The Red Carpet Isn't the Opportunity. The Room Is.

I recently attended another red carpet event in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles has a lot of these nights. Cameras outside. Beautiful venue. Expensive cars pulling up. Publicists moving people around. Executives, entertainers, entrepreneurs, investors and plenty of people whose faces you recognize but can't immediately remember from where.

They're fun.

But after attending enough events like this, I've learned that the red carpet itself isn't where most of the value is.

The real opportunity starts after you walk off of it.

I've been fortunate that marketing has taken me into some pretty incredible rooms over the years, and I've learned a few things, sometimes by doing them right and sometimes by realizing afterward what I should have done differently.

If you're ever invited into a room that feels bigger than the rooms you're used to, here are a few things I'd remember.

1. Don't Try to Prove You Belong There

This might be the biggest one.

People get into an upscale event and suddenly change.

They start mentioning names.

Talking about accomplishments.

Trying to make sure everyone understands who they are.

Don't.

If you were invited, you're already in the room.

You don't need to spend the rest of the night proving you deserved the invitation.

I've found that confidence in these environments is usually quieter.

Introduce yourself normally.

Ask questions.

Enjoy yourself.

Be interested.

The person trying hardest to look important usually isn't the most important person in the conversation.

2. Never Lead With Your Résumé

When someone asks what you do, don't give them your biography.

I've watched people lose someone's attention in 30 seconds because they answered a simple question with a five-minute sales presentation.

I keep it simple.

I own a marketing firm. We help businesses and organizations grow.

If they're interested, they'll ask another question.

That's what you want.

Give people enough information to become curious, not enough information to become exhausted.

3. Ask Better Questions Than Everyone Else

This is probably the easiest way to become memorable.

At an event, influential people hear the same questions all night.

“What do you do?”

“How do you know the host?”

“What are you working on?”

There's nothing wrong with those questions, but you can go deeper.

I've learned much more by asking things like:

“What are you most excited about right now?”

“What's something happening in your industry that people outside of it don't understand yet?”

“If you were starting over today, what would you do differently?”

Or one of my favorites:

“What are you working on that I might be able to help with?”

Now you're having a conversation.

And here's the important part:

Actually listen to the answer.

Don't ask a good question while waiting for your turn to talk.

4. Don't Immediately Ask for Something

This one matters.

You finally meet the investor.

Celebrity.

Executive.

Government official.

Potential client.

Whoever it is.

And within three minutes you're asking for a meeting, introduction, investment or opportunity.

Slow down.

One of the biggest things I've learned about relationships is that not every valuable conversation needs to become immediately transactional.

Sometimes the win is simply having a great conversation.

I've had relationships become valuable months or even years after the first introduction.

You don't always know what a relationship is going to become.

Give it some room.

5. Treat Everyone in the Room Like They Matter

This may be the most valuable advice in this entire article.

Don't scan someone's shoulder while you're talking to them looking for somebody more important.

People notice.

And don't determine someone's value based on their title.

The person standing quietly in the corner may own the company.

The assistant today may be an executive five years from now.

The person you've never heard of may be the person everyone in that industry calls when something important needs to happen.

I've watched this play out enough times that my rule is simple:

Treat the person with no perceived influence exactly like you would treat the person with the most influence in the room.

It's good business.

More importantly, it's good character.

6. Know How to Leave a Conversation

This sounds insignificant until you're at an event with 300 people and realize you've spent 45 minutes talking to one person.

You don't have to awkwardly escape.

If I've enjoyed the conversation, I'll simply say something like:

“I've really enjoyed talking with you. I'm going to make my way around a little bit, but let's stay connected.”

That's it.

No fake phone call.

No pretending you suddenly spotted someone across the room.

Be respectful and move on.

Networking isn't about collecting as many people as possible, but you also shouldn't spend an entire event afraid to politely end a conversation.

7. Take the Picture. Then Put the Phone Away.

This is particularly important at red carpet events.

Take pictures.

Enjoy the moment.

Post something if you want.

I do.

But don't experience the entire evening through your camera.

Some of the best conversations I've had at events never made it onto social media.

And that's probably why they were good conversations.

Not everything needs to become content.

Sometimes being completely present is more valuable.

8. The Follow-Up Is Where Most People Lose

The event ends.

Everyone goes home.

And 90% of those “We should definitely connect” conversations disappear.

Don't send:

“Great meeting you last night. Let's connect sometime.”

Mention something you actually discussed.

“Great meeting you last night. I enjoyed our conversation about expanding into California. You mentioned the difficulty you're having with XYZ, I may know somebody worth introducing you to.”

Now they know you were listening.

Professional networking guidance consistently emphasizes this: the initial meeting isn't the relationship; thoughtful follow-up is what begins turning the introduction into one. 

9. Keep a Private Relationship List

This is something I think business owners should actually implement.

After an important event, write down:

Who did I meet?

What did we discuss?

What matters to them?

Did I promise anything?

Is there someone I should introduce them to?

When would it make sense to reconnect?

That's it.

You don't need some complicated networking system.

You just need to remember people better than most people do.

The irony is that the more successful you become, the more people you meet—and the easier it becomes to accidentally make good relationships feel transactional.

A little organization prevents that.

10. Your Goal Shouldn't Be to Meet the Most Important Person

This may sound strange coming from someone who works in marketing.

But I've stopped judging events by whether I met the biggest name in the room.

I'd rather leave with three genuine relationships than 30 business cards.

One good relationship can introduce you to an entirely different world.

One conversation can become a client.

A partnership.

A friendship.

An introduction five years later.

You don't know.

That's the beauty of relationships.

The Red Carpet Eventually Gets Rolled Up

At the end of the night, the cameras leave.

The lights come down.

Everyone goes home.

Nobody really cares how many important people you stood next to.

What lasts is much simpler.

Did people enjoy talking with you?

Did you listen?

Did you add something to the room?

Did you keep your word afterward?

Did you make someone else's life a little easier because they met you?

That's networking.

I've been blessed to attend some incredible events and meet people I never imagined I'd eventually know.

But the more rooms I walk into, the less interested I am in simply getting access.

I'm much more interested in what you do once access is given to you.

Because getting invited into a great room is an opportunity.

Building a reputation that keeps getting you invited back is the accomplishment.

So the next time you find yourself walking a red carpet, or simply walking into a business mixer where you don't know anybody, don't worry about being the most impressive person there.

Be curious.

Be useful.

Be respectful.

Be memorable for the right reasons.

And follow up.

You'd be surprised where one good conversation can take you.

Writing from Los Angeles, California.

— Corey Flores
Founder, Flores Marketing Firm