Next year’s pre-Day of Coach Tourism 2012 Get-Together takes place on Sunday, 8thJanuary 2012 in the phaeno in Wolfsburg. This is an important social evening where RDA members and conference participants have an opportunity to meet up and “network” in a pleasant and unusual location. Tony Hsieh, CEO of “Zappos.com”, states in his inspiring and bestselling book “Delivering Happiness – A Path to Passion, Profits and Purpose”, that he himself really dislikes “business networking” events. He says that the goal of most of these events is to walk around and find people to trade business cards with, in the hope of meeting someone who can help you out in business. In exchange, you might also be able to help that person out in return.

Tony Hsieh says that he generally avoids “networking” events and that he rarely carries any business cards around with him. He advises us all to stop trying to “network” in the traditional business sense and to try to build up the number and depth of our personal friendships where the friendship itself is its own reward. He is convinced from his successful experience to-date that the more diverse our friendships are, the more likely we will derive both personal and business benefits from these friendships two to three years down the line.

I remember when I was a young lad that my father used to attend “socials”. These were none other than networking events but without the business cards. The foreground emphasis was indeed on the social, but such gatherings solidified a support structure that transcended any purely business aspect. Many of us are involved in organising or attending “business networking events” which have a social character. Some of the best and longest-standing relationships and friendships are established during the social as opposed to the more formal levels of these events. This social connection is frequently transformed later on into a business connection.

So rather than talking about industry and business networking maybe we should be returning to the concept of social occasions where participants can get to know each other better. Where they take time out to establish new relationships and strengthen existing ones without having to immediately exchange business cards and other credentials. Our annual exhibition and conference programmes will no longer be promoted as business networking events but as “social business occasions” where the strictly business makes way for the “familial” atmosphere we all experience, enjoy and appreciate during RDA conferences and events in particular. Who knows who we will meet, share stories with and end up helping out down the road?

This is not only a change in terminology but an incentive to reflect upon and engage in further personal and business transformation over the New Year to come. As Tony Hsieh says, you will not know exactly what the benefits will be, but if the friendships are genuine, those benefits will indeed magically appear! I look forward to seeing you at our next RDA social business occasion on Sunday 8th January 2012 in the phaeno in Wolfsburg!

The phaeno in Wolfsburg is a contemporary space for people who want to experience something new discovering the world by touching, trying things out, finding astonishment, playing, exploring and above all unravelling the mysterious natural-scientific phenomena of everyday life. Over 300 phenomena may be marvelled at in phæno. Have you ever steered a car with the accelerator pedal, created a melody out of soap bubbles, formed a mushroom out of mist, seen an electromagnetic hedgehog or experienced the world’s most fiery tornado? If not, then this is the place to do so. Two Visitor Labs, a Science Theatre and an Ideas Forum will provide Day of Coach Tourism participants even more opportunities to see, hear, touch, smell and feel. The phaeno features rooms for staging special events on three levels of the building as well as two restaurants. And phenomena "to go" can be found in the "Supermarket of Knowledge" the phæno Shop.

Further information: www.phaeno.de

- Dr. Patrick Patridge -