Make the Most of Networking Events

March 24th, 2008 at 01:38pm Brent Swanson

Ever been to an After Hours event with a group of people from work?  I’m sure we’ve all see that group of 6 well-dressed professionals, one hand holding a plate of chicken strips, celery, crackers, and the other hand gripping a glass of wine. Believe it or not, once you get past the food and drinks, these functions are truly meant to be networking opportunities.   

It is important to familiarize yourself with the After Hours events in your city. Identify the events where you feel professionals in your industry will be present. 

Make a point to go there, and talk to as many people as you can. Make a point to separate from the people that you attended with. 

Trade names, stories, and most importantly, business cards. 

Establishing networking relationships is an important aspect of business. Attending these functions without a plan or a purpose, just to say you were there, simply defeats the purpose of attending.   

Remember: every event that you do not network to the fullest, your competition, who may be in attendance, moves that much further ahead.   

Entry Filed under: Marketing Yourself