“Continuous personal and professional development is your key to the future”.
(Brian Tracy)
The NACE22 conference was held in Portland, Oregon last year. I chronicled my experience traveling out to Portland for the conference in a previous Walk into the Future article. This was my first time in Portland so was excited to venture out and take in the sights. NACE22 was also part of my professional development as I served as Co-Chair on the Mentoring Taskforce. The role allowed me to present during the conference to share the activities the taskforce had worked on during the academic year. FYI, we redesigned the NACE mentoring program to modernize how we recruit and onboard new mentors. I was excited for the opportunity to network with my peers and share the hard work the taskforce completed to enhance our organization.
Fast forward to 2023 and NACE23 was held in Orlando, Florida at the Disney World Swan, and Dolphin resort. My travel itinerary was a lot less of a hassle than catching multiple connecting flights to get out and back to Portland. My school saved a bunch of money by not having to fly me all the way to the west coast and back this year.
Another bonus for me is I did not have to present this year, so I got a chance to enjoy myself while networking with friends from around the country. The Career Services world is a tight knit bunch of professionals, and it was great getting a chance to see folks again. The NACE conference provides a great platform for networking, and I made a point to talk with everyone I could. Please note, this level of networking is needed for future growth within the organization. I served on the Mentoring Taskforce because the NACE past-president reached out and asked me to Co-Chair because this was his passion project. The incoming president made sure I knew she needed help with an upcoming committee and spent the week recruiting me to join her project as well. It took a few follow-up meetings and calls, but I agreed to serve on one of her committees for the 2023 – 2024 year. My end goal is to get a seat on the NACE Board of Directors soon and it helps to be connected to the right people.
I’m not a huge Disney person but made sure to explore the Disney Boardwalk area for food, drinks, and night life. I took advantage of the workout facilities located on the Swan side of the resort and got in a few training runs while on the property.
Several of the NACE23 vendors host afternoon and evening networking sessions to connect with Career Services professionals. These sessions are paid for by the vendors and they routinely provide food and drinks for all attendees. Nice way to get a free meal, drinks and enjoy time with friends. Yes, I made my way to as many of these networking sessions as possible. LOL.
A true highlight of the trip for me was a visit over to Disney Springs. One of the vendors hosted a large event in an Irish Pub in Disney Springs. I left one event with friends, and we decided to ride over to Disney Springs to enjoy the night life and hit the party at the Irish Pub.
Chef Art Smith’s Homcomin Restaurant is in Disney Springs and is world renowned for great food and atmosphere. I need to make a full confession to my readers. Art Smith is a world-famous chef and has cooked for Oprah Winfrey and a host of others. Very impressive resume! Also, Art is from Jasper, Florida which is my hometown. He moved back to Jasper a few years back and is our most famous resident. Where am I going with this? Great question. I texted Art before heading over to Disney Springs to get a reservation at his restaurant and he was great at getting me and three friends in on short notice. Thanks Art!
The Homcomin menu has a ton of great options and I highly recommend making your way there when in the area. I had Art’s Famous Fried Chicken and Sweet Tea moonshine. My friends tried other items on the menu, and we all agreed this was the best food we had while in Orlando. We got a treat with the Signature Sampler which has 3 of the best desserts you can find anywhere. All were fantastic but the Hummingbird Cake is my favorite and will get that when I visit again. Stop and see my friend Art when visiting Disney Springs—you will thank me for the recommendation!
http://www.homecominkitchen.com/pdf/Homecomin-Menu.pdf
http://www.homecominkitchen.com/pdf/Homecomin-Dessert-Menu.pdf
NACE24 will be in Phoenix, Arizona next year. I anticipate being on the agenda again to present to my colleagues. I’m sure there will be great networking opportunities out there and looking forward to great food there too.
What networking opportunities are you pursuing this year?
Irie!