When I entered my tent, bourbon-breathed and rain-soaked at 4 A.M., my bunkmate said, “Thank God, it’s you!”
But we didn’t know each other. Well, that’s not totally true: we had met just a few minutes earlier, in a wood-burning hot tub for two. Except there were nine people in it. A pretty intimate affair — especially for an
I was at the first New York edition of Outpost, a traveling trade show that is one part mixer, one part camping trip and all parts wonderful. Think of it as a more rugged and egalitarian Summit at Sea. The venue? Outlier Inn, a colony of offbeat Airbnbs just a couple hours outside of Manhattan.
Outpost started in
Over the 72
Here are four ways they’re making networking something to look forward to.
You’re stuck together.
I had no idea what I was getting into upon arrival. Sights at a typical networking event include greeting people you already know, checking your watch and — yes, something I’m completely guilty of — hanging out in the loo to kill time. But when a group of strangers
Actual brand exposure is the new press release.
I’d read all about the futurist Oru kayak, but getting out onto a lake and paddling around on one was a game-changer. Traditional
Dinner and drinks are about as exciting as a lobotomy.
Outpost has activities. And activities spark conversation, which in turn sparks meaningful relationships. We picked up survival skills from Goal Zero. Learned how to make kombucha with Revive. Concocted fresh apple crisp over the fire with Barebones Living. Then we cleaned up a lake together care of United by Blue. It’s
It’s f*cking fun.
That old adage — “Work hard. Play hard.” — is just that: old. We’re not our parents’ children and work no longer has to be (only) a chore. By Outpost day, you very well may be exchanging emails with 80 new contacts. But come sundown, you’ll be feeding alpacas and dancing to live music like deranged maniacs that never have to pick up dry cleaning or pay taxes.
All in all, it’s a destination-worthy affair for anyone who is tired of doing things the hard way.
For our part, we’ll be at their next event, and probably
You should come too. Who knows — maybe we’ll be bunkmates.
photos courtesy of Monica Semergiu, Molly
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