AUCKLAND, Thursday: First Five Dates, the networking event for millennials in advertising and communication, run by Comms Council industry support group First Five Rungs earlier in the week, was declared “a hit!” by most attendees.
First Five Dates was held at Bauer Media Group (the event sponsor) on Wednesday 12 September and saw 120 millennials in attendance.
Because young industry members don’t have the same networks as those who have been in the industry for years, and are often more reserved at senior networking events, the First Five Rungs saw the need for a more relaxed and casual networking event that millennials could dip their toes into.
“Tickets to the speed-dating-esque networking evening sold out, and the Bauer mezzanine space was packed with excited millennials mixing and mingling at their ‘dates’,” said First Five Rungs chair Harriett Hanson (in a release to media).
“As a group, we were overwhelmed by the interest we had in the event, and it just proved how vital networking is to our industry,” she said.
“Groups of five or six got to know each other around the tables, switching tables every eight minutes for a new ‘date’, getting to know others in the industry and building connections. True to the relaxed nature of the event and to take the pressure off a traditional ‘First Date’, the first five dates were enjoyed over Toto’s pizza and a few beers.”
Hanson said: “It was such a fun night! We loved seeing everyone enjoying themselves in an informal setting and getting to know each other a bit better. There was a relaxed, enjoyable vibe in the room and we had heaps of positive feedback from attendees. We could be onto something here …
“As a group, we were overwhelmed by the interest we had in the event, and it proved how vital networking is to our industry.”
Coming up …
“With another successful event under their belts, the First Five Rungs team aim to reveal one more project initiative in 2018 they’ve been working on in parallel to First Five Dates, so stay tuned and keep an eye out on their Facebook page,” Hanson says
“They also have a couple of other projects in the pipelines that they’re excited to roll out in 2019 – so watch this space.”
- More photos here: facebook.com/FirstFiveRungs
About First Five Rungs
The Comms Council Young Leadership Group was formed in 2012 and has since developed into a team who run First Five Rungs, which is a support group for people in the first five years of their communications and advertising career. With Comms Council industry development manager Marlen Smith at the helm, the First Five Rungs team identified an essential need; that new talent needs to be supported to future proof our industry. To this end, they created a guide/help booklet and selected support products that would be part of an essential Newbies Welcome Pack. The purpose of this pack is to connect and support those entering the communications industry and to reassure them that they are not alone. First Five Rungs also run events and provide support online to their community of thousands.
Hanson said: “The Newbies Welcome Pack is a really special project because it starts a needed dialogue with new industry members. It can be quite daunting when you start out in our industry, so we’re here to remind newbies that we’ve been there and we’re here if they need us. Receiving the pack introduces First Five Rungs and starts what we hope is an ongoing conversation. We’re really proud of how successful the packs have been so far!”
The First Five Rungs Team is Harriette Hanson (chair), Bonnie Shum (deputy chair), Jed Misa, Tara Collins, Abel Banda, Lloyd Thomason, Kate Welsh, Holly Eden, Georgia Woodbridge, Sarskia Melville, Scarlett Sneddon, Maxine Douglas, Marlen Smith (Comms Council), Katie Ward (Comms Council), Kate Cronin-Smith (Comms Council)
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