Making friends made easy

January 9, 2025, 4 min read

Jan 9th, 2024

A quick list of three things I love:

Friends

Camp people

Friends who are camp people

So you would think that going to a camp conference would be the best place for 1, 2, & 3 on that list.

And it is, but man, making friends as a grown-up is hard. And sometimes it’s tough even among a group you share a ton in common with; these are our people, after all.

When I’m going to camp conferences, I want to make friends (see list above), but I also know that it’s going to require some work. Some effort.

Weird to think about friendships this way? It shouldn’t be, but I know it is.

So, as we enter camp conference season, I wanted to dive into some quick reminders, mostly for myself, about why this kind of friend work matters.

Making Camp Friends Matters

It’s worth it to put in the effort.

Life is simply better with friends. That alone makes it reason enough. But there’s even more to it.

Working at camp is weird (in the best way), and you’re going to face weird problems. Having people who get it—who really get it—makes future problems so much easier to solve.

Just today, I got a text from a camp friend I met at a conference. There was no context, and we hadn’t talked in weeks:

Him: “What’s your go-to for setting up credit cards for camp?”

Me: “Ramp”

See the power of friendship? Lol. We can pass along credit card options with limited words and incredible ease!

Problem solved, moving on. This time I could help; next time, it’ll probably be me asking. I’ve asked plenty in the past.

But, let’s be real: your network (aka your friends) will be how you find your next job, your next coworker, your next credit card suggestion, your next anything.

Knowing people and actually building relationships has been one of the best and most helpful pieces of my camp career.

Quick Ad Break I’m Super Pumped About

Had the incredible opportunity to interview Seth Godin about the power of summer camps for my new podcast, Cabin Chat with Jack Schott.

Seth offered genius-level insight about what makes camps so special. Would love for you to check it out.

And now…back to making friends

Conference Connections That Last

Camp conferences should be the perfect place to make friends, but these friendships aren’t going to make themselves. You have to put in some work.

Go to the dinners and gatherings organized by the conference. They are awesome and act as the beginning, not the end of the friendship process. Just like camp, you get what you put in.

But on a friendship level, you could easily just shake hands, do an icebreaker, and…that’s basically it.

Or, you straight beeline for the people who already have outsized attention (Keynoters, big names, you know what I’m talking about).

All good, but I also like to find folks like me and build a tribe.

My goal at a conference is simple: make it to the second friend date with a few people so I can add them to my “I can text them a question” list. The latter is my own little blink test on if we hit it off.

Here’s how to make it happen, and again, I’m reminding myself of this stuff as much as anything:

1. Be Awesome

This should go without saying, but actually, it does need saying.

YOU HAVE TO BE AWESOME.

You are awesome, but how are you awesome for the person you’re trying to connect with?

Connecting with Beyonce? Well, she probably won’t care. But she also won’t be at the camp conference. So think about what makes you awesome for different camp people.

This mindset works because if you authentically believe you’re awesome, then others pick up on it.

2. Have Something to Share

Present at the conference, write a blog post, or create a killer write-up of your favorite staff training session.

Have some kind of work you can bring to the camp table or talk about to provide value. When the value is wrapped in helping others, everyone wins.

3. Host a Gathering

Nothing complicated and not some massive party-planning venture. Maybe on the second day of the conference, just tell everyone you’re getting together with other people interested in something specific.

Keep it as simple as “8 AM coffee and special events talk in the hotel lobby.” Nothing to it.

And if no one shows? You still have your coffee and are posted up if anyone walks by.

Lately, I have been obsessed with connecting with other 30-ish-year-olds who want to own private camps. For me, a group gathering list could look like:

Best special events for small day camps

20-ish-year-olds who want to own a camp someday

Small camp fundraising chat

Again, these are just things I’m thinking about a ton. Come up with your list, and then try to make something happen.

4. Have real conversations

Anyone can meet everyone for 10 seconds and then move on after shaking hands. That’s mostly what name tags are for.

Instead, shoot for making some deeper connections. The best place for me with this is by asking questions. Finding out what makes folks tick. We all work at camp so the baseline is already set in place.

Now, let’s find some other things we agree on, are passionate about, want to change, or are really proud of. Boom. It’s friendship time.

Following Through

When you meet awesome people, send them a follow-up email, provide some value, and ask for a chance to ask them specific questions about something you know they’re experts in.

And after all that, boom, camp friends. The kind you get texts from, like Alice, who I met at a camp conference.

If you’re looking to connect, I’ll be at these conferences in the next few months: