The MBET Experience

The University of Waterloo – Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Program

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KW Chamber of Commerce Breakfast

September 21st, 2006 · 1 Comment

I just got home from a breakfast networking event hosted by the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. Part of the whole MBET experience is getting out there and networking, and it is a skill that I really want to work on developing. Part of our BET 611 course mark is based on how well we get around and play the game at these events!

The 7:30am start time meant having to get up early, which was a little difficult after staying up late last night for no particular reason. I managed to arrive right on time though, and spent half an hour chatting with various people such as lawyers, accountants, and business owners in the area.

Around 8am, we sat down to breakfast and a talk from David Johnston, the President of the University of Waterloo. He gave us a great talk on the first day of Ignition Week. Today his topic was “Waterloo Region: Smart City”, in which he talked about the region’s goal to be the “knowledge capital of Canada”. He had a list of goals that the region should be working towards for 2010 to make this happen, centred around three principles – Talent, Technology and Tolerance. One thing I’ve learned in the first three weeks of MBET is that there are a whole lot of people in this area who are interested in building a great community here in KW!

After the speach, we had an opportunity to have an open discussion with a panel of members from the Chamber. They described how it can help us, and why it is so important for entrepreneurs starting out to get involved with these organizations. The connections that you make can be a big help to people just starting out. They also announced that there were 16 free student memberships available, however, one of the panel members generously offered to cover memberships for all 28 of us who stayed for the discussion! It is greatly appreciated!

Oh, I also won a pullover golf vest by throwing my business card in the door prize draw. After that I had to answer a lot of questions to my classmates about Podium Fitness Solutions and what I was working on! Talking with various people, I also made a couple important connections, so all in all, it was well worth getting out of bed!

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  • 1 The MBET Experience » Blog Archive » Entrepreneur Week In Review - Part 1 // Oct 11, 2006 at 2:06 am

    […] As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I am really trying to develop my networking skills this year. The Knocking Down Silos event couldn’t have come at a better time. The keynote speaker for the evening was Dave Howlett, who in addition to being a great networker, is also an Ironman competitor, which I found particularly interesting! […]