01670 284135
01670 284135
Ah, networking events. You’ve circled the date on your calendar, dusted off your best ‘I’m a professional, honestly’ outfit, and practiced your firm-but-not-crushing handshake. You rock up expecting a packed room buzzing with potential clients, partners, and that one bloke who always wants to ‘pick your brain’ over coffee (but never buys the coffee). Instead? A half-empty room, an overly enthusiastic organiser like me, and a guy in the corner who appears to be hiding from his own business decisions.
Disaster, right? Wrong. Because networking isn’t about the sheer number of bodies in the room—it’s about who’s there and, crucially, how good you are at actually talking to them.
You see, the rookie mistake at networking events is assuming more people equals more opportunity. But let’s be honest, what good is a room full of people if you spend the entire time making crappy conversation about the weather or in my case football.
A smaller event means you can actually have real conversations. You know, the kind where you don’t have to shout over a dodgy microphone or pretend you heard someone’s job title when all you caught was ‘consultant’. When the crowd is thinner, you get more time to properly connect with the right people. The ones who actually matter to your business rather than just padding your email list with names we both know that you will never follow up on.
Now, let’s talk about you. Yes, you. Because the success of a networking event isn’t just about who turns up—it’s about how well you work the room. If you’re standing around waiting for opportunities to fall into your lap, you might as well go home and have a nap instead (arguably a better use of your time).
The trick? Engage like a pro. Ask interesting questions that don’t sound like they’ve been copy-pasted from a networking guidebook. ‘So, what do you do?’ is tragic.
Try one of my lines; ‘Where does that accent come from?” or just a really simple ‘How is it going?’ Watch how fast people start opening up, having a natural conversation and you become the person everyone wants to chat to and importantly, they remember your chat.
Here’s a little secret: the real magic of networking doesn’t even happen at the event. It happens afterwards. You can have the best chats in the world, but if you don’t follow up, you may as well have spent the evening talking to a pot plant. Send that email, Connect on LinkedIn (but please don’t just send the default ‘I’d like to add you to my professional network’—you’re better than that). Arrange a coffee, a Zoom, or a meet-up where you can continue the conversation without the lukewarm coffee lingering in the background.
Get a sticky bun and a mug of tea is always my plan.
So next time you rock up to a networking event and see more empty chairs than people, don’t panic or stress because the success of an event isn’t measured by how many turned up, but by how well you work with what you’ve got. Be the person that makes connections, has memorable conversations, and actually follows up.
Don’t be the one that says “networking is sh*t because I didn’t sell anything.”
At the end of the day, a room full of people means absolutely sweet FA if you’re not making the most of it.
Get yourself along to a networking event near you.
