Started noticing a pattern at the Detroit Economic Club lunches

I've been going to the Detroit Economic Club lunches at the Detroit Athletic Club for about a year now. What I've noticed is that the same 15 or 20 people show up every time, while the younger crowd is barely represented. There were maybe 5 people under 35 at the last event I attended with about 90 people total. Has anyone else seen this age gap at local business networking events?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby18916d ago

I found a similar thing at the local chamber of commerce mixer I went to in Livonia last fall. There were maybe three people under 40 in a room of sixty. What helped me was just sticking with it and finding one or two older members who were willing to chat about their own early career struggles. One retired auto supplier guy ended up being a great mentor, and he introduced me to people his age who actually had useful advice for my small business. It took five or six events before I felt like I was part of the group, but those older folks are often happy to share what they know if you ask them directly.

jesse_nguyen16d ago

Wait, is the Detroit Athletic Club the one with that huge painting of the old auto barons in the main dining room? I swear I went to a wedding there once and got stuck talking to a guy who kept bragging about his vintage car collection for like an hour... ended up hiding in the bathroom just to get a break. Kinda makes me wonder if those young folks are skipping the events for the same reason.