Last night was the summer cocktail party for AWNY–Advertising Women of New York, an organization that I have been a member of for around 20 years! I first got involved when I started had my first advertising sales job at Standard Rate and Data–(the bible and directory of rates for magazines, newspapers, etc.)
One of the great benefits of AWNY is meeting and connecting with great people in an industry that you are invovled with and for me there have been so many great opportunities and relationships.
I’ve given some workshops through AWNY that has led to meeting and working with great people and magazines and advertising agencies.
However two other terrific meetings came through this organization. One is that AWNY has had for its Executive Director- Liz Schroeder who is amazing and a real pro. I met her a long time ago when I was Publisher of Target Marketing magazine in the Direct Marketing Industry and she was the Promotions Director and Vice President of DM News. She has been at the helm of AWNY for at least ten years now and she ‘makes you want to come and really get invovled with the organization!’
The other terrific connection that shows the power of ‘you never know’ and true networking happened when I met a woman many years ago at an industry event and I sent her a note after the meeting and then a few more quarterly when I was at SRDS. About a year later, I still remember the pink slip telephone message on my desk–that she had called me–and then we met and I was offered my first sales position for a consumer magazine and the launch of Manhattan, Inc.! Now this was 1986 (ok, I’m dating myself) however the woman who is Arlene Manos and the outgoing President of AWNY and President of RAINBOW Advertising Sales Corporation–was at this time the publisher of Manhattan, Inc. I always remember that she gave me the chance and opportunity to break into a new form of the business and I will always be grateful and remember her for that.
Years later in life and business, through AWNY, I reconnected with Arlene who is terrific and another true professional in the field.
Get involved with the organizations you work with or where your clients may go. The opportunities and connections are endless–when you stick with it and stay involved.