Organised by ChinaBiz Speakers, the inaugural TGIF meeting was small but really rather good. Since it was publicised through Facebook, I got a chance to meet people I'd only known online, which is always an interesting (and in this case, pleasant) experience. With only six attendees, which later dwinded to four, it was definitely a case of quality over quantity which really showed in the conversation. It just goes to show that numbers aren't everything and it's possible (and in fact easier) to make great connections at small gatherings.
The world's premier geek "unconference", BarCamp, made it to Shanghai for the second year running. It was a much more equal mix of locals and foreigners this year, with a lot of familiar faces from the 2006 Shanghai BarCamp. Lots of interesting (for geeks) talks, including a "command-line camp," a series of talks about VC funding and a discussion on open-source business practices. While the event's not really suited to a non-geek crowd, as a geek myself I learned a lot, met some great people and had a chance to reconnect with old friends from last year.
Waiwhite Dragon Cocktail Night
As the publishers of Shanghai's Who is Who Guide, Wai White Dragon should certainly know how to throw a bash with the right kind of people. They didn't disappoint. At their invite-only event at Bar789, I met a lot of CEOs, GMs and a deputy consul or two. Judging by their gala a few months ago and this cocktail night, Wai White is doing a great job of positioning its events as THE place to meet high-end people (outside of the chambers' sporadic balls and galas)
The latest interchamber mixer was a bit of a mixed bag. Like every other interchamber, the crowds were massive, though this time around the group dynamic seemed a little different, with more people staying in groups for longer. Depending on who you want to meet and why you want to network, this could be a good or a bad thing. Good because you can get to know people better, but not so good because (politely) breaking into a group can be more difficult than finding an unattached person to talk to. Personally, I would've liked to have had more mingling going on.
People-wise, there were a lot of new faces compared to the previous interchambers, with a good mix of locals and expats. Quite a few attendees mentioned that the quality of the people wasn't up to that of previous interchambers, though it's difficult to judge since everyone goes there to meet different people. I came out of it with three or four useful contacts, and less cards than I'd usually gather from an interchamber event. Of course, quality counts over quantity, but I'm pretty sure I got the same amount of useful contacts from the previous interchambers too.
The only other things are pretty minor: The food wasn't up to the usual standards of interchambers, being mostly non-finger-food, making it difficult to juggle a plate, a fork, a wine glass and cards all at the same time. Also, the lack of any background music didn't do much for the ambience.
At the end of the day though, what counts is what you get from a networking event. Despite a few negative points, I got some good contacts to follow up on. It's with this in mind I can recommend the interchamber mixers, even though this one wasn't quite up to their usual high standards.
Held in the majestic Children's Palace, Wai White's Who is Who Grande Gala was one of the best events I've been to in a long time. The venue was amazing, the crowd consisted of some of Shanghai's movers and shakers and the champagne was free-flowing.
Much, much bigger than the last Canuck Connection we reviewed, this event got over 200 attendants, including some pretty high rollers like GMs and Consuls. Mostly Canadian, with quite a few locals and some other nationalities thrown in. Good value and lots of networking.
Overseas Chinese Network: Apr '07
More of a social event, the OCN mixer drew out a huge crowd of overseas Chinese for an evening of quality networking. Lots of Australian and American Chinese, one or two British Chinese and about three or four Europeans. Lots of locals too. Interesting to be the only Euro in a room of Chinese-looking networkers...
NextStep Tuesday: 3 Apr '07
Good event, met some useful contacts. NextStep has made a great splash on the networking scene, and it's encouraging to see that they're maintaining their good work.
Fortune Cookies Media Night
By Sheldon 'Tono' Adams
Highly recommended for those involved in media and the arts. Not the place to go if you are looking for logistics solutions.
Price
Registered: 50 RMB Unregistered: 80 RMB
Food
Didn't see any but there might have been some hiding around somewhere
Crowd
Over 150 people, good turnout.
Well-mixed between locals to expats and industry to freelance individuals (as it was a media networking event). Many freelance writers, fine artists, photographers, and web designers were matching up well with corporate agents and/or making new friends.
Vibe
Energetic especially since Underground Lounge was packed. Being that it was a media networking event the atmosphere was more casual, friendly, and "interesting" than one may find at other events.
