Marketing Network On Long Island Continues To Grow

It might be summer, but The Long Island Marketing Networking Group has not thought once about a vacation.

Considered one of the fastest growing professional organizations on Long Island, employed and displaced professionals in marketing, advertising and public relations continue to meet and support one another through the summer months with ideas, brainstorming and leads to jobs and new business.

The organization began during the height of the last economic downturn. One day during October 2008, several out-of-work Long Island marketers bared their souls at the employment center in Hauppauge. Smithtown's Larry Drago participated in these informal discussions. Soon after, he had the idea to form a support group known as the Long Island Marketing Job Seekers Group.

Attendance quickly grew among displaced professionals as word spread through emails and social media. Meetings were held at local libraries, allowing people to share their ideas and provide mutual support that fostered the job search process.

For all these years, Drago has remained the driving force behind the group. Recently, as chairperson, he has spearheaded the organization’s evolution. Now, it is known as the Long Island Marketing Networking Group.

Group Transformation

As the economy rebounded and members found new employment opportunities, attendance gradually dwindled at the daytime meetings. Since he always had planned to adjust the group's focus from a gathering of people hunting for new employment opportunities to a broader all-inclusive marketing networking organization, Drago realized that the robust economy provided an opportunity for a transformation.

"Marketing professionals on Long Island need a forum to collaborate, learn and share their experiences," emphasized Drago. "The level of talent in the group is astounding, and members are more than happy to learn, share and help each other. I look forward to spearheading the charge to keep the group on a growth pattern and provide a conducive environment for all marketing, advertising, public relations and communications professionals of all levels."

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To learn more about the Long Island Marketing Networking Group, contact Larry Drago at limarketingng@gmail.com .

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The meeting schedule was adjusted to allow employed professionals to attend. Monthly meetings now occur on Tuesday evenings. Invited speakers are featured at each meeting and they present a variety of valuable topics – global marketing, branding, the power of storytelling – for Long Island's communicators. Members continue to dialogue at the meetings and offline about openings at Long Island corporations and nonprofits while also sharing business leads with the self-employed.

One feature of the organization, however, never changed – the Long Island Marketing Networking Group does not charge a membership fee or meeting fees.

Members Represent Long Island

The group's members, totaling more than 200, are employed at local corporations, nonprofits and marketing/public relations agencies that include Altice USA, CA Technologies - a Broadcom Company, Canon USA, Globecomm and Hain Celestial Group. Independent practitioners and business owners also have joined to network and to share their knowledge about marketing, advertising, public relations and other communications topics.

"Over the years, I've truly enjoyed and benefitted from great content and conversations at the meetings as well as those that extended out into the parking lot and beyond," said Kevin Simms, a marketing and communications veteran who is the organization's vice chairperson. "I've forged valuable business and personal relationships with many talented people as a result."

Besides regular meetings, The Long Island Marketing Networking Group hosts quarterly networking events at local area restaurants. These gatherings allow members to enjoy themselves as they continue to network. The group also is aligned with other local industry related organizations such as the Social Media Association.

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Mike Virgintino is the author of Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, the story about America's theme park located in The Bronx. Published by Theme Park Press, it can be found on Amazon, eBay and Goodreads.