I Accidentally Found a Signature Look
The networking playbook for being remembered at events.
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Soooo… I have a way of standing out at events.
And it wasn’t an intentional choice.
Weirdly, it started with my eyes.
Little Pamela
When I was 7, I couldn’t see the scoreboard at my dad’s hockey game. Glasses, sorted.
By 9, my prescription was changing every month. My eyes were deteriorating fast. Lots of testing, until (wildly) contacts finally did the trick.
Then at 27, I was diagnosed with a rare eye condition with no known cause or cure.
Flare-ups are the main issue. Think: sunburned eyeballs.
My doctor was so impressed (uh, thank you?) that he used me as a case study. Specialists formed a line to check me out under a microscope.
This is not a detrimental condition, thankfully.
That said, my eyes are not awesome. I navigate the world with some light sensitivity and a strong pair of contact lenses.
Could be worse.
Enter the glasses
A few years ago, I bought a pair of amber-tinted glasses for sports and driving.
I wore them so naturally, I’d forget I had them on. Even when I went indoors.
One time, I walked into a convention centre wearing them. My eyes were so happy I just... kept wearing them.
For that conference and for many events that followed.
At first, I felt self-conscious.
But people didn’t really seem to notice? Even my friends didn’t say anything.
Then…
I started getting compliments and questions about them.
Very cool. Where did you get those? Are they prescription?
Last week, a woman walked by me, gestured down her face and said, “Lovvve”.
This made me grin.
Being remembered
You can show up to an event, have the best conversations, and still be forgotten.
Trust me when I say this: You ARE interesting.
It’s just the reality of large or multiple events. Busy lives and distracted minds.
When you’re doing those follow-ups (ahem), people need to remember the interaction. Especially at something like Web Summit with 20,000 attendees. If they can’t place you, the conversation didn’t happen.
Growing your network and winning more business (or, at a minimum, making new friends) depends on it.
The Playbook
There are many ways to be remembered.
Be present. Fully. Put your phone away, ask a follow-up question, and actually remember something they said. One real conversation where you’re fully there is worth more than five you’re half-present for. Scanning the rest of the room.
Ask a different question. “What do you do?” is fine. “What’s exciting in your world lately?” is fun. It gives people the opportunity to tell you what they actually care about.
Connect on the spot. LinkedIn connections at the event, not afterward, are underrated. Even better: add a note when you send the request. “It was great meeting you through Victoria. I’d love to learn more about your travel tech platform.” Takes thirty seconds and makes you the one person they actually remember from the conference app.
Have a signature look. Something people can hook their memory on. Could be a colour you always wear, an accessory you always carry. Branded clothing. Something that makes you easy to picture later.
For someone whose standard uniform is jeans, a black blazer, and sneakers... glasses it is.
Of course, I don’t depend fully on the ambers.
I have a playbook to make the most of events, big and small.
And you can too! Have fun with it.
✈️ Carry On
with Pamela Wilton
Stay in touch, stay visible, stay helpful.
Increase your luck surface area.
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