At the end of the Treasury Career Corner LIVE in New York last week, I said something to the room that had been on my mind all day.
(And if you’ve ever organised an event, you’ll know this feeling).
In the hours before it began, the emails started to come in…
-
“My dog ate my homework.”
-
“I’ve sprained my toe.”
-
“Something’s come up… I can’t make it.”
Now, I understand. Life happens and there’s always something else you could be doing.
But I’ll be honest with you, sometimes the hardest moment as the host of an event is when you walk into the room and see an empty chair.
You know that those seats could’ve been filled by someone who would have gained real value from being there.
And for a moment, that’s where your mind goes.
But then I stopped myself…
I looked at the faces in front of me instead. Not the empty chairs.
Over a hundred treasury professionals had made the effort to be there. They’d travelled across the city, or across the country in some cases.
They’d taken time away from their day jobs, their families, their evenings.
And they were there for one reason – they were investing in themselves and their own treasury careers!
I said to the room:
“Actually, I feel a little bit sorry for the people who didn’t make it. They’ve missed this.”
Yes, they can listen to the podcast afterwards…
But listening later isn’t the same as being there.
They miss the conversations in the room. They miss the one-to-one chats afterwards.
They miss meeting someone who might become a future colleague, mentor, client, or friend.
That’s where the real magic happens.
At the end of the evening, we thanked the speakers, as we always do. But I also asked everyone to thank themselves for being there.
Every single person in that room had made the decision to show up. And that matters more than people realise.
Careers rarely move forward because someone stayed at home thinking about opportunities.
They move forward because someone went to the event, had the conversation, and met the person they weren’t expecting to meet.
Over the years, I’ve seen it happen again and again…
A quick chat over a drink turns into a job lead.
A conversation with a speaker turns into mentorship.
Two treasurers swap stories and stay in touch for years.
None of that happens if you don’t walk through the door.
So if you ever find yourself deciding whether to attend something like this, remember:
The value isn’t always in the presentation. It’s in the room.
Best regards,
Mike
