BES Assignment 4: Join an Organization

Urbano

Being assigned to join an organization was not an easy assignment for me to complete. I did find an organization that I joined, but I think it was out of the ordinary for a typical study abroad student. Nevertheless, I think I learned more in my organization than I ever could just from self-reflection or sitting in a class.

The organization I joined was a group called Urbano. Urbano is a group that acts as a liaison between businesses and rounds them up together for networking events. They hold two networking events a month, one a breakfast or lunch and the other a dinner event. They also offer information session concerning current events. I attended three events, because that was the maximum a guest could attend without paying the 75 Pound entrance fee. The first event was the most memorable and I got the most out of that event. The other two were just seminars to educate the members and most of the information was of little value to me.

To begin with the latest first, it was held on 10 April. It was held from 1:00pm until 5:00pm and it had to deal with putting in bids for a new build. What I could gather is that a new build is when someone wants to build something completely new. We looked at spreadsheets dealing with cash flow projections and occupancy minimums, along with other financial things. It was interesting seeing the spreadsheets, but a lot of the information went over my head. Afterwards, I met a few people and handed out my business card over tea (all of these events had free food!!)

The second event was nearly identical to the first, except that it dealt with changes that were coming into effect on the first of April. We had a speaker from Lambeth come in to explain the Bedroom Tax and the effects it will have on people. This was my least favorite of the three events. The tea was terrible and the sandwiches were stale.

The first event I went to was really the best. It was hosted at the Hard Rock Café near Hyde Park. In business casual, I showed up and was handed two drink vouchers. With that I was set loose on a room filled with professionals varying in age and occupation. There I met photographers, web designers, wealth managers, lawyers, hotel managers and countless other people. It was honestly a night to swap business cards, eat sliders and chicken tenders and get drunk, which every person in the room did. Some of the contacts I made there, I referred to work, so that was a plus too.

The reason why I joined this club was to work on my networking skills. At school, they always talk about how important networking is and I consider myself to be more than horrible at it. One of the objectives I wanted to complete after being in London was being more comfortable with talking to people in a business setting. Now, I am a little more comfortable and much more confident, to the point where I feel that in a room of strangers, I wouldn’t be the most awkward person there.