In this episode of Marketing Espresso, I’m joined again by the brilliant and completely addictive-to-talk-to Quinn Palmer. This conversation picks up right where we left off, diving deeper into a shift we’re both seeing across Australia and beyond: people are craving real human connection again. After years of tech reliance, remote everything and a pandemic that had most of us glued to our phones while drinking wine on a Tuesday, something has changed.
Quinn describes it as history repeating itself. After every major rise in technology, we eventually swing back to wanting to be around actual humans. And we’re seeing it everywhere — sold out in-person events, social clubs popping up, dating events overflowing, run clubs thriving and communities rebuilding themselves from the ground up. It’s a movement, and for marketers, it’s a sign.
Networking is no longer the old-school corporate handshake or a race to collect business cards. It’s becoming friend-making, connection-building and community-led growth. Quinn talks about how much more powerful networking becomes when you stop approaching it with an agenda and start showing up like a human being. Because the truth is, people buy from people. If you want real brand loyalty and trust, there’s nothing more effective than genuine conversations.
We discuss why the old KPI-driven, transactional networking style doesn’t work anymore, and how approaching events with curiosity — not desperation — completely changes your outcomes. Quinn also shares stories about relationships that turned into opportunities years later, reminding us that the impact of networking isn’t always instant. Sometimes it’s three months later. Sometimes it’s three years. And sometimes, it’s simply the ripple effect of being someone memorable to talk to.
The biggest theme that shows up again and again in this chat is that networking sits at the very foundation of your entire marketing ecosystem. It’s not an optional extra. It’s not a “nice to have”. It’s where brand reputation, partnerships, referrals and long-term trust are built. As Quinn says beautifully, if marketing is about people, then you need to actually start with the people.
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This podcast has been produced and edited by Snappystreet Creative
