The first really big event I really went to was sponsored by Chicago Booth on May 29, 2009 “The Future of Markets” Conference, which was the 57th Management Conference that Booth has hosted. Chicago Booth (formerly the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, until a huge donation by an alumnus to name the school) hosts several large events every year. The “Future of Markets” conference was at the Sheraton in downtown Chicago, with some sessions across the street at the Gleacher Center (UChicago’s downtown business school campus).
This conference was HUGE – there were about 1,000 people attending and I was probably the only undergraduate there. The demographics were also about 80% men, mostly older, mostly white, wearing suits. Talk about intimidating! That said, since it was still early in my networking career, and I didn’t have to worry about whether my job depended on how I interacted with anyone there, it wasn’t so bad. When I arrived, I got my name tag, went up an escalator, and was confronted with the cash bar and a bunch of men in suits standing around nonchalantly like they owned the place. Not to be deterred by the trappings of power, I put on my nametag and strolled confidently over to the nearest small group and introduced myself.
The event had a lunch roundtable, which was a neat way of getting to know 5-8 other people in a specific industry (I chose entrepreneurship). After lunch, there was a long panel discussion with some academic powerhouses and an industry person or two about the future of markets, efficient market theory, the state of the economy, and so on. I don’t remember learning very much from the panel – to be honest, one rarely does – since the highest value part of any event is meeting people for career-related purposes, also known as networking.
Meeting new people (especially in a job-related context) can be scary for some, especially if they clearly have money and power and you don’t. However, what I learned from this conference was that practice makes perfect. Even if you feel awkward about your first impression (and I often talk so fast that I garble my words, although the voice in my head totally enunciates better, I swear!)…. You get better with practice. So all you anxious job-hunters out there, make sure you go to a few events for target practice. Get your elevator pitch going and make sure to have a firm handshake. Happy networking!
Chicago Booth “Future of Markets” Conference Ratings (on a 1-4 scale, 4 = best)
Overall – 3/4 (Good event, possibly useful connections)
Noise – 4/4 Boardroom crisp / lecture hall clear
People – decent balance between breadth (free-for-all networking near the cash bar) and depth (lunch roundtables)
Food – 4/4, tasty catered awesomeness included in the $80 ticket price (cheap for a conference, but expensive for a student)
Clothing – business formal (suits)
Approximate Gender Ratio – 80 % men, 20% women
Age Range - 30s-70s (plenty of gray hairs)
Cost - $85 – pricey but worth the experience
URL / more info: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/mc/2009/index.aspx
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