Megan Hilbert is the Winner of the Young Pro Speed Networking Instagram Contest!

megan

We hare thrilled to announce that this year’s winner of the YP Speed Networking Instagram Contest is Megan Hillbert, Marketing Senior Analyst at Verizon!

megan hil

The AD Club’s Young Professionals (30 years of age or younger) is a group of ambitious, philanthropic and outgoing professionals, who come from all areas of advertising and marketing, and who are on track to becoming tomorrow’s leaders. This month, they had their YP Speed Networking event and needless to say, it was a huge success!

We wanted to hear from Megan about her experience at the event, how she got involved with The AD Club, and why you can’t miss out on our next one!

Megan Hilbert, Marketing Senior Analyst, Verizon

How did you hear about Ad Club’s Speed Networking event?

Upon completing a 2-year leadership and development program with Verizon after graduating college, I was looking for the next step to advance my career. Mentor, marketing leader, and Advertising Club board member, Diana Zaccardi suggested I join the club as a way to learn about and be more involved with individuals in the advertising community. When I heard of the fantastic opportunity to network with fellow young professionals in the industry at the Speed Networking event, I jumped at the chance to participate! With so many peers my age gathering from top agencies and corporations, I was excited to make valuable connections and expand my knowledge of different opportunities in marketing and advertising.

Please share your experience after attending this event:

Throughout the event, I was able to have conversations with interns just starting out, young professionals like myself, and seasoned leaders with many years of advertising experience. It was great to not only to expand my circle of young professionals, but also feel that I could share my knowledge and possibly assist interns that were in my shoes two years ago looking to understand more about the client side of the business and gain full time positions. After the event, I was able to Link-in and email with some of the great people I had met at the event and continue the conversations to make a deeper connection.

If you were to recommend this event to someone, what would you say are the benefits to attend?

I would recommend this event to any young professional or intern who wants to start to build their network of advertisers and marketers in the New York area. The environment is welcoming and not intimidating to newcomers. It provides a fun atmosphere for meeting influential professionals and learning more about career paths in advertising with an easy 5-minute icebreaker question format. There is also the possibility of recruiters being present at the event who can provide insight into possible job opportunities.

What did you like the most about the Speed Networking event?

The casual set up of the event is what I enjoyed most because it allows for you to connect with a group of people, or one-on-one throughout the night. I felt at ease and comfortable approaching new people due to the moderator posing thoughtful and dynamic questions that would allow for an easy introduction. The format of moving between people often made it easy to exchange information or business cards for follow-ups.

Follow her on Instagram at @mahilbert!