Note: If you’re new to the industry, be
sure to attend one of the three "newbie" Group
Gatherings for Artists, Designers, and Programmers Marc
will
be leading at GDC. Check the
GDC website for times and places.
www.gdconf.com. Not only do these sessions offer an
opportunity to learn more about your area or interest or
expertise, they also offer excellent networking
opportunities.
In addition to the conference sessions, here are
other great opportunities to mix and mingle.
Expo Floor/Job Fair
Thursday, March 6 – Saturday, March 8
Game development-related exhibitors demonstrate the
latest technology, services and products on the GDC expo
floor. There is also usually a section of the floor
designated as "Job Fair" where many game companies
inform you of open jobs. For the majority of us,
job-hunting is not as easy as going to GDC and handing
over a resume. While some people do get jobs this way,
most don’t. Concern yourself more on researching the
company and the positions they have open. Then, go home
and research who will be hiring for these spots and send
your resume to them and HR at the same time.
Thursday, March 6 - Booth Crawl
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm, Expo floor
Explore the floor seeking out information on the
latest innovations presented at the GDC Expo. Talk with
company experts in a more relaxed atmosphere, and get
your questions answered as you snack on happy hour
goodies and enjoy catching up with technology.
Friday, March 7 - IGDA Annual Meeting
1:15 pm -2:30 pm
The IGDA’s board of directors and executive
management take this time to give developers a rundown
of the association’s progress over the past year, as
well as indicate what’s in store for the coming year.
This will also be the time when new board candidates
will be presented. There will be a Q&A period to get
feedback and input from the community. This is another
great networking opportunity. Many industry icons like
to give back to our community by doing volunteer work
for IGDA. You can easily research and target the people
here. The Q&A forum is a great way to "force" you to
interact and it certainly makes it easy to approach
people immediately after the event ends. Don’t forget to
introduce yourself to the four people sitting around you
in the audience!
Friday, March 7 - Suite Night (Fairmont Hotel,
Ballroom Level)
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Many think this is the highlight of GDC as exhibitors
move to the more party-friendly atmosphere of the
Fairmont, each vying for your attention with food,
drink, and music. It is a great time to network, and
although you may feel compelled to try and hit all the
parties that night, you should instead review the list
of who is sponsoring each party and prioritize which 4
rooms have the potential to attract the kind of people
you wish to target for networking purposes. The first
half-hour of this event, you should go check out these
rooms, eat some food, and get grounded. Decide, in order
of priority, which rooms you will network. There is no
time to waste! By 8:00pm sharp you should have eaten and
be heading to Room 1 on your list for networking. You
now have only 1.5 hours until this event ends, so unless
you’re trying to target a specific industry person, only
spend, on the average, 3 minutes with each person you
meet.
Suite Night has a very large initial attendance then
dies down to a very comfortable pace within the first
hour. Remember, you’re not at GDC to party – so watch
the alcohol consumption.
When picking a room to network, keep in mind that
although fun, entertainment that commands the room and
dark rooms are not the best kinds of environments in
which to network. If one of your target companies
happens to be hosting a Suite Night party, then you can
be sure to catch the entire management team attending
their own event. If you think about it, you could
actually orchestrate the room in such a way that you end
up talking with several people who are normally very
difficult to get in a room at the same time.
Don’t forget all 3 evenings of GDC that the
Fairmont Hotel Bar is also another awesome
networking opportunity. Early or late in the night, you
will find it good pickings here. Camp out in the lobby
of this hotel (euphemistically speaking). Buy people
drinks and engage in conversations.
If you’re not into the bar thing, a more subdued
networking opportunity exists at the Hilton Hotel’s
restaurant during early breakfast hours.
Finally, keep in mind the following networking
turn-offs:
Don’t directly ask for a job.
Don’t expect to attend game industry functions and leave
with a job.
Don’t monopolize someone's time.
Don’t tell that joke.
Don’t drink too much.
Don’t dress inappropriately.
Don’t give a "hard" sell.
Don’t complain.
****
Need more networking tips? Check out another article
by Marc from last year: How to
Network at Game Industry Events.
