Welcome To Company Events

I went to my first company gathering (I'm not really sure what else to call it). I have been to trainings and have met a lot of people from various functions, but this was the first time I was able to see everyone in one place. It was pretty cool. I met a ton of people and was able to put a lot of faces to names. I got to find out what other people in my area do.

Going to this event was a bit nerve racking. I was always worried I would say the wrong thing or offend someone (or just make a fool of myself in general). There was alcohol served at the evening activities, so I made a point of setting limits for myself. I also made sure to drink plenty of water and eat a lot of food first. I can honestly say I very much appreciate the tutorials from college about drinking and socializing.

I was also sure that I got plenty of sleep I between socializing and getting work done (life doesn't stop for work events). Sleep is also important, otherwise it is difficult to follow along with what speakers are saying. I recommend not having an alcohol induced slumber, it causes terrible hangovers (observation from my coworkers).

The hotel I stayed in was cool. It was old and was a major part of Washington DC culture (at least according to the displays it was). It was close to the zoo. I had a great view of the Adams Morgan neighborhood from my baloney that was covered in four inches of snow. It was a huge room that I probably could have done gymnastics routines in. It was also supposedly haunted. One of the people at my conference even experienced one and had to change rooms. So I can cross off stay at haunted hotel off my list of things I need to do. It's unlikely I will ever do it again (one can only hope).

Overall I think the conference was cool (though the lighting was annoying). I enjoyed the events and don't think I embarrassed myself (too much, I still fall pray to standards of embarrassment). Here are a few things one should consider for their companies events especially their first one:

Do: Dress to impress - you never know who might see you and be careful of wardrobe malfunctions. They happen to everyone, but most people know which outfits are the safest to wear in good company.

Do: Socialize - it is important to talk to people and not lock yourself away. Yeah work is important and so is sleep, but if you are only going to see these people once a year you need to get to know them and find out what they do. You also never know what crazy stories you might hear or good pieces of advice you might learn. Also these can lead to some of the best friendships (or so I'm told).

Do: Pay attention - nothing will make you look more foolish than not paying attention and people will notice. Speakers can see the entire room and know when someone is really playing Angry Birds on their phone. Think you old college professor who would call on you after you zoned out for twenty minutes.

Do: Ask questions - you might not get another chance to. I like learning things and I find that asking questions leads to even better questions and learning experiences. Don't worry about looking stupid, most already know your new to the company anyway.

Do: Get some sleep - you'll look an feel like hell otherwise.

Don't: Overdo it - you'll regret it in the morning or six months later when that embarrassing photo who's up during a training session.

I hope someone found these pieces of advice helpful. I am now going to get ready to watch Sherlock. Please leave a comment if you think there is anything I missed.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please share it with your friends, family, or your worst enemy. I also love to hear back from my readers. I would especially like to thank Cupcake for all of her helpful advice and inspiring posts, Aunt Barb for making me smile, Mr. Bill for his words of wisdom, Abbesi for always being awesome, and to all my annonomous readers and commenters. I thought it was time I thanked you guys. Have a good week and until next Sunday.