Life hack: Keep showing up!
When is an event a non-event?
Ok, I’m gonna need your help here… as I need someone to chat to…
I’m writing this at a Co-Working event organised through a London-based Networking Club1, and it’s looking like the ‘Co’ part of the word is superfluous, as no one else has turned up! And if it wasn’t for my excellent work ethic, we wouldn’t need the rest of the word either.
Why am I here?
This ‘Host-less’ event was listed on the Club’s website along with many others, and I thought it would be fun to meet up with a group of women and all co-work together from 11am to 4pm.
That’s my kind of working day, especially if it includes lunch! I thought.
The venue is The Pickled Hen in Marylebone, London, which looked good and easy to get to, and the kicker is, I was planning on being in Soho later this evening for dinner and a comedy event anyway, so I might as well make a day of it and join them!
Or so I thought.
The thing is… I’ve been here since 10:30am, it’s now 11:35am and so far, I’m still the only one here!
Off on a tangent…
Why was I half an hour early? Having been a rail commuter into London for over 20 years, I am well aware that the train service is not 100% all of the time. So, like the beautifully punctual @THEGUYLINER in his post The Truth About Lateness, I’m usually early, aren’t you?
I really hate being late, or arriving hot and flustered, so I try to avoid that whenever possible. Especially if I’ve not been there before, in which case I’d need to build in extra time to pull over on the pavement several times en route (whilst trying not to look like a tourist by perhaps feigning a phonecall) to double and treble check that I’m walking in the right direction.
Today, my choice of trains meant that I would either be early or late by 30 minutes, so naturally I chose the former.
Despite my Geographical Dyslexia I managed to navigate cleanly to the venue, (with no detours, u-turns or having to ask a black cab, as usual).
Just to be clear, I used to just be ‘hopeless at directions’ but now it has an actual name, YAY!
It is also known as Directional Dyslexia, which sounds a bit like a stroppy teenager not being able to decide which A-levels to take, so I prefer the other one.
The situation is… my mind doesn’t compute where I’ve come from, so a basic example would be going to the loo in a restaurant, that I haven’t been to at least ten times before. I would literally come out of the ‘Ladies’ and not instinctively know whether to turn left or right! This has resulted in me visiting many kitchens, and attempting to get into ‘Staff Only’ areas, as I guess my way back to my table.
As a result, I make it a point to only dine with really loud groups, as the waft of familiar laughter helps me with navigation.
Back to my table for one…
On the Club’s website it looked like four people (including myself) had booked in for this co-working event. So I was expecting a fairly small group, however on arrival when I asked which table I’d be on, they pointed me at three reserved tables of four, forming a 12 seater! Yikes!
At least no bun fight for the seats facing out, I had six to choose from!
Luckily I’ve also been asked twice now by various staff whether ‘we’ are going to need all these seats, and the third table has been removed from our ‘Reserved’ section. Phew! Four down, I’m now only on a table for eight. Result.
Time ticked on
No matter, I thought, I’ll just crack on with writing Thursday’s post, they might all be running late.
It’s now 12:10 and am facing another challenge… I need the loo.
As an overthinker, I had already realised that one of the great things about co-working in a public space was that everyone else would keep an eye on your stuff, while you’re in the loo. However, given the total lack of ‘everyone else’ I was presented with a choice:
Do I leave my stuff (laptop, bag, coat) here, unattended, while I nip to the loo?
Or… do I pack everything up and take it with me?
Just to be clear the Ladies (or Chicks2 if you will), is literally only four metres away, as the crow flies, but sadly I’m not a crow and so will therefore need to wend my way around an elaborate labyrinth of split-level ironwork before reaching it. Sigh.
Of course, the result of this recent quandary, is (of course!) that I’m going to have to take it all with me, I’m not mad! This is London, not some pub in an excruciatingly quiet village in the Shires. Which is about the only situation where I’d take the risk… and that’s if all the staff and patrons looked ‘kindly’.
