30 Μάρ 2023
Our first BBN!! What a tradition that has been for quite a while!!
Below, a blog post as it appeared after the first-ever BBN that took place in Nicosia!
Aaaah networking! Such a vital cog in the entrepreneurial, tech-driven environments we operate in nowadays! And here at CEL, well networking is something we do in our sleep!
There is one major problem with power words like ‘networking’ and ‘entrepreneurship’; they have very quickly become fashionable and too often they are used without real substance. It wasn’t always like that though. Before Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Dragon’s Den, entrepreneurs were just normal business men or ‘suits’ to the rest of the world. It’s only recently that entrepreneurs became cool and ‘networking’ as an activity became more casual and relaxed. Yes, at the end of the day networking is about human interaction in its simplest form, but there also has to be an end product to it. It has to be pure, raw, un-obstructed, uncomfortable at first but also amazing by the end. It has to generate value, give rise to partnerships, cooperation or just great contacts. In that sense, it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a suit when networking, or wearing pyjamas. As long as you are meeting somebody new, exchanging business cards and bouncing ideas off each other like you’ve known them forever, then guess what you’re networking!
This was the principle CEL wanted to communicate with our Burgers Beer and Networking (BBN) event just before the New Year. It was freezing cold, we were wearing hoodies, drinking ice cold beer, munching on burgers and yes through all that we were networking! Conversations were much more light-hearted as a result of the setting, and strangely much more productive! Of course we were fortunate enough to have some great attendees which always helps; but sometimes it’s also about dragging people you know will hit it off and introducing them! Forced networking we call it! We did that a number of times during the evening with great success, and hopefully some long term partnerships will have come from that. There were no speakers, no videos, no words of inspiration, no ice-breakers and no chairs; just raw inter-connection between exceptional individuals who were there to brainstorm, to learn from each other, to co-inspire and of course to have fun. Oh and to have guacamole! Rumour has it the guac was legendary!
Our objective is to organise such casual get-togethers a few times a year, so next time you have some free time and just want to chill with inspiring people who think the same way as you; come down and join! Usually they are in pubs, cafes and even the occasional freezing December terrace! You won’t be disappointed. We also organise these in various countries so feel free to contact our country reps for more details on the next ones.
Special thanks to our sponsors Grill Man for the excellent variety of delicious burgers, and Athienitis Supermarkets for providing the beer!
Also, a huge thanks to ESOBGA for allowing us to use their clubhouse for the event.
We couldn’t have done it without you!
