The myth of networking at design events
As today kicks off SF Design Week 2021, I’ve been reflecting on what I see as the real value of attending design talks and conferences.
4 years ago, I attended my first SFDW, as a volunteer. That year, I was going to design talks multiple nights a week. I volunteered at events hosted by the AIGA SF chapter. I sat in on panel discussions and workshops at General Assembly. I went to my first-ever large conference in Las Vegas. It would be fair to say I spent a huge chunk of my free time at design events.
Since then, I’ve scaled back, but have continued to go to a few events per year. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve tuned into live talks on Zoom, attended Figma Config, plus a healthy handful of Clubhouse rooms, YouTube recordings, and podcast interviews.
Design talks during the pandemic
It should go without saying that there’s a remarkable difference between in-person and virtual events. For design talks, virtual events inherently lack important elements: the opportunity to visit a company’s office, the stage design, the snacks… (And despite these challenges, we saw a number of organizations and companies host amazing remote events. They all deserve our congratulations.)
Most importantly, the shift to virtual events has had big consequences on networking. But… not for me.
The myth of networking
I’ve met a lot of talented, friendly, interesting, admirable people at design events. I’ve gone through all the standard motions: striking up a conversation before the talk begins, trading notes and insights after, sticking around for the occasional “afterparty” drinks. I’ve had interesting follow-up discussions, connected on LinkedIn, stayed in touch on Twitter… all of the things that one does at events like these.
But for the most part, in my experience, none of those connections turned into long-term collaborations, friendships, or career opportunities. Unless we were introduced by a mutual friend or coworker, most of the new connections I made have faded. That’s just been my personal experience; your results may vary.
On the other hand, I’ve run into friends at events, and that’s always a delight. I’ve rekindled connections with former coworkers. I’ve met people IRL who I’ve known from the Internet. So for me, when I think of networking, I think of strengthening the connections I already have, rather than making new connections.
The takeaway
I see a lot of professional and personal value in attending live design events, whether in-person or virtual. Personally, unless I know someone there, I get similar value out of watching a video or listening to a podcast on my own time. The caveat being, you never know who you’ll bump into by chance.
Neil Shankar is an Interactive Designer at Square. Views are my own, not my employer’s. tallneil.io / @tallneil
