Introduce an NYC artist to corporate America.

April 17, 2008 8:47 AM

I'd like to send my favorite cousin to an NYC-area conference for a college graduation present.

He's studied poetry, film, philosophy, economics, and media studies. He's also a musician/filmmaker/designer/artist of sorts, and his tastes are pop, political, and antagonizing--talented but occasionally perceived as hostile. He's admitted he's worried about finding gainful employment once he graduates this spring.

I'd like to get him a ticket to some sort of conference, seminar, or workshop for some Networking 101. Can you recommend any NYC-area event where he'll fit in that takes place during the next two or three months and won't cost me more than $200 or $300?

posted by glibhamdreck to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

Just a general tip to remember to check off the "student" registration price for the conference, if there is one. They usually ask for which school he's affiliated with, but never verify it. For many conferences you can also limit the events you're attending and save money that way (skip the banquets/dinners/parties unless that's the type of networking you really want out of it). Attendance for "members" (if it's a professional organization) is also significantly cheaper, but probably not much more than the cost of membership...otherwise you could also consider gifting his membership to the organization in addition to the conference registration to save costs that way.
posted by aswego at 9:24 AM on April 17, 2008

Without knowing exactly what sort of event you're looking for, only the broadest of recommendations:

Take a look at what Mediabistro has to offer. Ed 2010 also has seminars. I'm don't know the first thing about film, but while googling for conferences I did come across a random website called Conference Alerts that has listings of a whole bunch of academic conferences in every discipline.

But ... exactly what industry is your cousin looking to get into?
posted by brina at 11:33 AM on April 17, 2008

Response by poster: brina, he doesn't know, but I think he's probably well-suited towards a career in film/television, marketing, or something similarly visual. I'm simply looking for a low-stakes opportunity for him to meet-and-greet. He'd probably have a blast at an event like RESFEST.
posted by glibhamdreck at 12:41 PM on April 17, 2008