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Eastern promises | Review of the Cambridge Link-up

Submitted by Simon Lewis on March 11, 2010 – 7:53 amOne Comment

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Cambridge-based marketers filled a quayside watering hole on Wednesday proving once again that social networking doesn’t have to be PC.

For all its merits social media has one significant flaw: there’s nothing particularly social about it. The personal computer can’t ‘talk’ business and whilst it can help you make contacts, are they really sustainable? As the UK’s Eastern quarter showed, it’s the face that really fits.

Quicksilver contacts

On Wednesday 10th March 2010 the Only Marketing Jobs tour bus tethered up alongside the Cam to provide one hundred Cambridge-based marketers with the opportunity to develop new professional contacts, whilst galvanising existing ones. The River Bar & Kitchen provided the venue as informal networking dove-tailed a structured speed-networking hour, during which attendees were invited to speak with someone new at the tinkle of a bell. Each person made ten new contacts in this time.

“Speed networking is a fantastic way to make new contacts, quickly,” enthused Keith Robinson, chief networking officer of the digital recruitment directory, CareerSiteAdvisor. “The structure means that everyone picks up lots of valuable information from entirely different sources, leaving with at least one new weapon in their armoury.”

Eclectic mix

Perhaps more than any regional event previously, Cambridge accentuated its marketing diversity with almost every industry discipline on show. From online marketers to event organisers; brand managers to graphic designers; account planners to campaign strategists, the venue was a throng of idiosyncratic interconnectivity.

Attendee initiative

For event sponsor, Cambridge Marketing College, the occasion afforded the opportunity to catch up with former delegates, whilst captivating potential newcomers with details on new marketing and PR courses on offer within their eleven study centres throughout the UK. Jill McCulloch, sales & marketing director of the College said of the event: “To see so many eager marketers looking to proactively enhance their careers through this social networking initiative is very encouraging indeed.”

Joyous jobseekers

Many attendees used the event as a chance to discover new marketing jobs in Cambridge. Enthused by the number of potentially hiring managers (denoted by a red badge label) the green-labelled brigade were gregarious in their efforts to see which companies might offer them a route to new employment. For Steve Mann, managing director of Cambridge-based marketing recruitment specialists, Brand Recruitment, this was a fantastic way to meet new and existing candidates, promoting marketing jobs with their clients.

“We sponsored this event because we believe in Only Marketing Jobs’ proposition to build tangibly sustainable communities,” commented Steve. “By integrating with jobseekers in Cambridge we are making this community aware of our professional services whilst showing clients what we do that’s different.” And there are many jobseekers grateful for this approach today.

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles

As usual the champagne draw was a success, as Ursula Colman, managing consultant from Brand Recruitment handed their donated bottle of Bollinger to randomly-drawn attendee, Rijkje Wetering, a local marketing communications consultant.

Last orders

Curry By 10.00pm the event was over, another triumph for community-building. And as Cambridge punted its way back to homes heaped in heritage it was left to Only Marketing Jobs to muse over their Eastern promise. “"What fantastic people,” reflected sober talent director, Will Russell. “Shall we go for a curry now?”