STOCK & CUSTOM
News from EPIC By Carlos Lee, director general, EPIC
Networking is a worthwhile investment
OPTICS From DESIGN to PROTOTYPE to VOLUME PRODUCTION
N
etworking is one of the main reasons to attend industry events like exhibitions, conferences, and meetings. Of course the presented material will be instructional and informative, but the opportunity to meet new people and interact with peers is also extremely valuable. Networking time is sometimes underrated by organisers and attendees. Some events schedule coffee breaks that are too few and too short. Or, they use the break as a buffer to recuperate time from presenters who exceeded their allotted speaking time. At EPIC events, networking is a key ingredient to the success of all our initiatives. This is why at our meetings, presentations are short, time is imposed and respected, and there are numerous and long breaks for attendees. Some attendees avoid optional social activities or use the breaks to catch up on urgent emails. If you don’t know how to network, or think it is not relevant to you, you may want to read the book Networking for Nerds. During EPIC meetings, we make it a priority to introduce attendees personally to each other, and we share a participant list that includes every attendee’s picture, biography, and company description. EPIC will take you to the handshake, the rest is up to you! You can never be sure what direction a random discussion will take, and sometimes one thing leads to another in unpredictable ways. Try to find common areas of interest, and if meaningful, schedule a follow-up meeting to explore opportunities further in greater detail. Talking to people can result in numerous benefits such as: finding out about an interesting workshop, being invited to speak at a conference, identifying a commercial
www.electrooptics.com | @electrooptics
EPIC five mile executive run at Photonics West. Forty CEOs/CTOs from photonic companies get ready at 6:30am for a morning jog
‘ You can never be sure what direction a random discussion will take’
transaction, exchanging views on technology and market trends, discussing what applications are hot, new insights for developing a corporate strategy, discovering candidates for future
employment...the list goes on. True and lasting relationships are dependent on what added value you can bring to the table, so it is in everyone’s best interest to be generous with each other. I often remind myself of this, saying: ‘If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange them, you and I will still each have one apple. But, if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.’ Exchanging perspectives with industry peers is an enriching experience for both parties, because you approach the same issue from different angles. Different actors along the value chain often contribute complementary information. Networking events can exist by themselves, or in conjunction with other events. It doesn’t always
have to be complicated or tightly structured. For instance, at Photonics West, EPIC organised a five-mile executive run. CEOs from 40 companies, from 14 different countries, gathered at 6:30am for a morning jog from the Ferry Building Marketplace to the Aquatic Park Pier. Networking occurred before and during the run, and afterwards at breakfast in a relaxed (though sweaty) ambience. The moral of the story is: there is never a bad time to network, when you see the opportunity to talk to someone, go for it! l
Visit us: Hall 3.0, Booth G26 7 - 9 June 2016
Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Complete design data available
Quickly build prototypes with stock components
Vertically integrated manufacturing for your custom assemblies
Contact Us to Discuss Your Application! UK: +44 (0) 1904 788600
GERMANY: +49 (0) 721 6273730 FRANCE: +33 (0) 8 20 20 75 55
sales@edmundoptics.eu
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