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[Haystack]

The bar at a trade show is definitely where business happens. That's where you really have a chance to meet people and learn about their business at a time when they're really passionate about what they do.

In Minneapolis, we have a networking group called Netsuds (netsuds.com) that's all about having a few brews and learning about other people's skills. At times, they even have stickers you put on your name tag identifying yourself as a techie, executype, out of work, programmer, etc. The group is very welcoming and it's particularly fun approaching the pink tagged folks (pink for pink slipped) to find out what they do. I often end up to great people who worked for disfunctional companies (and occasionally a phony who was in the wrong job) and can put them in touch with a lead or two. As you might imagine, this sort of thing pays dividends.