As the Events Manager for Wired Sussex, I'm always talking to people about Wired Sussex events as well as recommending other meetups and networking opportunities in the local creative, digital & tech community.
Networking is a great way to not only find potential new business leads, but is also really important for keeping up to date with and sharing the latest business news, potential joint working opportunities and more. And as well as that it’s great to meet other like-minded people in the industry!
Wired Sussex Member Meetups are regular (every 4 months) informal networking events for our members, attracting on average over 100 people. They’re a great opportunity to meet, be introduced to and catch up with freelancers, directors of local companies and employees of local businesses as well. We always want our members to get value out of coming along to our events, so the team are always on hand to help introduce you if there’s anyone in particular that you’d like to speak to, or help put you in touch with someone that might be able to help you in some way.
So what with the next Wired Sussex Members’ Meetup coming up, I though it an apt opportunity to share some of the key things to remember for making the most out of these occasions.
• Research. Check out who’s coming before an event to see who’ll be coming and get an idea of the people that you might like to speak to.
• Social media. Use it before, during and after an event to connect with, follow and/or tweet people that you'd like to speak to. Also, remember to use the event hashtag to let people know that you’re there!
• Approach. Be friendly and genuine, you don’t always need to give it the hard sell.
• Add value to the event. Introduce people and offer advice.
• Business cards. Yes, it might be an informal networking event, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need business cards – just try not to wave them around needlessly.
• It’s not all about meeting potential clients. Don’t rate the success of a networking event on how many potential clients & sales you get. Meeting people with complementary skills and even competitors can be beneficial too – think about recommendations & potential collaborators as well.
• Collaboration is key. Don’t be afraid to share knowledge and information - collaboration is a real strength in the industry and most of our members have skills, knowledge and/or experiences that can be beneficial to peers.
• Less is sometimes more. Don’t worry if you only made a couple of contacts – it’s better to have fewer conversations with more value, than lots of conversations with none!
• Follow-ups. Connect & get in touch with people you met at the event and follow up on any conversations/actions.
As well as our own, there’s a great wealth of events out there for all areas of interest, from developer meetups to coffee mornings for budding entrepreneurs and evening socials for writers – there really is something for everyone. Keep up to date with what’s going on in Sussex using the Wired Sussex community events calendar.
If you have any questions about Wired Sussex events or others happening in the creative, digital, media & tech events in Sussex, get in touch with me at laura@wiredsussex.com.