No such thing as a free lunch?

Hello from Philly! Back in the hotel, recharging my batteries (mental, physical and electronic) before the infamous SLA IT Dance Party – and trying not to each all my salt-water taffy.

I spoke this afternoon on a fantastic panel, called ‘alternative uses of the library degree‘. We were talking about how to position yourself to succeed in a non-traditional role – though there was absolutely cracking advice from Kim Dority, George Plosker and Jean Fisher that was relevant to all info pros. A couple of the key points that came out were the classic ‘always say yes!’ and ‘opportunities come through networking’. What I didn’t admit during the panel was that I’d missed a great opportunity to do both just a short time before…

With 20 minutes before the panel, I needed to find lunch. I’d hoped to have chance to nip across to Reading Terminal Market, but time was too short, so off to the conference centre cafe to grab a quick sandwich. Slightly flustered, rather distracted, and very hungry, when the server informed me that sandwiches were buy one get one free, what did I say?

No thanks, I only need one.

Gentle readers, you know where this is going, don’t you? You all know what I should have done! Not just taken the extra sandwich (who turns down free food?), but gone and found someone on their way to buy food, and said ‘hey! I have a spare sandwich! Wanna eat with me?’

A perfect networking opportunity (who turns down free food?), and I was too pre-occupied to take advantage of it. Who knows what that could have been the start of? At the very least, someone would have got a free lunch…