Does event encourage personal networking? - The event that I recently attended was very open to networking amongst all who attended festival. Check out any volunteering rules or limitations for your event or ask person whom you report to is it okay to network, if your unsure. You don't want to create a situation where you're not asked to come back next year, or more importantly, to any other affiliated events, because you were all over panelists.

Make sure you have an interest in event other than your business. - This is more like a statement because I worked my butt off this weekend for film festival and I made sure that my duties were taken care of before I facilitated any networking. If you don't handle your primary volunteering responsibilities, word may travel about it and you don't want negative press about you passing throughout festival. Also, if you're doing a good job, you stand a better chance on getting introduced to right people who may be able to help your business in ways you may have never even thought of.

Are you ready to follow-up on all your new contacts? - If you're volunteering for a particular event and are at right places, at right time, you will have at least 10 new contacts to follow up on after event. This follow up is crucial and should occur with 1-2 days after event is over. The whole point is to increase awareness of your business and begin relationships. Sending an email to remind person of who you are and why you may be able to help one another will place you one step closer to your goals.

Volunteering can be a very productive and fulfilling method of advertising because not only did I get a chance to participate in an historic event with some of most creative independent filmmakers, I also got a chance to meet some great new people and share information about myself and business. And those relationships that I've made I plan to foster them into something great. You can do same too, so do it!

What I have stated may be controversial, but it is nevertheless factual. In your company, if a new Italian person is hired, he will be eating with other Italians by lunch. That is same across most other ethnic communities, except black community. Black people will look into themselves to find differences (Haitian against Jamaican, American against African, etc). I believe that this goes against spirit of Affirmative Action. Its purpose is to give a foothold into long-held white only corporations and their management staff. Most blacks today, once elevated into that position, try to take on genetic make-up of those in same position as them. They will not seek to promote other black candidates, in fear of looking too sympathetic, or incompetent. So no matter how many blacks may be working in bowels of company, way blacks have applied Affirmative Action even amongst themselves does nothing but try and maintain a 2% average, even if there are more highly qualified blacks ready to get promoted.

The tide appears to be changing, as more and more black people have benefited from explosion on their culture in White America, or with incredible salaries now paid to athletes. They have re-invested into their communities to make a difference in both education and job opportunities. That being stated, if there were no more government sponsored welfare-type programs, those communities would be forced to band together to create a better environment for all their peoples. Why should government continue to fund programs and departments meant to uphold this archaic view of corporate practice, when for most part, they are already in place. Let communities speak for themselves. If a company has suspect-hiring practices, let community speak out, and only then should government get involved. Instead, government should be focusing on getting kids of all ethnic communities same opportunities for education afforded to those of privilege. Let's put affirmative action into hands of each individual, to succeed in whatever profession they excel in, instead of limiting their own job opportunities to about 2% in each company.