How #LinkedInLocal Changed My Life

"Networking is not about just connecting people. It's about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities." -- Michele Jennae

How can you grow your professional network, in person, when you live in a different country?

In recent years, the power of LinkedIn has been quite evident, though I still hear those in my network say things like: “I don’t understand how to use LinkedIn” or “Do I really need to update my profile?” or even “I’m not on LinkedIn a lot.” 

After creating a LinkedIn profile years ago, I too was in a similar mind frame, thinking: This is great for potential job hunting, but as a social tool, there’s no way it can compete with Facebook. Yet, in my second year of work/life in Shanghai (2018), at my digital publishing job, I met someone who told me that LinkedIn was quickly becoming a beast of its own and worth reconsidering. 

Turns out, that someone was right. And that someone became a consultant for our company—someone who taught me lots of the ins, outs, bells, and whistles I had never realized about the “new” LinkedIn. 

“See,” he told me, “Facebook has its users as the product, but LinkedIn has a more natural filter [or, self-regulation ability, if you will] because it has digital products for its users.” 

Hmm, I thought. That does actually make sense. 

As I got deeper into the world of LinkedIn, which, I must admit, is not as high as I would like it to be on my priority list these days, I could see how users being irrelevant or spammy were basically turned into outcasts and pariahs by the strong professional community on the platform. I found myself loving the application for all it had to offer, and I was eager to follow and connect with more interesting people who I felt could add to my network. But something was missing—that in-person, human touch. 

"Your network is your net worth." -- Porter Gale

Then, I stumbled across #LinkedInLocal. To my surprise, a chapter didn’t exist in Shanghai—one of the most populous cities in the world! There had been a one-off event the prior year but nothing regular. So, I decided to jump on board before I could even think twice about it. An opportunity to grow a professional community in my adopted city under the structure and strength of LinkedIn? No brainer, really. 

And, as an expat in China, growing my network is a vital part of thriving while living and working abroad.

After my video call with one of the co-founders of #LinkedInLocal, Anna McAfee, I was super excited to launch the Shanghai chapter. Though I was transitioning back into teaching full time and would have a very fixed schedule, I knew it was worth the time and effort it would take to create a successful run of #LinkedInLocalShanghai. 

In August 2018, #LinkedInLocalShanghai was officially launched at Cotton’s Shanghai on a Thursday night…with a typhoon right on our heels. When it rains in Shanghai, most people find an excuse to not come to events, so I didn’t know what to expect for our opening night with such extreme weather. A typhoon isn’t just a little drizzle. 

In the registration platform, over 140 registrants had RSVP’ed. Not expecting even 60 to show during a typhoon, imagine my surprise and delight when about 120 people attended our event! The large rooms at our disposal were packed to capacity, yet everyone was in high spirits and enjoying networking despite the blanket of sub-tropic humidity. 

To say I didn’t know what I was doing at the first event is an understatement. I’ve run many, many events in my career, but never something quite like this. I simply showed up and allowed people to chat, eat, drink, and be merry. 

It worked. 

We had two more #LinkedInLocalShanghai events following our first (MITO at Found 158 in September and Roca Gallery Shanghai in November), which had varied attendance but positive feedback each time. By the third, I was trying to bring more value to attendees and more incentive to come as the weather began to cool down. And as 2019 was on the horizon, I began to think more about how to grow moving forward. 

I’ve had some amazing support running #LinkedInLocalShanghai since its inception, but at the end of the day, I’m still the one who coordinates with venues and decides what topics/themes will be presented at each event. Of course, I hope that changes in the near future, but I also have high standards and have been very careful with what and who I bring to the table each time. 

"Pulling a good network together takes effort, sincerity and time." -- Alan Collins

At our kickoff event for 2019, we had a high number of attendees at our venue: AmCham Shanghai (so grateful for this new partnership!) and I brought in the guy who started me on my new LinkedIn journey: Ryan Purkey.

This man has been so generous with his knowledge of LinkedIn and gave a stellar presentation—attendees were raving about it and asked when we would have more events like this. Bringing value to our attendees is at the heart of what #LinkedInLocalShanghai is all about, and I was very pleased we hit another homerun. 

Through running this amazing LinkedIn campaign, which has evolved recently but still has an incredible foundation and mission because if its creators, my life in Shanghai has changed for the better. I’m connected to so many interesting and valuable people in various industries, and I always know that help of all kinds is just a text away.

Hosting events that act as a catalyst for people to become more active on LinkedIn and better understand it has been one of many highlights. I’ve even attracted new clients and projects from expanding my network in this way. 

So, where are we headed with all this? To become even better connected in person in all the ways that matter, I hope. To create space for people to have a deeper, human connection and get away from mobile and computer screens. 

With an estimated population of 26 million people, Shanghai definitely needs events that can connect professionals on a more intimate level. We can solve problems and give better support when we create actual relationships offline and venture away from the online-only connection curse. 

"Networking is marketing. Marketing yourself, your uniqueness, what you stand for." -- Christine Comaford-Lynch

As I look ahead and think of the future of #LinkedInLocalShanghai, I’m excited to see where things are headed. This is only the beginning, and with new partners and such an amazing pool of talented speakers and persons of knowledge around, the future looks bright indeed. 

Here’s to a long run for #LinkedInLocalShanghai! And if you ever find yourself in my adopted city while we’re having an event, let me know and come see for yourself what we’re building in dynamic and beautiful Shanghai.