Our most precious and valuable asset is TIME.
We're humbled by the outpouring of support from our LinkedIn community that made our LinkedIn Local Seattle event a priority.
It all started a few months ago when I began seeing various LinkedIn Local events popping up across the United States and around the world. Diverse groups of professionals were getting together to share ideas, network and grow relationships in-person. I was shocked to see that Seattle, one of the most successful cities for professionals and a thriving hotbed for talent didn't really have a significant presence with LinkedIn Local. In fact, only one LinkedIn Local event had ever been held in Seattle.
I reached out to the LinkedIn Local team and within a week I was on a video conference call with people from all around the world looking to host an event in their city. It was by far one of the coolest meetings I had ever participated in and you could genuinely feel the energy and momentum of the movement picking up.
Before I go any further, take a moment to orient yourself with some background info on LinkedIn Local...
About LinkedIn Local
LinkedIn Local is a global movement that is "designed to take online relationships offline to get to know the person behind the profile." The movement started a year ago in Australia by group of LinkedIn connections and has grown to be a global phenomenon.
Due to overwhelming demand and success of this grassroots movement, the group recently launched LocalX as a way to empower those looking to host an event by leveraging lessons-learned and access to marketing materials.
Back to the story...
The video conference was led by Anna McAfee, a founding member of LinkedIn Local. She was so helpful in laying out best practices and what to expect. I came away with some great ideas and new friendships. Within a day or so, I received a follow up from Anna connecting me to Justin Smyth, another professional in Seattle looking to join forces. I had help. It was great to see the sense of community that was generated by a simple request which then fostered introductions and new connections.
LinkedIn Local Seattle
Justin and I met over a beer and brainstormed some ideas. Within a few days we had set up a weekly sync call with new team members from Wimmer Solutions, Envijo and Microsoft joining in on planning.
We wanted people to not only connect, but also leave with valuable information. So we decided to have a panel of experts discussing "Personal Branding." The response was inspiring. More than 100 people registered for our event and close to 70 attended.
Panel: "Personal Branding"
Thank you to my fellow panelists Alex Ortiz, Cat Almanzor, CSMR and Justin Smyth (co-host) for sharing your thoughts on establishing a personal brand to stand out and find career success. The group shared some great insights and tips for our attendees on how to break into a new career, find mentors and establish an online presence leveraging LinkedIn. One theme that seemed to resonate with our panel is that of "Authenticity" and having genuine engagements with people, sharing your truth and providing value to your current and/or your future connections.
John Marty, a senior product manager at Amazon created a wonderful recap video of his experience and his key takeaways. Not only is he a great example of a content creator (check him out on YouTube), he's also someone that understands his audience and his personal brand. He thoughtfully captured the energy, ideas and vibe from a the physical event and shared it with his LinkedIn community online to make an even greater impact.
I want to thank Wimmer Solutions and Retreat for sponsoring the event, we couldn't have done it without you. I also want to thank our amazing LinkedIn Local Seattle planning committee Ken Tradewell, Aman Ghrmai and Melissa Morrisette.
For all the attendees, THANK YOU from the entire team! We are truly grateful. Please take a moment to join our LinkedIn Local Seattle group.
Watch Our LinkedIn Seattle Recap Video
Last but not least, I want to thank my team at Envijo and our co-founder Shawn Sergev for sponsoring and creating this great recap video. More content from the event including the complete panel along with details on the next LinkedIn Local Seattle coming soon.
We built new relationships, rekindled friendships and cultivated connections on a beautiful Seattle evening. If you have a chance, please look up and attend a LinkedIn Local in your area. If one doesn't exist, start one. You'll be so happy you did.
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