Rock Out at a Concert or Network at a Conference? In the End, It's All the Same

I'm a big dork and I admit. If given the chance to go to a conference or a concert, I say give me a lanyard and point me in the direction of the complimentary muffins. This past weekend, I crashed the 15th Anniversary Teach for America Alumni Conference in Washington, DC at the Woodley Marriot Hotel. Interestingly, while concerts and conferences attract different demographics, they each follow the exact same program elements for success:

Pre-party/Breakfast Reception: Before the event begins, it's time to meet up with people you haven't seen in a while. The conference attendee is probably enjoying a bagel and a cup of coffee while the concert goer is enjoying a brownie and a beer, but both are happy when they see Mike. Everybody knows and loves a guy named Mike with brown hair who wears jean shorts and spent some time down the Jersey shore.

Opening Band/Speaker: Let's be honest, no one is rushing to their seat at 9:00 am on a Saturday morning to hear the Undersecretary of Education speak when Congressman John Lewis and Mary Wright Edelman are headlining lunch. And the parking lot has always been my favorite place to hear the opening band. But, they serve a purpose: every crowd needs to be warmed up.

The-Hey-Look-at-Me-Girl: You haven't really been to a concert until a college sophomore makes out with her friend during a pro-longed instrumental. She thinks she knows more about entertainment than the band just as the over-ambitious grad student thinks she knows more about education reform than the woman who founded her own charter school. If you miss either, you lose a big part of the experience.

The Lit Lighter/Head Bob: Every headline band/speaker has a moment on stage when everyone in the crowd is thinking - "I want to be the drummer or with the drummer." During the Beck concert, that moment came when his band played spoons and glasses to "Clap Hands". And no matter how many times I hear him say it, when Congressman John Lewis says "We ALL live in the SAME HOUSE!" it's like hearing it for the first time and I get chills down my spine. You are moved to do something, so you light a lighter or bob your head to the rhythm of justice.



I-Want-To-Be-More-Than-I-Am Buzz: It's natural that when you are in the presence of greatness, you aspire to greatness yourself. After leaving a concert, I want to write, I want to paint, I want to sculpt. I want to build something massive. After leaving a conference, I feel empowered to be the change I see in the world. I want to teach. I want to help little old ladies across the street. I want to serve humanity with my talents. And in the end, isn't that what it's all about?