Columbia Club

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11 Comments

Comment by Kirby Durham on November 9, 2008 at 7:12pm

What are the annual dues associated with the CC?

Comment by Ryan Stephens on September 30, 2008 at 11:17pm

Patrick,
Thank you, I might have to do that. I actually start tomorrow with a company located on the circle. I believe my friend that is a member told me about the open house. I'm supposed to meet him for a drink this week, I'll check to see if this is the same date he had mentioned. Thank you.

Comment by Patrick Sullivan on September 30, 2008 at 9:39pm

Ryan-

I think the best way to explain the benefits of membership is to spring for lunch there one day next week. Tuesday is fairly booked, but other days are available. Let me know if you're interested-

There's also a membership open house scheduled for Thursday 10/16 at 5:30.

Thanks!

Comment by David 'GuruConnector' Hall on September 30, 2008 at 2:58pm

Columbia Club Business Networking Group (CBN) Dinner 9/29

Comment by Ryan Stephens on September 30, 2008 at 12:16pm

Hello everyone! I have a good friend and an old fraternity brother who became a member within the past two years. He has been telling me a lot about the benefits of being a member. I was wondering if anyone would like to throw in their two cents on CC for me. I am very interested in pursuing membership, just an fyi.

Comment by David 'GuruConnector' Hall on September 11, 2008 at 5:06pm

hi john! your point is well taken! ...and to be honest i always had that impression in the past & eschewed many organizations that i viewed as 'my father's organizations' for that reason...but not having been part of them, and experiencing them firsthand i did not know..after deciding to give them a try and formulate my own decision, i found out different...and even if one does find that its not for them then they have the option of trying something else or working to exact change within the existing system...we all have the shared experience of human existence and we all also have something to teach, whether its a homeless person or someone that is part of a club of some sort or anyone else...

Comment by Patrick Sullivan on September 11, 2008 at 12:47pm

I'd say your experience probably isn't typical. In any case, I wouldn't expect web-based social networking to replace the pre-Internet models like the CC, but to develop into something complimentary and enhancing. We joined after moving back to Indianapolis (25 years or so in other places), and have developed a network of friends we see at the club as well as outside. I can't say I've done as much with other SI folks, though there are such opportunities (meet ups, for example, and SI sponsored gatherings). The SI "clubs within a club" to which I've subscribed also don't seem very active, except for the first week or so after somebody launches them. But like your experience with the CC, that may not be typical.

When I saw this group yesterday, my first thought was that it would be nice to see this on the CC website (woefully in need of upgrades, which I think are in the works), but then I wondered who would use it. That may say more about the current CC website than about what members would do if the resource were available--- Still, something like this might help folks get better value from CC membership.

In addition to the friendships, the CC offers a lot of opportunities- yes, business networking is one (there's still a lot to be said for face-face interaction). I can't ask a business colleague or potential client to meet me for lunch on SI, but I can ask them to meet me at the CC, and that still carries a lot of weight (and hopefully makes me look good). Other internal clubs offer other experiences- Sonoma County wine trip last April, for example, with the Columbian Travelers. And there's a random interaction thing you can't get with a website- we can go downtown on pretty much any given day and run into folks we know- the opportunity for personal interaction i smuch more immediate. The CC is a venue for activities and socialization, in a way that SI is not, as well as a means for communicating them and forming the networks.

And, try getting a room at a reciprocal Internet social network next time you're traveling ;-)

Comment by John R.(Dick) Troll on September 11, 2008 at 10:55am

I appreciate the invitation to join the club within a club. But, to me, the CC symbolizes the past. An old boy old girl, elitist way of networking. An approach to social networking that is being replaced by sites such as Smaller Indiana.
But perhaps my eperience at the CC is not typical.

Comment by David 'GuruConnector' Hall on September 11, 2008 at 9:02am

we have what are called 'clubs within the club', one of them being the Columbia Club Business Network (CBN) which meets Tuesdays for a Biz Networking Lunch...there is also a after hours/dinner networking meeting for the club (will obtain dates/times) & we are looking to possible add a breakfast meeting for those that prefer that time of day....

Comment by Jonathan Arnold on September 11, 2008 at 8:32am

the columbia club is a mystery to me...what do y'all do there? how is it leveraged from the standpoint of business development and just general networking?

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