--- title: "Lunchtime Links: Learn to Network Don Draper-style" id: "14914" type: "post" slug: "lunchtime-links-learn-to-network-don-draper-style" published_at: "2012-12-11T18:33:45+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:20:52+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/12/11/lunchtime-links-learn-to-network-don-draper-style/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/12/11/lunchtime-links-learn-to-network-don-draper-style.md" excerpt: "Are you using your staff the best way during conferences? Plus: Networking tips from Don Draper." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Aspiring Leader" - "AssociationsNow" - "conferences" - "event planning" - "Meetings" - "Mid-Level Professional" - "Networking" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Lunchtime Links: Learn to Network Don Draper-style How are you using your staff during conferences? Beyond the usual greeters and coat checkers, there’s a far more important role your staff can play. That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links: > When your constituency knows your staff personally they feel a stronger connection to the whole group. **Team work:**While there are many roles staff members have to play at a conference, it may be most important for staff to [get out there (opens in a new tab)](http://www.tsnn.com/news-blogs/association-and-corporate-staff-secret-weapon-conference-success) on the conference floor and just talk. “When your constituency knows your staff personally they feel a stronger connection to the whole group,” Thom Singer of Trade Show News Network says. So let the staff mingle and be a *real* part of the conference for the best results. Have you tried this method out? How have the staff—and participants—reacted? **Free for all:**How many times have you come back from a conference and unloaded a bag full of kitschy buttons and zipper pulls? Have you ever thought to yourself: Who really swaps out their zipper pulls? If you’re rethinking your swag strategy, there are some [key tips (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.eventday.com/blog/best-practices/should-swag-no/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=should-swag-no) to keep in mind from the people over at EventDay. What’s your top giveaway at conferences? **Mad skills:**Don Draper can sure teach you a lot. Besides how to dress sharp and pour the best Old Fashioned, the “Mad Men” character knows an [awful lot (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/eric-v-holtzclaw/why-you-should-schmooze-like-don-draper.html) about networking. *Inc.*covers his best tips in an article called “Why You Should Schmooze Like Don Draper,” which touts old-school methods that are (supposedly) tried and true. Some ideas: Order *all*the desserts and act like a tourist, no matter what city you’re in. What works for you while networking? (And speaking of “Mad Men,” [check out this Draper-inspired version of Google (opens in a new tab)](http://www.masswerk.at/google60/) , which shows what it might look like in the 1960s. Hint: punch cards.) **Head of the class:**You may think you need an association background to lead one effectively. The chief learning officer of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) thinks differently. Having come from a business background, she took [her no-fuss entrepreneurial skills (opens in a new tab)](http://www.fastcompany.com/3003566/lessons-doing-associations-right-american-college-cardiology) to the association, taking the traditional version of the annual meeting and turning it into “an intelligent learning system that breeds value,” according to an article from *Fast Company*. You’ll learn from her cost-saving measures and high standards of accountability across the board. What are you reading over lunch? Let us know in the comments. (iStockPhoto/Thinkstock) [Chloe Thompson](https://associationsnow.com/author/chloe-thompson/) Chloe Thompson is a contributing writer to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/chloe-thompson/) Tags: [#Aspiring Leader](https://associationsnow.com/tag/aspiring-leader/) [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#Mid-Level Professional](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mid-level-professional/) [#Networking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/networking/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJanel Johnson Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 11, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/11/janel-johnson-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2012%2F12%2F11%2Flunchtime-links-learn-to-network-don-draper-style%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !