I am writing this after coming from another networking event in Dublin.  I try to go to these types of events on a regular basis. It’s one thing to build an on-line presence but it’s also very important to get out there and build your offline presence too. The main buzz words I hear at these networking events is “people buy from people” and it’s very true. Most small business still rely on word of mouth and personal reference to get new customers.

What  is a Networking Event

This not a sponsored or promoted post. I have not been paid or given any free products or services to recommend or mention any company. These are my own views after attending the event and the photo used is my own, taken during the event at the venue.

Well its an event for companies and business to meet in a casual setting. Some are free and some you need to pay for.  Usually they are held in the evenings or at weekends so that people can come after work. Early morning breakfast events are popular too. Some give you a name tag, some don’t.  You need to be the type of person who can just walk up to random strangers, introduce yourself and be able to explain what you do / about your company in a friendly chatty way.  You should always have business cards to exchange with people. Some people bring a notebook and take notes. Most events have speakers who are experts in various industries or successful business owners.

So this networking event was in Café in Seine , Dawson Street, Dublin and organised by Diamond Events. The location was amazing, really easy to get to and perfect for a midweek after day time work event.  The event was held at the back of Café en Seine, cosy but not cramped and everyone had space to mingle and chat.  Unfortunately I didn’t get to sample the finger food, but going by the empty plates I saw, it must have been good.

Pretty soon the area started to fill up as people started conversations and exchanging business cards.  I just love the whole diversity of company’s and business you find at these events.  Working for yourself you sometimes don’t realise just how hard you work and how much passion and enthusiasm you have. You just get on with it. Meeting people at these networking events is always so inspiring. Hearing the stories behind the different company’s and how people just get out there and do what they do is amazing.

About an hour into the evening, there were some guest speakers and people were given the opportunity to speak about their business. While it was a great opportunity to get your business noticed, it could have been managed better. People’s attention started to wilt a bit and it was hard to hear some of the speakers as the networking chatter started again.

I did manage to mingle and chat and hand out my business cards. In between the speakers I met

It would have been nice at the entrance area to have some sort of sign or welcome notice as everyone arrived. When I got there at the time on the ticket, I wasn’t sure I was in the right part of the restaurant. It also would have been nice to have some sort of organised area for a cloakroom. It was a cold January evening and most people were coming straight from work. I saw a lot of coats and bags just piled in corners as people didn’t know what else to do. From a social media manager point of view, there seemed to be some technical difficulty as I couldn’t actually send any tweets during the event.

I couldn’t stay to the end but as I left there was a great buzz in the room as new connections were made and new business opportunities formed.

I’m glad I went, who knows what may come of the conversations and introductions and connections.  Now I’m off to find the next networking event.

Disclaimer :

This was a free event and I have not been paid to feature any business or venue.

Before you leave check out my previous blog post

5 Reasons You Lose Twitter Followers & How To Fix It