Lunch 2.0 upgrades networking
THIRD STREET PROMENADE These geeks got it going on. Not only are they satisfying their hunger pains, they’re also quenching their thirst for making contacts with other technology buffs who may not have the great-est social skills but are eager to network nonetheless.
The concept is Lunch 2.0 and the company is ThisNext, a relatively new Internet startup that was the first to host the networking event in Los Angeles County.
Over 200 engineers, venture capitalists and other entrepreneurs packed ThisNext’s downtown office on Friday to chow down on sushi, sandwiches and garlic chicken. In between bites, they talked about their latest ventures and products, while others played video games on the Nintendo Wii.
“I think it’s great,” said Courtney Childress, an executive with Guthy-Renker, a producer of infomercials for Winsor Pilates and other products. “The food is awesome, the people are nice and it makes networking really easy and comfortable. It’s really laid back and casual, which sort of takes the pressure of making contacts.”
Lunch 2.0, which is sweeping the nation as the hottest way to expand one’s Rolodex, was created by a former Google Inc. employee in the San Francisco Bay area named Mark Jen, who got the idea after sneaking into his old cafeteria to score a free lunch and chat with friends.
Lunch 2.0’s founders define the concept as “characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share food and ideas, and the lunch as a conversation,” according to their Web site. The name is a play off the term “Web 2.0,” which refers to a second generation of Web services that aim to facilitate sharing among users.
The first few lunches went so well that he decided to organize similar lunches at other corporate cafeterias around the Bay Area in an effort to rub elbows with employees at other technology companies and to munch on some of the free food that many provide their employees. They posted their lunch schedules on a blog (www.lunch20.com), and opened the meetings to anyone interested.
Since then, the concept has taken off, and what better place to host a lunch than ThisNext,a cutting-edge company that brings shoppers together online to discuss their purchases and the latest products available.
“It’s like MySpace meets the Promenade,” said ThisNext co-founder Gordon Gould said of the company.
With the reputation for being Silicon Valley south, Santa Monica seemed like the perfect place to host the first Lunch 2.0 event in Los Angeles County, Gould said.
“There are a lot of tech companies in Santa Monica but there isn’t a strong sense of community,” Gould said. “This is a powerful and important tool in creating that community. For the number of companies here, you’d be surprised to learn that many people don’t know about each other. Now, they do.”
Andrew Warner, who helped organize the Santa Monica event, said the turnout at ThisNext was “incredible,” and surpassed expectations.
“In events up north, the first ones drew maybe 20 or 30 people, if that,” Warner said. “We have over 200 people here today. It shows that there really is a need for something like this.”
Several companies have expressed interest in hosting more Lunch 2.0 events, Warner said. No dates have been set yet, but those interested should check out the 2.0 blog, which can be found at www.lunch20.com.
Aside from name tags, the event was free flowing, as people were allowed to mingle freely amongst the crowd. People were dressed in casual Friday attire, which worked out for many since the office grew hotter by the minute with all the bodies packed into it.
“I really didn’t expect this kind of a turnout,” said Matthew Phillips of Cooke Pictures, a production company located in Santa Monica. “Social networking online is so much easier than doing it in person. This though makes it really easy because it’s not really set up like a mixer. It’s really about just eating some good food and having some fun, relaxing conversations. It’s really the resurgence of community.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 10, 2007. Read the original PDF.