I got the most wonderful text from a graduate school friend, Melissa, today.  She asked about a colleague of mine at UNC.  I asked her why, and she noted that my colleague was on the list to go to the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) National Conference.  I immediately texted her back to ask if she was going.  Then I waited... five... long... minutes for her response.  And it was a very suspenseful five minutes.  I even told her that I would do cartwheels down the hallway if she was going.  (Though, I am wearing a skirt and heels today, so I'm not sure that promised cartwheels will actually happen.)  Then the text came through, she is going and I will be seeing her at the conference in Minneapolis in a week and a half.  I couldn't be more excited!! 

She is my best friend from grad school and because we've both chosen the event planning profession, there is little time to actually get together or even talk.  It could also be because I now live in North Carolina and she is up in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area.  Whenever I visit Jersey I am always on a whirlwind tour and it can be hit or miss if we can get together. 

Melissa and I on graduation day at Temple in May 2011.

I write about this because you never know where your next opportunity will come from.  Melissa has been with Marriott for a few years now.  She was always active in grad school, working at an externship for Temple and for Aramark at the Philadelphia sports stadiums and arenas.  She landed a job at Marriott soon after graduation then transitioned into a sales position where she worked at home for a time.  One day, she got a call from a former supervisor and was asked to interview for a different sales job with a Philadelphia Marriott property.  She got the job and has been working there ever since.  These networks that she has built are amazing to me and she is in a job that definitely keeps her on her toes. 

Throughout my college career, everyone always talked about the importance of networking.  The term networking was always so scary to me.  Going to a room full of strangers and introducing yourself is not exactly my idea of a fun night.  I've tried to force myself to branch out in these situations and make some connections, though it can be tough.  It's always easier to just "stick with who you know."  Still, the value of having a strong network has proven itself to me repeatedly over the years. 

I have had the pleasurable experience of working with people in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.  These will remain in my list of contacts, but the ones that have been the most valuable to me are those that I truly get to know on a personal level.  People like, Melissa, members of my professional organizations, co-workers, friends from college, past professors, and supervisors are some of the best resources in my life and are friendships that I hope to continue to maintain. 

This network of people continues to grow and remains meaningful to me both personally and professionally, but it's not without some work.  Though Melissa and I can go months without talking and then get together and not skip a beat, the relationship we have built is strong.  (It's probably because we would go to lunch every day while in grad school, talk about the crazy workload that we had and wonder if we were going to survive the semester.)  On the other hand, some relationships you have to work to maintain.  I try and make an effort to reach out to the people in my contact list every few months to see how they're doing.  There is an account executive I work with now that is pregnant with twins, another that is working on getting her daughter through law school, and one that has just gotten a fantastic promotion.

These relationships are more than just business relationships to me.  Many of these have turned into friends.  And where would we really be in life without our friends? 

So cheers, Melissa!!  I cannot wait to see you in Minneapolis at the National SGMP Conference.