The other night I went out for a few beers with some of my favourite “circulation friends,” a small group of great people I’ve been friends with for many a year who all work on the my side of the biz. What began as a “beer after work to catch up” became a pretty epic discussion/rant session on all things circulation and marketing; direct mail, audits, renewals, and yes, a little bit of industry gossip here and there (hey, a recession is no fun without the gossip.) For a lot of us the circ department is a one person shop that few understand, so it’s a relief and a comfort to occasionally be around our own kind. Not only was the session a chance to learn and help each other, it was also a rare opportunity to feel, for lack of a better word, “understood.”

So consider this an invitation; if I proposed a casual circ mixer every couple of months, would you come? One night at a downtown bar where those doing circ and those interested in circ could meet and greet and have a helpful chat, no association membership required?

Let me know your feelings in the comments, and based on interest I’ll something up.

And don't forget to get your nominations in for the CMC Magazine Marketer of the Year Award. The award can be given for consistent excellence over a lifetime of work or for a particularly noteworthy achievement during the year. The award will be presented at the CMC Luncheon at the 2008 MagNet Conference. Click here for more details.