Local Networking For Marketing, Advertising, PR Pros

The Long Island Marketing Networking Group continues to embrace new members as one of the fastest growing professional organizations on Long Island. Word of mouth, LinkedIn, Facebook and collaboration with other organizations to provide informative and fun after-work events has introduced the group to many additional displaced and employed marketing, advertising and public relations professionals in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Monthly meetings for the networking group are held on Tuesday evenings. Meetings feature invited speakers who present interesting topics of value for Long Island’s communicators. The April speaker was Laura D’Amato of Bethpage Federal Credit Union. She provided attendees with information about the creation of strategic marketing and communications content.

Humble Beginnings

During October 2008, several out-of-work Long Island marketers shared their stories at the employment center in Hauppauge. They discussed their job search situations and tried to assist each other with support and leads.

Larry Drago of Smithtown participated in these discussions and then moved the informal gathering to the next level to create the Long Island Marketing Job Seekers Group. Attendance continued to grow. Meetings scheduled at local libraries permitted people to share ideas and provide support that fostered the job search process during the difficult economy. During all these years, Drago has remained the driving force behind the organization and, as chairperson, he has spearheaded its evolution into the Long Island Marketing Networking Group.

A Group Transformation

As the economy gradually improved, Drago noticed that attendance began to dwindle at the daytime meetings for job seekers. Since he always had planned to adjust the group's focus from a gathering of people hunting for new opportunities to a broader all-inclusive marketing networking organization, Drago realized that the robust economy was the appropriate time to put his plan into action.

"Marketing professionals on Long Island need a forum to collaborate, learn and share their experiences," emphasized Drago. "The level of talent in the group is astounding, and members are more than happy to learn, share and help each other. I look forward to spearheading the charge to keep the group on a growth pattern and provide a conducive environment for all marketing, advertising, public relations and communications professionals of all levels."

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To learn more about the Long Island Marketing Networking Group, contact Larry Drago at limarketingng@gmail.com .

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A significant component of the group’s transformation was an adjustment of the meeting schedule. The gatherings were changed from daytime to evening hours to allow employed members to attend the sessions. Many meetings now feature guest speakers who provide their insights about timely topics such as global marketing, branding and the power of storytelling. From its first day through today, the Long Island Marketing Networking Group does not charge a membership fee or meeting fees.

The group has recruited its members from corporations and marketing/public relations agencies. Members now number more than 200 professionals from Altice USA, CA Technologies - a Broadcom Company, Canon USA, Globecomm, Hain Celestial Group and other companies and nonprofits. Business owners also have joined to network and to learn more about marketing, advertising, public relations and other communications topics.

"Over the years, I've truly enjoyed and benefitted from great content and conversations at the meetings as well as those that extended out into the parking lot and beyond," said Kevin Simms, a marketing and communications veteran who is the organization's vice chairperson. "I've forged valuable business and personal relationships with many talented people as a result."

Besides the regular meetings, The Long Island Marketing Networking Group hosts quarterly networking events at local area restaurants. These events allow members to enjoy themselves while still bonding and learning. Drago also has aligned the group with other industry related organizations on Long Island, including the well-attended joint networking events/mixers with the Social Media Association this past September and February.

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Mike Virgintino is the author of Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, the story about America's theme park located in The Bronx. Published by Theme Park Press, it can be found on Amazon, eBay and Goodreads.