Table-top displays at the Open Meeting event

[Paul Walsh]

The Corporate Gateway - Open Meeting (this year on March 30) is a red letter day in terms of the number of people that it brings together in one place. I've always found it a great networking opportunity but like any such event your mileage may vary depending on who you end up meeting on the day. The Gateway programme is also good and again I've had good meetings from it. But it depends on the delegates selecting who they want to meet, so there isn't much opportunity for serpendipity.

I had a think on the serpendipity angle, and an idea came: why not have some tabletop displays around the edge of the event? If people want to talk to other Open Meeting attendees only, that's fine, but if they want to intersperse that with looking at some more structured displays then they can do so. If that leads to a conversation that they weren't expecting to have - even better!

To keep it democratic, one standard space per Cambridge Network member on a first-come allocation basis. To keep it recession-friendly, no charge.

Is it a good idea? Can it be done?

[Peter Hewkin]

Dear Paul,

Thanks for your warm words about www.cambridgecorporategateway.com and raising this. We had a small but highly democratic(!) discussion in the office just now and came up with the following response..

“Corporate Gateway is all about exposing inbound top companies to exciting stuff which our members have. While the bulk of the two and a half day event is guided by what the inbound companies want we see the ‘Open Meeting’ as the time where we can give our members a fighting chance to jostle their way thro to the ‘must have conversation’ – so far so good!

Corporate Gateway is funded by sponsorship and the sponsors get stands as part of their deal – so we would worry about killing the geese that lay the golden (well £3-7k actually) eggs. Space allowing we could invent some sort of micro-sponsorship which gets members ‘just’ a table top exhibit. Which is halfway to what you want!

HOWEVER! We usually have (and will revive this year!!) an elevator pitch opportunity at the beginning of the open meeting where 3 member organizations picked out of the hat get the opportunity to speak for 2 minutes in front of the assembled audience including inbound international delegates of 200 odd. This is offered for FREE. E-mail [e-mail] who is holder of the ‘electronic hat’ and organises the logistics for Corporate Gateway

There are also a handful of other opportunities over the following two days to ‘be in the right place at the right time’ for a snatched conversation. Cambridge Network are looking for volunteer ‘minders’ to look after delegates as they move around Cambridge between meetings, dinners and lunches .. if you have a particular target there might be a ‘win-win’ here.

Regards,

Peter