looking for networking events

[Anonymous]

i am looking to try my hand at attending some networking / corporate events. - not something i usually do!!

does anyone know of anything coming up relating to IT, B2B, Telecoms or Finance?

also any advice when it comes to this type of marketing would be good.

Thanks

[gj]

BNI works great for me

I much prefer a structured sort of networking, where people are there to find referrals for each other.

I find general networking events too full of people only there to sell (often it is the sales guys rather than the decision makers, attending)- and often to sell hard, and a lot of time is wasted with people who turn out to be of no mutual benefit.

Having said that, you occassionally bump into just the right person.

My experience is that you have to attend a lot if they are unstructured, just to play the numbers game, whereas the structured ones usually mean a commitment both in terms of financial outlay for membership and time - often attending weekly.

Graham

[VeryMark]

BNI works well for me too, followed by business clubs, and, further down the list, chambers of commerce and Ecademy. The main thing is to try and build up long term recognition/relationships, and don't forget it's netWORK - you only get out what you put in.

[StartUp]

If you want some free articles and tips about making the most of your networking can I suggest a visit to www.kintish.co.uk.

Julia

[WSC-Will]

Not all networking has to be hard work. I organise a free networking group for local small businesses and it's deliberately set out to be unstructured. It's very friendly and down-to-earth with members using the meetings as a point to discuss their business experiences in a relaxed setting.

Our group is formed from readers of the excellent Business Bricks (http://www.businessbricks.co.uk) newsletter and you may be able to find a similar group in your own local area. If not then you could always start your own as I did.

You may have already come across Business Bricks before. If you've seen the latest Barclays Bank's small business magazine, Talk Business, then you'll probably have read about Business Bricks networking groups already as there's a full page article on page 8.

Anyway, back to our networking group. We usually meet once a month for a couple of hours in the evening, in a quiet coffee bar in Liverpool city centre and chat about various things such as what we've been up to since the last meeting, what we're planning to do, etc. There's no hard sell from anyone, just friendly chatting and sharing advice. That's not to say that there's no work generated from it because there has been and we all quite happily refer each other.

Granted, some will prefer the more structured, BNI-type approach and whilst there are such groups around these parts, there was an opening for the more relaxed type that we have.

[xdh606]

We are a Hong Kong-based company with global operations. Currently we are opening up a new industry worldwide - The BEVERAGE industry. It is a new industry, just like the water market 30 years ago. Now the water market has matured and it's a billion dollar industry. The next BIG thing will be the beverage market.

Our company is expanding fast in U.A.E, India, Japan, Europe, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. Now we are starting this new industry in other parts of the world. I am looking for serious business partners to develop this new industry.

Kindly reply ONLY if you are a businessman or if you are looking for business opportunity to embark on a Global Business Platform.

Please provide me with the following information thru email xdh606@yahoo.com.au

1) Name :
2) Contact No. : Landline and Cellphone
3) Email :
4) Profession/Business :

Thanks a lot!

Respectfully yours,
ABE DUMLAO

[chrisevans]

There are a number of organisations avaviliable to join, BNI, BRE, Chambers of Commerce, IOD and others. When I started was not clear why I attended some of these events but after practice gained confidence and now some results

[Ozzy]

Backing up what Chris has said above, the first few times you start networking you will probably not get or give much to it - you may even feel you are wasting your time. Don't give up because as you continue you will gain the trust and experience of the others there and learn how to network correctly.

Remember networking is not actually about selling, its about building up contacts and getting to know people. That way you can give people contacts the same as they can give you contants. I get a fare few leads from people who say "abc gave me your number, he mat you at the xyz event last week".

[Johill]

Hi

I’ve just launched an online network for small businesses in London – http://www.affinitytrading.com.

It’s an alternative to face to face networking events – where you may only get to meet a fraction of people attending. You can browse Affinity Trading Network whenever it suits you from the convenience of your office – and you can pick and choose exactly who to network with by reading their profile. You can also participate in Trading Boards to request or offer services, advice and contacts.

We only launched the Affinity website properly last week so it would be great to get some feedback on it.

Regards

Jo

[gritbinsales]

I joined BNI around 5-6 week ago

I wouldn't give it up now

wish I found it years ago

Adrian

[GSA Business Development]

I have been to a lot. I have been a member of BNI for 10 years and also 4N recently and been to many IOD and Chamber events and so on. My view is simple:


Be a gatherer not a hunter - Hunters and pushy sales people that flit between events always touting and never giving are ultimately destined to fail
Select events carefully that are where your possible customers and / or referrers go
Network on and offline
Make sure you participate and elevate your profile with the group
My overriding comment is that BNI's philosophy is correct. Givers gain. Don't go networking 'expecting' things to happen. Work the system and it will work for you.

There are some networking tips in the knowledge bank on our website (http://www.getsoundadvice.com/news/Networking_checklist.aspx)if you're interested.

[Rhodes100]

BNI is not for everyone, it is a matter of horses for courses and that networking event may not suit your personality or style

For those of you who may have tried networking before and felt under pressure to refer each week like at some BNI Networking Chapters or B2B Networking Groups then try BoB Clubs as we have no pressure for referrals at every meeting

www.bobclubs.com (http://www.bobclubs.com)