Get networking!

I had the amazing honour to be invited to the Drapers Next Generation Event on the 26th of March at the Soho Hotel.

Sometimes you’re in a cocoon at work and you don’t get the occasion to meet other people your own age & also network plus listen to amazing retailers. It seemed after to chatting with people there all too often you have your head down working and you don’t see the reason why you should be out networking .It’s not about looking for another job but more about building up your own network and also thinking of your career further down the line when you’re looking for promotion or starting your own business.

Every month I help organise the LFN I’m the girl who sits ticking off names on the door but this was different for me networking with people with who work for larger retail High Street companies or who have been brave enough to start up on their own.

The audience demographics were Generation Y and most of the topics were on this age group who are also known as the Net Generation. It was food for thought as we are the very generation who are demanding the technology and changing the shape of retail as we move into the future.

I was completely inspired by Andy Rubin and how he talked about looking at how your business will be in five or ten years and opening your mind to outside influences. He had a very distinct message about the future and it was globalisation, the consumer being in control, being multichannel and sustainability.  Then William Higham from The Next Big Thing talked about exactly that shopping for clothing on mobile phones and all the technology behind it. Higham said the phone will become even more important – consumers will want everything to be mobile.

I can see that the next five years are going to bring the biggest changes to retailing and how the consumer responds and I’m that girl who lives with a Blackberry attached to her hand!