Networking is all about getting to know people, making connections and building great relationships.
When I settled in Huddersfield in 2009, I didn’t know many people and attending business networking events was a useful way of meeting others when I started my copywriting business. It led to me running my own monthly event, the Coffee & Cake Business Network, until I moved into festival management. It also allowed me to meet and get to know people I still go to today for professional help: my mortgage advisor, pension advisor, business coach and many others.
And from networking, some genuine friendships have grown. I met our Festival Digital Manager Michelle Brown at a networking event in Holmfirth and we became friends as well as forging a professional relationship.
Networking events in Huddersfield
At this year’s Festival, we are offering two networking events:
Business Networking & ‘The Authentic Organization’ on 14 May – a chance to meet and chat with local business people, plus a talk by local entrepreneur Gina Battye about her new business book.
Culture Collective Networking event on 15 May – an event where you can meet and share ideas with people working in the local creative industry.
Both will take place in the Festival Tipi in the courtyard of the Lawrence Batley Theatre and both are free to attend – so you have nothing to lose!
How to prepare for a networking event
How you approach a networking event is up to you, but as many people find it daunting to walk into a room full of people, especially if you don’t know anyone, it can help to be prepared.
10 Top Tips for networking
- Try not to feel intimidated when you walk in the room. Remember that there will be other people there who are nervous about networking. If you can’t see anyone you know, look for someone standing on their own and go over and engage them in conversation.
- Leave the hard sell at home. People who launch into a sales pitch the second they are introduced are a big turn off. Instead look for common ground and wait to be asked about your line of work.
- Ask questions. Show an interest in the person you are talking to and ask not only what they do as a job but also about them. You may find interesting and useful points in common – an interest in a particular sport, shared hobby or favourite holiday destination – which will help them to remember you and forge a future relationship.
- Don’t miss opportunities. If there is someone attending you are keen to meet, go over and introduce yourself. Tell them you were hoping to meet them and give the reason as something positive about them and their achievements.
- Prepare a short phrase to explain what you do, clearly and succinctly. Think about it from the point of view of the person you are speaking to. For example, rather than simply saying, “I’m a mortgage advisor”, you could say, “I help people save money on their mortgage.”
- Don’t dismiss people who don’t appear to work in an area relevant to you. You may be keen to make connections in a particular industry and they might not work in that sector – but they might know people who do.
- Don’t get stuck with a networking bore. If you feel you’re being talked at, not to, and you want to meet other people, it’s fine to say: Good to chat, I’m just going to get another drink/circulate for a bit – and leave them to bore someone else!
- Networking events usually have refreshments on offer. It’s not always easy to drink a cup of coffee standing up while holding on to your personal belongings, so either stand near a table or find somewhere to leave your coat and take a bag with a shoulder strap.
- Remember it gets easier. The more networking events you go to, the more likely you are going to see the same faces and you’ll no longer be walking into a room full of strangers.
- Follow up on connections you make within a week, while they remember meeting you. If you’re on social media, find and follow them; link up on LinkedIn. Arrange to meet for a coffee and a chat, one-on-one, so that you can explore opportunities together.
Conclusion
A networking event may seem intimidating but it’s worth remembering that everyone in the room once started out as a novice networker. The best people to chat to are not necessarily those seen as the most ‘important’ attending, but those who are open to making connections and working with others.
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