While seemingly more of a drinking opportunity rather than a formal networking event, AustCham still provided me with some interesting contacts.

The Venue

The Radisson Plaza's a bit out of the way -- a 15 minute walk from the nearest metro station, Jiangsu Lu. Luckily, that didn't seem to have an impact on the number of people there -- by about 9:00pm the place was full.

It's not the first place I would've chosen to host an event -- apart from being quite far away, the bar's also split into multi-level sections, making it slightly more difficult to network. This kind of setup's ideal in a more general setting, but not really conducive to mixing. Other than that, the ambience was fine. The Tavern Bar's quite a traditional looking pub, with archaic paraphernalia dotted around and animal heads mounted on the wall. Not exactly typical Aussie, but still warmly traditional.

Refreshments

10 RMB Fosters or Shanghai Beer. Enough said. Well, almost enough. Certainly anyone who has in mind the (unfair) stereotype of the beer-swilling Aussie won't be surprised by the cheap booze.

People

More of a casual crowd than most, with a higher than usual number sans business card. Still, the people were pretty interesting, with representatives from logistics, government, real estate, theme parks and financial services. There were lots more, but cheap alcohol and lack of business cards have clouded my memory. Position-wise, there were quite a few Business Development types, a Regional Director or two and the odd General Manager.

Coolest job: Business Development Executive, Warner Village Theme Parks

On a slightly sadder note, that night was Dalwyn's last one at AustCham Shanghai. Judging by most people's reactions, she'll be missed and she's left big shoes to fill.

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