This post was sent in by Snowcial Founder Sonny Mayugba. Sonny started Heckler Magazine, went on to work in marketing for Tower Records and the restaurant industry. Sonny’s current projects are the community driven online newspaper, The Sacramento Press, and the food and drink social network, . Sonny is a gastronome, snowboarder, musician, father and seriously fun guy to have at snowcial.
Let’s face a raw fact: networking events can be torturous and boring. When I hear the term “networking event,” I immediately picture a hotel convention room filled with 10-person round tables with white linens and floral centerpieces. Guys in khaki slacks and tucked-in button downs and women in smart business attire are all tagged with identity badges and armed with business cards. It’s a room full of people selling each other and it makes me gag. That’s why Snowcial is amazing. The aforementioned scenario does not exist; yet, the networking is in full effect.
Here’s the Top 5 ways we network at Snowcial:
1. The Poker Tournament
The famed poker tourney happens on night one at an actual casino table and is a great way to have fun with friends, new and old. Cocktails flow while everyone does their best Doyle Brunson. Want to know how I became good friends with the fifth ever employee at Google? The poker tourney. Find me, I’ll be the guy in the Chinese pajamas.
2. Snow Shredding
This is our core. Chat with people on the lift then explore new terrain together. This and golf bring people close together. And there’s not much like grabbing a beer after a long day of skiing, snowboarding, snowllerblading or sledding. Live to Ride, Ride to Live. Plus, you get VIP access to terrain since you’ll be hanging with all the Heavenly brass and locals. Priceless.
3. Dinner
Dinners at Snowcial are a blast. Don’t sit with your same old posse. Grab a chair at a table where you only know one person. After margaritas and sea bass, you’re guaranteed to have some meaningful new connections.
4. Evening Conference
After ripping snow all day, but before a night on the town, lies the evening conference. It will entertain, enlighten, and get your passion for the digital world going. Sit next to new people, ask lots of questions, and get involved in the conversation. Our conference is not your usual one-way diatribe. We have a dialogue in the room, bring people on stage, and ask for feedback. If you’ve never seen Pete Blackshaw speak, that alone should make you want to do Snowcial. He’s a stud.
5. The Scavenger Hunt
Not your usual scavenger hunt, we build teams and send you out to the hill to capture more trophies than humanly possible. The hunt is more organized than a sorority rush where the highest points win, foul play is a temptation, and it’s literally an all-day affair. The prize booty is big and the competition brings out the best in people’s personalities. It’s a super fun way to hang with new friends, discover the mountain, and maybe win a new pair of handmade skis.
So there you have it folks. There are a galleon “networking events” in the world, but no one does it like Snowcial. See you in January!
-Sonny Mayugba
