When I attended my very first IAM Annual Meeting a long time ago, I felt that everyone knew everyone, and I was completely alone, not knowing anyone.

What really surprised me was not only were the people I met very friendly and open-minded, but they were also welcoming me to “tag along” and making sure that I got introduced to other people they knew and again to the people they knew and it continued. I remember I arrived home with a huge pile of business cards from people I could hardly remember.

Being young in the industry, I quickly joined the activities and seminars for training the organizations offer. At my very first seminar, which was over 20 years ago, I made great friends whom today I’m still in close contact with.

Of course, it also became easier over the years, and when we met up at the conferences, it was like seeing a friend who you just saw the other day. My retired manager Gunnar Moeskjaer always taught me that when we were at the conferences and saw someone looking a bit lost with the “newcomer” sign on the badge, we always went over, said hello, and introduced ourselves.

In our industry, we are business partners who trade volumes and services with each other. The industry has many great partners, and we all value the relationship and, of course, the business we do together. However, over the years, some of these relationships develop and go above and beyond the business, and true friendships are founded.

We meet several times per year at the conferences, and sometimes we actually meet more often than our own “far-out family” and cousins. My husband used to say, when I was traveling to a conference, that I was going to a “cousin party” rather than a conference, and in a way, it is true.

Over the years, we have spent a lot of time together, having meetings, discussing business opportunities, serving clients, helping each other out, etc., and in between all these conversations, we build friendships. These friendships are unique, and we will all do everything we can to help each other out, if needed. This could be assistance with a move, going the extra mile for a client, helping when the family is visiting, doing a favor, etc. That is what we do.

And the friendships are developed even further. Besides the meeting and conversations we have at the conferences, we have dinners, go on trips, have fun, meet each other’s families, spend spare time together, and even visit our friends in their home locations.

The friendship also turns into traditions. For many years we have had a tradition of enjoying a drink before the gala dinner, and this event is very special to us. But we also plan other activities, events, trips, etc., which again build an amazing friendship across the globe.

The message is that this industry gives you the opportunities to grow friendships above the business, and there sure are some fabulous people in this industry, so make sure that you seek the opportunities and build these long-lasting friendships; they mean the world to us.