One of the best ways to boost credibility as an entrepreneur is to host a business networking event, allowing you to form connections with others while providing a platform for your peers to get connected. However, hosting a networking event can be challenging because if you get it wrong, you will tarnish your reputation and struggle to claim it back. With this in mind, we recommend taking the 7 following tips on board.
7 Tips To Organize Business Networking Events
1. Keep It Simple
You will need to keep track of your guest list, but there is no point in making it harder than it needs to be. Therefore, you should use a well-established app like Eventbrite, which allows your guests to register their interest well before the event. As well as helping you effectively plan the event, with automated email reminders, your prospective guests are more likely to stay committed.
2. Pick The Right Venue
Your chosen venue needs to be stylish, easily accessible, and have enough parking for everyone. A great place to start is with local hotels, which often offer discounts because they will easily make money through drink and food sales; we recommend providing a buffet to improve the flow of the event.
Your event needs to be very easy to find, so make sure the venue is visible from the roads and isn’t hidden away along small back roads. As well as this, you can print signs online quickly and place them at the road entrance to tell people where you are.
3. Have A Smooth Check-In Process
Whether your business networking event is free or charged, you should have people check in when they arrive. By doing this, you can pull attendance data afterwards to gauge the level of success, send follow-up emails, and invite them to future events. However, you shouldn’t turn the process into a mission impossible because you may put people off. If any guests don’t want to hand over their information, just make sure they have got a name tag and leave it there.
4. Meet All Attendees
People have come to your event to connect, so make a point of introducing yourself to everyone. However, instead of focusing on your business, keep the focus of initial conversations on what your guests do. By showing a true interest in their business, you will be remembered for the right reasons.
5. Get Other Guests Connected
Picking up connections for yourself is important, but you should become a little business cupid by connecting with other attendees that you believe would mutually benefit from each other. After all, if you paid attention in the step above, you will have a clear idea of what everyone brings to the table.
6. Hire A Few Anchors
Business network events are designed to encourage conversation, but that doesn't prevent them from feeling like a high school dance where people sit on the sidelines too afraid to mingle. To keep this happening at your event, hire a few anchors, which are people whose purpose is to make sure every person is engaged in conversation. These individuals should be experts at active listening and be able to encourage other people to connect.
7. Remember To Follow Up
Once your guests have gone home, continue the conversation by sending them a follow-up email. Ask them how they felt the event went and see if you can receive any insights about how to improve in the future. Additionally, you should keep in contact with meaningful connections to make sure both parties benefit from the meeting.
Conclusion
Networking events are essential when it comes to business or sales success. If you follow this formula for every single business networking event you host, you will make lasting connections and see consistent improvements in your events.
