YPers gather to begin speed networking.

On Thursday, April 11, the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network hosted ‘30-in-30’ at Captain Freddy’s in Mandan. 30-in-30 is an annual event that allows YPN members to meet new contacts through ‘speed networking’. The event gets its name from the concept of meeting 30 professionals in 30 minutes. However, participants at this event would get a little more time than that. The event began with a short social and an hour of speed networking began shortly after.

The speed networking portion of the evening consisted of YPers rotating from table to table until everyone had the chance to meet and exchange business cards. They were given two minutes to talk to each person, which allowed for a chance to talk again after the event was completed. Captain Freddy’s prepared some tasty appetizers which were served afterward and many YPers stuck around for a while to get to know each other better.

(Left to right) Jillian Lagasse, Heather Welle, & Nicole Peske, members of the PD Team, helped organize the event.

Overall, the event was very successful, with a variety of young professionals who have many diverse skills and an assortment of careers. Most of the YPers left with some new contacts that the Network hopes will help them along in their professional lives.