd that was obviously having a killer time. I made an inquiry with the desk clerk and discovered that the noisy event was the annual holiday party of the largest real estate development company in the region. I thanked her for the information, trying hard to disguise my amazement at this sudden change of fortune. I then took a deep breath and proceeded to crash the party.

 This unplanned event turned out to be a real winner. I met some great people, gained some valuable insight into one of my top client pursuits, and had fun in the process. Maybe it was the lack of pressure; maybe I was just feeling more empowered knowing that I was really not supposed to even be there. I guess the biggest lesson to take out of this is to be persistent. When it comes to business development, a tenacious attitude can go a long way – that, and party crashing. Add that one to your networking toolbox!