ecohouse project: how to host a networking event · 1 . ecohouse project: how to host a networking...
TRANSCRIPT
1
EcoHouse Project: How to Host a Networking Event In Fall of 2015, students in the Macalester EcoHouse embarked on a project to host a networking event at the national AASHE Conference (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), North America’s largest campus sustainability conference in North America. The following steps detail our process for recruiting, planning, and hosting this event. Description of this even as submitted to AASHE This networking event will allow students to build relationships with peers and small groups of recent graduates. Participants will first ask predetermined conversation starters regarding their own work or interests in sustainability. This promotes random networking and can be viewed as an ice-breaker activity. After about thirty minutes, we will ask students to sit at a table across from a partner. In intervals of 10 minutes, participants will ask each other important questions in a more intimate setting. Students will rotate like this for about an hour. We will end with free-form networking and a collective art project. At this time, students will be encouraged to follow-up with any new acquaintances and speak with anyone that they have not yet met. This combination of free-form and speed networking is the best way to garner multiple insights into many different career trajectories in a short amount of time. Recruitment Standard Messaging: It’s important that every group member agrees to standard messaging when recruiting networkers from businesses, student groups, and NGOs. To do so, we used a script for phone calls and emails. At this point, we also logged our contacts on a spreadsheet. Contact Name
Organization Name
Phone Number Email
Date Contacted Did they reply?
Are they going? Contacted By
We began recruitment two to three months before the event. We had around 12 graduates and 50 students at our networking session. Example ask via email: Dear _______, It’s my pleasure to invite you and your colleagues to the National AASHE conference coming to Minneapolis this October 25th-28th. We are looking for college alumni (no more than 10 years removed from higher education) who would like to network with college students in search of sustainable careers. Recent alumni have a fresh perspective on what it’s like to search for an environmental/sustainability related job. Please share your journey with current college students across the country and join the Student Summit Networking Event on Sunday October 25th 1:00-3:00, titled Life After College: Speed Networking with Recent Graduates.
2
The goal of this session is to foster dialogue between recent graduates and college students. Students interested in sustainability or the environment are easily overwhelmed by the myriad of applications and career trajectories available to them. Should they enter a non-profit organization or work for a large company? A combination of free-form and speed networking with diverse professionals is the best way to garner multiple insights for students. This is not only a great networking opportunity for students, but also for you and your representative organization to recruit young professionals. Registration is free! To register, email [email protected]. Please feel free to contact Kayla Walsh at [email protected] with any questions or suggestions and share this announcement with interested parties. Thanks, Example follow-up via email: Dear [company], My name is ____ and I am part of a committee creating a workshop for the National AASHE conference coming to Minneapolis this October 25th-28. I am hoping that [company] can send a representative who is no more than 10 years removed from college to our workshop on Sunday October 25th 1:00-3:00, titled Life After College: Speed Networking with Recent Graduates. The goal of this session is to foster dialogue between college student and somewhat recent graduates who have careers that deal with sustainability and the environment. We are hoping that graduates can share the path and the decisions they made that led them to their current careers. An estimated 100 students from across the nation will be attending this workshop. This is a great opportunity for you to represent [company] to current college students across the country and recruit young professionals who are motivated by sustainability. There is no cost for you to attend the workshop, and the workshop is only 2 hours long. If you are interested in this opportunity, or have any questions, please contact Kayla Walsh at [email protected], and please feel free to share this email with anyone else who might be interested. Thank you, Example follow-up via email: Greetings! If you are receiving this email, you have registered for the AASHE Student Summit Networking Event taking place on Sunday October 25th from 1:00-3:00, titled Life After College: Speed Networking with Peers and Graduates. We expect to have 50 to 100 college students ready to network with you and other recent graduates, so we thank you for your commitment and dependability! Here’s everything that you will need to know about what’s happening on the 25th:
3
-Arrive at the Minneapolis Convention Center at 1:00 or a few minutes beforehand to sign in 1301 2nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55403 (click the address for a link to google maps)
Parking: Link to the Minneapolis Convention Center’s advice on parking Link to a map of parking and parking prices in Minneapolis -To avoid confusion, DO NOT register at the AASHE registration table unless you are signed up to attend the entire conference. Instead, proceed directly to Room 200B. Please see the attached map of the Conference Center to help you locate Room 200B. Please email me with if you have any further questions or suggestions. I’m looking forward to a wonderful networking event! Remember, students are depending on you to show up, so please notify me if you cannot make it. On the flip-side, don’t be afraid to bring along other recent grads. See you at AASHE, Schedule of Events: Finalize your schedule at least one month before your event in order to purchase proper materials. Our event had different activities to keep conversation flowing. Here is a handout of our schedule that we provided our networkers at the event.
Handout
BINGO NETWORKING: 30mn
Talk with people and use this bingo sheet to help jump-start conversation. Come to front table if you get a bingo!
Treasure Hunt Grid Networking: 30mn
How it Works: The room will be divided into four quadrants and one middle section: I’m interested in meeting people in..
1) Environmental Activism 2) Environmental Policy and Business 3) Environmental Education and Ecology 4) Environmental Development and Sustainability 5) Middle=all of these or none of these!
Speed Networking: 1hr
How it Works: Individuals will take a seat across from one another and have conversations.
Art Piece: Ongoing Add to it whenever you like!
4
Materials Tape, scissors, art supplies for the art project, handouts, pens, directional signs, sign-in sheets to record who shows up, laptop with PowerPoint, PowerPoint We found it helpful to have a rolling, instructional PowerPoint during the session. This PowerPoint had conversation prompts that corresponded with our different types of networking activities. Here is a link to the PowerPoint: https://docs.google.com/a/macalester.edu/presentation/d/1TPsjDj4JLRvNGm9cfQDJxRc9kt6WzCXIwpNhZ3GfivQ/edit?usp=sharing Follow-up After hosting a successful event, we made sure to thank all of our attendees via email and archived our materials and processes.