Networking 101
It’s great that there are so many networking events in Honolulu. People need to branch out. Always be branching out. The more people you know in different sectors the easier it is to get things done. Always.
The best thing about people is there’s something interesting about everyone. Learning about people you meet and remembering their deal is a lot easier in a small big city like Honolulu. I think most people want others they meet to know what they’re all about. At least, when I introduce people and give my standard five-sentence backstory for each, they never get mad at me. They actually stand a bit taller. “This is Poni. She coordinates the Eat the Street events and put this whole block party together” is so much better than “This is Poni.”
I think introducing two people this way is essential for many reasons, the main one being no matter how badass you are, you have to remain humble. It’s the law. The second you stop being humble is the second people stop caring.
The other thing is everyone, everyone,has something amazing about them. I usually make it my mission to find out what it is. Then there’s the whole name-remembering factor. It’s easier to remember someone’s name once you learn a little bit more about them. Try it.
I was thinking about this after this past weekend’s Night Market in Kaka’ako. There were so, so, so, so many people there. They were from all sectors; the stylies, the foodies, the fashionistas, the art lovers, the artists, the families, the skateboarders, the media, the non-media, the business professionals, and of course all of the blooming neighborhood’s merchants.
The fashion show was the first for popular fashion blogger Lindsey Higa, a.k.a. Pineapple Ice, but it was by far the best show I’ve seen all year. She made use of raw wood pallets and rope lights to create a runway that was the perfect blend of professional and hip under red draped string lights. The models were super pro, and I loved that she used an LCD monitor to repeat the logos of all the stores she pulled the looks from.
The neighborhood block party was exactly what I would picture in my head from an event describing itself as “Honolulu’s newest Urban Lifestyle Experience”. With all the talk of this growing neighborhood it’s amazing to see how fast they managed to pull together such a successful event. Normally, it takes a little while to build but this one was automatic. It’s one thing to build out something so well; it’s an entirely different thing to get all the people there. They nailed it.
I didn’t think utilizing the parking lot behind Hank’s Haute Dogs for guest DJ Rehka would actually work but as soon as she went on people of all ages were dancing and smiling and having the greatest night ever.
It was very refreshing to see such a fantastically executed, well-played-out neighborhood event. I’m excited for the next one.
COMMENTS
We often print online comments in our “Letters to the Editor” section of Honolulu Weekly. While submitted letters are often edited for length and clarity, online comments we use are printed entirely as they are written for the website. If you do not wish for your comment to be used in Honolulu Weekly print issues, please write “Don’t Print” at the end of your comment. For questions, e-mail editorial@honoluluweekly.com. Thank you!