The Setup #MarketersBreakfast is a chance for marketing leaders to congregate together each quarter as peers to network with, learn from, and inspire one another.

Due to COVID safety precautions, the last few years led to fewer in-person events. To make up for our lack of in-person events, we’ve hosted a number of virtual events showcasing agency case studies, marketing in big, medium, and small beverage companies, and business networking. We’ve continued to host these online events to connect the marketing community across the nation, as well as an all women’s virtual community “In This Dame and Age.”

Getting back to in-person events is thrilling, especially for extroverted marketers who thrive off of conversation and the energy of others. Some people, however, are still shaking off the rust that the damage of a year-long quarantine caused, or have never liked networking and are shaking off the fear that they can do it. 

At the end of the day, what unites all of us is that we are human, and, as humans, we crave connection. One of the biggest obstacles of networking is approaching a total stranger while having an agenda and having to pitch yourself and your worth in a limited amount of time. 

At Setup, we love to facilitate environments where people can network and embrace themselves freely, so our #MarketersBreakfast for August 2022 was all about “Getting Back to the Basics to Find Human Connection.” 

At this breakfast, no one was a stranger. 

With a balance of attendees from both marketing agency and brand leadership teams, the breakfast consisted of open networking and an “improv” activity led by Setup’s Marketing Manager, Madeline Evans, who is actively teaching and performing improv professionally in Atlanta. 

How Was Improv a Beneficial Networking Activity?

If the goal is to have people connect in a care-free environment, improv is the perfect method to help people get out of their heads, get loose, become vulnerable, and break down any reservations or barriers they may have when entering a foreign environment. 

The philosophy of improv is “Yes And,” meaning that it is all about agreeing to, supporting, and building upon other people’s ideas. It’s letting go of preconceived notions or expectations of others and yourself, and being completely open and present. Improv is all about trusting yourself and others, unlocking a playful element within. 

Though it might seem scary to stand up and look silly alongside marketing executives, or even to revert to a childlike mindset where you weren’t self conscious because nothing mattered, improv is not as hard as it seems and is extremely rewarding for all groups of people. 

Some of the challenges attendees expressed about networking was:

• Remembering people’s names

• Actively listening 

• Being introverted 

• Talking too much or too fast 

Knowing the challenges people usually face, Madeline led the group in several exercises that focused on listening, being completely present, and, ultimately, seeing the person in front of them as another person instead of a business prospect. 

After plenty of laughs and silliness, the event continued with free-form networking.

Moira Vetter, CEO of Modo Modo agency, said that the event felt “real.” There were real connections and it was a very human experience. 

Because improv is applicable in the work environment, Setup created a Team Building service offering. After conducting several conversations and surveys among agencies and clients about their relationships with each other and the relationships within their teams, we realized Team Building is crucial for success. If you would like to harness creativity, unlock communication, cultivate relationships and a stronger culture, work on support in the workplace, and more, check out the offering here. 

If you or someone on your team is interested in attending the next Setup event, we have a virtual Women’s “In This Dame and Age” event September 15th. RSVP here. 

This was one of our most successful events thus far, and we cannot wait to continue to foster stronger relationships within the marketing community!