Networking

Networking - schmoozing or essential business tactics?
By Tim Gibbon

We tend to go out a lot to press the flesh / meet and greet, because we find it one of the most effective ways of meeting like-minded people, peers and contemporaries. We often recommend to our clients on where the most vibrant event, seminars, conference and specialist networking events that are applicable to them. Mike Butcher, editor of Mbites http://www.mbites.com highlighted this in an article in New Media Age [NMA]
http://www.newmediazero.com/nmz/story.asp?id=237285 on 23 September 2002, which really hit the nail on the head.

Online communities such as e-consultancy.com http://www.e-consultancy.com are crucial and extremely influential it kick-starting relationships off and online, and are extremely effective ice breakers. You meet online thrash out ideas and so on, then extend the relationship with a face to face meeting. Whether the meeting and relationship progresses from there depends upon if there is any synergy, or you get along with who you meet.

Exhibition driven networking events usually are very good networking haunts, that is if the organiser has laid on something like a pre or after party. Shrinking budgets haven't helped because you are only going to meet interesting people if they are actually there. After a long day walking around the event, you've got to decide whether people are going have that little bit more energy to attend, or have the time to.

Networking has had a huge impact on our business because we meet individuals that we wouldn't have normally, especially when they are more social oriented. The hosts or guests may bring a friend or acquaintance along and you find that you may have common interests with.

Business breakfast mornings are great places if you can handle the early mornings, and if people are there, you know they really want to be. Associations, institutions and trade bodies are the obvious choices to join, but they are not necessarily the most vibrant or useful. It all really depends upon your objectives - who would you like to meet and why? If you are looking to connect with individuals and look for new business opportunities; is it really going to be productive to attend your annual association party? Would it be more effective, a smarter move, to attend an association's party in the sector you are interested in learning more about?

Some of the more social [relaxed and informal] events for the industry that we work within include:

e-consultancy.com - Providing answers to e-business questions
http://www.e-consultancy.com

Ecademy - Business networking from a variety of sectors
http://www.theecademy.com

Hi Flyers - Creative, design, new media, technology
http://www.hi-flyers.com

Notjustanotherfailing.com - As above
http://www.anotherfailing.com

These 4 Walls - Creative, design, new media and PR driven
http://www.t4w.co.uk

The most vibrant networking event I attended is Ryze New to the UK [the first was in late 2002], and it was extremely refreshing. Ryze stems from a friendly, upbeat online environment that adheres to the premise of the Internet - inform, educate, enlighten and share. People meet and greet online on an international basis and then meet at organised events in bars, clubs or similar. It has an infectious snowball affect and we envisage will be great throughout 2003.

Ryze - Business drive and caters for the aforementioned sectors
http://www.ryze.org
About Ryze:
http://ryze.trakhelp.com/bin/answer.py?answer=28&topic=-1

Tim Gibbon
Account Director, Elemental PR