Why do people attend?
Frequent Business Travel
Ken Chang is the owner of Minfon and travels frequently throughout the U.S. and Greater China for business. The ORIENTED Happy Hours enable him to immediately tap into the international professional networks in the many cities he visits.
Job Leads
Angela Wu moved to Shanghai to seek career opportunities and wanted to meet people who could potentially give her job leads in the media field. She is now a news anchor and copy editor for DragonTV, an opportunity that came about after meeting someone from the station at an ORIENTED event in Shanghai!
Entrepreneur Networking
In this video, Sue Tsai, Kirin Tuei, and Lilly Huang talk about their different perspectives on what they see in ORIENTED, how they initially got involved, and what they get out of it. Mick Johnson also makes a cameo appearance.
Lilly stated, "I really like the entrepreneur spirit of the organization... ORIENTED bridges the East and the West and also in a social environment. I love it!"
Social Networking
Cathleen Chang, Television Host of CCTV in Beijing, states, "...I've been going to the ORIENTED Happy Hours for two years now, first year as an organizer and now just a regular attendee, and I can honestly say that its the only social networking event I've found in Beijing that has maintained a constant level of professionalism. It's been consistent in its format and constantly attracts quality people. I've enjoyed everyone I've met and have made great contacts."
Business Networking
Mick Johnson, Director of Marketing for Sensory Networks in California, is interested in business in Asia having spent some time there and wants to network with others who share similar interests. He used to attend our Happy Hours in Sydney!
Originally from Australia, Mick speaks fluent Japanese and has also attended the ORIENTED Happy Hours in Beijing when he was there on business.
Global Networking
Originally from Tianjin, China, Yimei Wong is now based in the Bay Area and works in the solar industry. She travels frequently for work and has attended ORIENTED Happy Hours in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and the Bay Area.
Evelyne Tseng in Taipei stated, "... ORIENTED brings together people from all corners of the world with whom you might have walked past one day but never got a chance to meet. It helps you realize the importance of staying connected on a global level."
Business Partnerships & Market Research
Gavenrag ("Raj") Sodhi runs a company based in Los Angeles called SocialDragon.com and will be expanding his company operations to Beijing soon. He is actively seeking market information, business partners, and clients.
From contacts that he made at the ORIENTED Happy Hours in Beijing, Raj's company is now hosting delegations from China.
Acclimating to a New City
Angel Huang just quit her job in the U.S. to move to Taipei. She wants to meet new friends there since she plans to be in Taipei for a bit. As a Lifetime Member, Angel receives free entry to any ORIENTED Happy Hour worldwide, forever!
Convenience
David Chuang handles one of Panasonic's largest accounts. He travels to Asia every 2-3 weeks and is constantly on the run. He has many friends in different cities throughout Asia but doesn't have time to see them all, individually.
It's much easier for him to catch up with all his friends at an upcoming ORIENTED Happy Hour, as it saves him the trouble of having to meet each of them individually.
General Networking
John Sun works for Cathay Pacific Airways and travels between Hong Kong and San Francisco for work and to visit friends. He enjoys networking and meeting new people, who like him, run in the international crowd.
Getting out of the Office
Rena Abe of Hudson Global Resources stated, "At the (Tokyo) happy hour event, I have met many people who work and live in Tokyo, just like myself. It was exciting to get to know them as I was usually too busy with my work to meet new people. I would definitely recommend the event, especially for busy professionals."
Having Fun
Dai-Kyu Kim is the CEO of Zapr.com, an application which lets you create links to any files on your PC which you can then send to friends via email or IM. He attends the ORIENTED Happy Hours because they are always a lot of fun!
Visit our archives for even more video interviews!