Top Tips for your next networking event

Last week I spoke at an event and gave some tips on networking.  Having done this for over nine years I have picked up some useful things from other great networkers.

Before you attend any networking event ensure you are prepared, have a badge, business cards and most importantly of all you marketing message – or also known as your elevator speech.  This is mine to help you with this, ensure you outline the key benefits of what you do and explain very simply to others what you do....

Sarah Byrne, Mosaic Events, Saving time, Reducing Cost, Adding Value for corporate events.  From conference 400 to exhibition for 1,000 we can help everything from full event management to just finding your venue.

Ensure you arrive early at any event so you can relax and focus, it always good to ask for the delegate list in advance of the event so you can plan you would like to meet, go to the event with a plan and goals of what you want to get out of it so you can measure if this has been a success.

If you cannot get there early, a daunting thought is always arriving then having to break into existing groups of people already networking.  Will Kintish talks about this in his sessions – (which I would really recommend) but look for individuals that may be alone on the outskirts of the room or head straight for the drinks table there are often people who have just arrived there that you can engage with.

If not then look around the room for open groups of people talking in threes or odd numbers - these are usually easier groups to break into, simply ask them Do you mind if I join you?  When I say open groups I mean those that are standing with space to join them.  Individuals standing in twos are usually harder to break into as they will often be deep already in conversation.

Be a giver and a connector –host and introduce others both at the event and outside of this.  Leave your troubles behind if you have had a bad day then leave it outside the door, people want to do business and get to know happy people that they can build long lasting relationships with!The biggest tip of all is LISTEN!! Listen with focus.  When someone is speaking with you, give that person your entire focus.  LISTEN.  Really hear what the person is saying.  Listen twice as much and talk half as much.

Don't Sell.  Networking is about building relationships. At every opportunity, teach others about who you are, as a person, and what it is that you do.  Always present a clear emphasis on the type of client that you are looking for.  Most of all be genuine in your interactions with others. 

Finally Follow up.  So many people forget or get bogged down when back at the office you will stand out for this. After the event, for those you felt synergy with drop them a line either on email or telephone mention something from your discussion or if you have promised to send some information over then do so.  Where appropriate follow up and arrange to meet further to discuss their business in more detail.

We would love to hear any networking tips you have email us on enquiries@mosaicevents.co.uk

Exhibitions – Top tips for exhibitors

Having just attended the Venturefest Yorkshire and doing a quick stint on the York Professionals stand it turns my attention to thinking about tips for exhibitors at events.

The Mosaic team are currently thinking about how best exhibit at the Yorkshire Mafia Conference taking place at Royal Armouries Leeds on 21 and 22 March 2012.

Most definitely start with giving your stand some thought in terms of what has worked for your organisation before, ensure you involve your team and ask colleagues what they have seen done well and not so well.  Talk to organisations that you know that may have exhibited previously at the show you are thinking about doing.  With this ask them how good the leads were.

Make your stand different – dependent obviously on your business it is good to think outside of the box and tie your message into the theme or look of your stand.  This will help individuals to visualise the stand when they leave.

Don’t bog people down with large brochures a small A5 postcard that offers your key message and then call to action should be enough.  If the exhibition you are at offers a portable scanning service take it! It will make life a lot easier than having to type up all of the business cards and addresses.

Actually at the exhibition ensure you staff your stand with outgoing people that love to talk!  Your staff need to be confident, knowledgeable and professional they will have to work harder than ever to get people onto the stand and give away information so choosing people who love this work will really pay off.

Make sure you have some sort of incentive to capture data and for those all important enquiries ensure you have a lead form on the stand ready to capture any information.

I suppose most importantly of all for those that are great leads, ensure that you FOLLOW UP! It is always amazing how many people don’t.  If you can at all a phone call is best this will ensure you really maximise your investment.

We would love to hear from you on any tips or experiences you have had before email us enquiries@mosaicevents.co.uk and don’t forget to come and visit us at Yorkshire Mafia if your attending.

Ideas for being more sustainable

In 2011 Mosaic Events became more sustainably by launching car sharing schemes for the events, reducing the amount of paper used for events and ensuring we always use FSC recycled paper for any printed materials.

We feel being sustainable is important and that organisations should make a conscious effort to work more sustainably and to create a good environment for the future.

Making your business more sustainable does not automatically mean increased costs and lengthy procedures, simple activities such as turning off all your computers and equipment and lights when you leave the office, reducing your heating temperatures and then cutting back on the amount of printing you produce.

You probably have systems already in place that help your business be more sustainable from separating your rubbish and recycling old papers/brochures and re using paper set aside for scrap for your fax machine or to print internal documents.

Before printing an email check if it something you can store online and reference later or make notes from to save printing pages of documents. In particular for anyone preparing items for a meeting or event, think about reducing paper by printing few copies so everyone shares or one larger copy so it is easier for all to see but saves printing individual copies. 

At one of our clients annual conference this year we are looking to print a couple of large agendas of the event schedule around the venue rather than printing hundreds of individual copies for all delegates, often last minute changes occur so this not only allows you to save paper but also to make last minute changes without a huge impact on the environment.

To reduce your carbon impact, share lifts where possible with colleagues to meetings, events or even the commute to work, use the train if you book three months in advance you can often secure cheaper fares and save the petrol and carbon emissions by not taking your car.

Venues are working to be more sustainable and have clear standards in place so if you are looking for a venue for your next event, ask what they are doing to be more sustainable and to ensure this fits with your own practices. 

Share your sustainable practices with us on the blog or do make contact with us by emailing: enquiries@mosaicevents.co.uk