What a really amazing event we had last night.
As this was my first IRG meet up I was not sure what to expect and judging by the faces of the 25 other people, neither were they. We were lucky to have Debbie, Caroline and Conrad along to launch this new meet up group and start the ball rolling in a truly relaxed manner.
I must admit to being a little nervous as I watched the faces of the people in the room and for the first 15 minutes it seemed as if people were shuffling a little with unease (my unfounded presumption being that they were thinking ’What are we doing here?’) However, suddenly as more and more people talked about their stories the energy in the room began to change. It became charged with a real warmth and the feeling was one of pure, positive energy. The meeting was 2 hours long and though not everybody had chance to speak (and I know some didn’t want to anyway) the stories were truly touching, some amazing, but all very human.
After the actual meeting there was time to have drinks and nibbles and chat with others at the group. Some wonderful connections were made, more amazing stories unfolded and I really ‘got it’. I finally understood how it worked. Nothing like those cold, dreadful networking meetings I have attended in the past. This is something for everyone – business person, self employed, retired, housewife/husband, teenager – it really is that inclusive. We all have something to offer or something we need help with and IRG can provide the platform.
I look forward to the next meeting and so, I think, do many of the people who came last night.
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