Industry events are plentiful and constantly competing for one’s time. So before committing to one, you should know what you want to get out of it. Most of the time, it’s about developing or strengthening partner and customer relationships or learning about trends and developments in the market. But sometimes it can simply be about having a great time and getting to know the humans of the industry behind their roles and brands.
The XUSC mixers by Bryan Meszaros have become this type of event for the digital signage industry. They’re always in surprising locations, have a fun theme, and literally let anyone who manages to snag a place in the first minutes of registration attend, which heightens the chances of making unexpected connections even more.
People really love these mixers — so much so that at the most recent one under the motto “Gin and Jazz” during ISE in Barcelona, the organizers briefly had to stop letting people in. But I saw everyone handle the situation graciously, and it cleared up quickly, allowing people to breathe again in the tightly packed gin bar in downtown Barcelona.
Here’s a little image recap of “Gin and Jazz” ahead of “The Checkered Social” during Infocomm in Las Vegas.