Just chat amongst yourselves for a bit…
Ok, am back!
Managed a brief chat with the staff to acknowledge ‘it looks like it’s only going to be me now’ and ordered a menu. May as well have lunch now I’m here!
Also, and you’ll think I’m a total dare devil, but I did leave my coat on the seat when I went to the loo! I know! And it was literally fine.3
When is an event a non-event?
I’ll level with you. I don’t actually mind sitting by myself in pubs or restaurants, particularly if I have my laptop, so I can chat to you.
But I couldn’t help but wonder, what is the tipping point for a group to just individually not bother?
Half or more?
On this occasion, I presume the other three didn’t turn up as it was only going to be four of us, out of a maximum of 12. They may have thought ‘not much scope for networking there then’. Of course, I’m only speculating, they may have been eaten by wolves or hit by the No.98 bus, no one has posted in the ‘News’ section of the Club’s website as yet.
Or horror of horrors… maybe they DID all turn up, one by one, saw me at the table and thought better of it! I do always wear my Ronald MacDonald outfit with full clown make-up to these type of events just to break the ice.
I, on the other hand, thought ‘three new people to meet, that’s plenty’. I have long since learned the lesson at networking events, that it’s far better to have a few deeper conversations, than it is to flit around the room introducing yourself to everyone.
It could have been worse…
Indeed it could always be worse. What if only one had showed up?
Disaster? That would depend on who turned up and whether we got on.
It could have been a very awkward hour, while we made polite chit chat and then decided to both leave early.
Or maybe we’d have got along great and become BFF’s!
You just never know!
Which is my point
You just never know!
Sometimes what looks to be a totally lame event, turns out to be a cracker! And sometimes the opposite is true of an event that on paper looked to be a corker.
You just never know.
So, it is my strict policy these days to always turn up, because on the odd occasion when a lame duck turns out to be a majestic swan, it makes all the other times worthwhile.
On the plus side…
It was no hassle splitting the bill.
I have managed to get this entire unplanned post written. 😄
Is it just me, or…
Have you been on the wrong side of a ‘no show’ recently?
Have you reluctantly gone to an event, only to have a cracking time?
Have you ever risked going to the loo, left your stuff at the table, returned and it was literally fine?
Do you also have Directional Dyslexia? Maybe we should form a support group and meet somewhere really easy to get to… like online.
Please let me know in the Comments section below! 👍
Toodles!
K8x
Which shall remain nameless… unless they don’t comp me a free month which I have cheekily requested.
If you recall the pub is called The Pickled Hen, therefore the toilets were wittily labelled Chicks and Roosters.
I have so many issues with this, not least of which, is that we are in central London, full of tourists. Despite this, some bright spark has decided to use this ‘crazy play on words’ rather than use the dull, but highly effective Ladies/Gents or Women/Men combos. They obviously didn’t consider a lot of visitors will not have English as their first language and might not be able to pick the right one. Which goes some way to answering the question of why the toilet seat was up on my second visit to the Chicks, and why the poor guy on the table nearest the loos is so bored of being asked, that he has started directing people to the right one, even as they approach.
I was beyond reckless with my second visit to the toilet and asked the guy on the table next to me, to 'keep an eye' on my laptop etc. Go me! Living dangerously! Obviously I pocketed my phone, I’m not mad, and had already carried out a very thorough risk assessment on said guy first. On my return? It was literally fine.
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First of all, this was a lovely read. I was smiling throughout. Secondly, thank you for officially giving me the name of the disease we both suffer from; directional dyslexia. LOL. I have to have circled around a neighbourhood at least a dozen times before being able to confidently know where to turn off, and even then I may still use the GPS.
I would have personally been gutted that no one else showed up, so I love that you turned it all around and made the most of it. Was the lunch any good?
I haven’t been to an event for the longest time, but this cracked me up! Shame I can’t see the shows either 🤣💕