Tech After Five gets beyond small talk to foster productive tech connections
Most networking events “are terrible,” says Phil Yanov, founder of Tech After Five. “You have the wrong people bumping into each other not making the right things happen. They can’t; the recipe is wrong.”
Tech After Five is an organization that hosts networking events geared to connect members of the technology industry in the Upstate and surrounding regions. Unlike the events to which Yanov alludes, Tech After Five uses a different tack to allow attendees to bridge the gap between small talk and productive, meaningful conversations.
The board of advisors for the GSA Technology Council, Tech After Five’s parent group, approached Yanov with the request that he develop a networking event specifically for Upstate tech professionals. After several meetings and more thought about how to change the networking attendees to pass out and collect formula, Yanov agreed. Like most networking events, Tech After Five provides opportunities for attendees to pass out and collect business cards, collaborate with other Tech professionals in the field, and gain After Five provides opportunities for contacts. However, Yanov noticed that many events failed to meet these objectives.
In order make the key question “What is it you’re looking for tonight?” as easy to share as a name or company, Yanov added this piece of information to the nametag. Whether attendees are looking for work, collaborators, business or employees, their goal is displayed under their name.
The feedback after the first few Tech After Five events in 2008 indicated success for Yanov’s idea. Yanov continued to build off the nametag and added components to Tech After Five in order to provide the right conditions for successful connections.
“Look, you can come hang out with us, but you’re going to have to tell me what it is you want,” Yanov says. To sign up for an event online, attendees must provide not only their name, company, and title, but also their reason for attending. Upon online registration, Tech After Five provides a list of others who have signed up, and the information entered during registration is transferred to the nametag that is ready at the event. With the Ta5 iPhone app, users can create and manage a Ta5 profile and select five people to meet from the attendee list. For Yanov, Tech After Five’s objective is simple. “If you’re a tech entrepreneur, I want you to build your business. If you’re a tech professional, I want you to advance your career.”
