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For work, or work-related summer parties, there are plenty to recommend. This is a neat way to create new contacts and reconnect with people who were trash by talking to that year. However, it comes with costs and pitfalls.
Nevertheless, there are some good rules of thumb, even in the relative lull between the party rush in July and the engagement in early September.
First and foremost, I notice that the number of parties offering good and abundant nibbles is welcome, but grab a sandwich in advance. In my experience, this risk isn’t that drunk at night. It upsets me that I have never observed or experienced because I love good gossip. The next day, I’ve consumed exactly four canapes and four glasses of wine through a more general, bitter experience and second hand goods.
One solution is to plan dinner after the event, especially if you’re going with a colleague you particularly like. Another thing is to have a good sandwich just before. One of the reasons I love Gale so much is that it beats after 5am as a place where you can get a sandwich in central London. Anyway, non-alcoholic options are constantly improving, but make your own plan for food and water plans.
This last hydration has become particularly serious as more and more summer parties appear to be taking place at the statement venue. I had a thoroughly wonderful time at a recent event. This is thanks to the company that remains unnamed, but the glass roof of the beautiful venue felt like leftovers from the microwave. By the end I was very dehydrated and felt like I had woken up after a 48 hour vendor despite having had a glass of wine.
Secondly, don’t forget that this is a working event. Again, I’m not referring to inappropriate behavior you don’t want your colleagues to look at. Sadly, summer parties have almost freed up these days from summer parties. A more common problem is that hyper-awareness of being in an industry mixer can lead to gatherings with an overly formal sense of weddings amongst the fighting nations. This is what I think is going through more in the academic and corporate world than when summer parties were in Westminster.
When it comes to interacting, it’s perfectly fine for a slower transaction. Of course, it’s not as far as you can see over someone else’s shoulder. But it’s a positively good idea to say, “Well, I have to talk about it before I leave,” or “it has to cycle” after the conversation runs that course. Certainly, this is a better approach than claiming you need to go to Lou.
Also, in an age where physical business cards are abolished outside of the diplomatic circuit, when you fill a new contact, you should enter new numbers in the memo app on your phone, not in your contacts. That way, don’t forget to send follow-up messages in a timely manner. Or exchange numbers and connect at the same time via LinkedIn.
Finally, start with an honest explanation of the person you actually like. I had a lovely time at a garden party in Westminster a few weeks ago, but then I realized I had little to learn about the inner life of the party in question. If you meet someone at a company summer party that is enough to invite into your home, the best approach is to do a simple check-in and do it exactly. You can do more convenient networking and look forward to a better night during the gap between parties in August.
