"MBA Drinks" Networking Event Party, Toronto, 4th May 2012. www.MBAdrinks.com

I had a chance to attend one of the the "MBA Drinks" event yesterday. A party for MBAs in the Toronto and surrounding area. It is a MBA Networking and Social Event organization. Check out www.MBAdrinks.com

This is an excellent initiative for students from Business Schools to meet, interact and form professional networks. I was there for a few hours and met students from the following business schools:

• Ivey, Western U
• Schulich, York U
• Rotman, U of Toronto
• DeGroote, McMaster U &
• Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson U.  

Some of my pics below. I usually do not attend many parties. But I thought that I should start networking face to face now on - in person, not just online :) . Plus I wanted to have a small celebration for having secured an internship.

How did I like it? Well, it was fun. To start off, I was impressed by the organizing skills of the event managers. Good job, people. Very well done. It is not easy to inform, invite and bring together people from different business schools under one roof on a weekend.

I saw lot of MBAs. Talked to a few. But most were busy dancing! There was loud music. It was a fun event. But it was not one of those well light quiet sessions. It was a night club type event, held at the C Lounge, in Toronto. I spent a few hours, exchanged business cards with a few MBAs. Spoke to some about topics of interest to me. It was good. As always, it is hard for me to meet people of exactly my wave length. I like be "all business, all the time". I like to eat, drink, talk and walk business, so to speak. But some of the people I meet do not absolutely want to talk about business / career / future when out at a party. Well, to each, his / her own! I have no problems with that. But I tell you one thing - I always feel guilty during such events. I feel that I should rather be with my books, in the library or in my room, studying! Doing something productive. Of course, networking is productive too. There is benefit in networking, but it is all about value versus cost! And how you perceive it.

Gerry.