Last Thursday, I went to my first ‘jelly’. No, it wasn’t a new concept in kids’ parties – it was work – honestly!
The event, which took place at the Park Inn, Thurrock (South-East Essex), was organized by Caroline Thomas of Sales Scene. Caroline’s first promotional email billed the session as ‘A different kind of networking’. Well, every networking group that ever gathered thought it was ‘different’, didn’t it?! ‘So, what’s new about this one?’ I wondered.
I’m always on the look-out for networking events – different or otherwise, though, and the subject heading told me this one was close to home. So although I didn’t open the email immediately, I didn’t delete it.
When a reminder came through, I was having a bit of an in-box tidy-up, so thought I’d better make my mind up whether to open or delete. I opened – and was curious.
It was an invitation to ‘Thurrock Jelly’ which was apparently free – but what the hell was business ‘jelly’?
I found out more when I interviewed Caroline for my radio show a couple of weeks ago – but it only really made sense when I saw it in practice.
To call it ‘networking’ at all is misleading really – it’s actually about co-working. Yes, some organic networking went on (which I always think is the best kind) – I’ve got two meetings tomorrow as a result; but the emphasis isn’t on sales and marketing, making contacts and swapping cards. It’s all about people who spend a substantial part of their working lives alone, getting together to work on their own projects in a more normal office environment, maybe to trade skills and ideas but certainly to break the day-to-day tedium of only having the computer to swear at!
So why is it called ‘jellying’? I thought it was something to do with everyone ‘gelling’ together – but, no. Apparently, the two IT freelancers who came up with the concept in New York in 2006 were eating jelly beans when inspiration struck… Let’s just be thankful they weren’t enjoying foot-long hotdogs…!
There are now several regular sessions in the UK and across Europe. They’re all different, but they have three things in common:
1 – Organizing the event itself is not a business;
2 – Jelly organizers don’t make money out of it (although as I saw for myself, they certainly have to work!); and
3 – Jellying is free.
Thurrock’s next event will be in June or July (dates to be confirmed) – and we hope next time to see some real jelly! If you spend too much time staring at your office wall (at home or elsewhere), longing for the phone to ring, ‘just to talk to someone!’, or marvelling at the conversational versatility of your coffee cup, why not give this a go? It’s so much more than just ‘another bloody network!’