Great Networking Venues
Frank Traditi
You may be familiar with the answer to the question, "What are the top three things that make real estate valuable?"
Location, Location, Location
In networking, the same principal applies. It's knowing where to look. One kind of venue or event will payoff better than another. Mostly it's what you make of the event and how you approach it.
You might be asking these questions right about now...
• Where do I start networking?
• With what organizations do I begin to get involved?
• Where are the people with whom I want to connect?
Let's start off with a short definition of 5 categories of networking organizations and/or functions that represent formal, and sometimes informal, venues for meeting people and building relationships:
General Business
This is where you would find most pre-planned or formal networking events.
These places are likely to generate a regular schedule of events to connect
groups of people.
Professional Associations
Usually trade or industry based groups of people belonging to an
organization that promotes the industry in which they work.
Social and Business
Events that are set up for the purpose of meeting people or recreational/community
events where people gather to participate as a spectator.
Community and Service
These are events or organizations that represent charity or worthy
causes. Non-profit organizations and the work they do are a large part of
this category.
Educational and Seminars
Events that are knowledge based and often sanctioned or sponsored
by a particular company, organization or group of people.
Let's now look at the different kinds of organizations and events that make up the definitions of these 5 categories:
General Business
Chamber of Commerce mixers, general business groups, leads
groups, monthly sessions, week to week meetings, share leads, referrals,
executives, may only allow one person per industry.
Professional Associations
Industry based, executives, knowledge based, users groups,
financial, technical, product, marketing, affinity groups
Social & Business
Award ceremonies, church groups, singles organizations, sporting
events, receptions, soccer games, kids events, local school performances,
parties
Community & Service
Clubs, non-profits, fundraisers, service oriented, one-time
community events
Educational & Seminars
Lectures, workshops, conferences, seminars put on by individuals,
large companies, small businesses, sanctioned by a group or an organization
As a final note, the term "networking event" is not just an organized formal event, per se. It can be just about any kind from one-on-one to a stadium full of people, and everything in-between. So in the purest sense of the word, a networking event is just as much the "what" and the "how", as it is the "where."
It's what you DO with networking that makes the difference. And the "DO" part is all about building lasting relationships.
Copyright © 2006, Frank Traditi
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