Networking events give businesses the opportunity to ultimately promote their company to increase the growth of their clients and meet potential investors. It may be hard to begin with as contacts will be limited, but in time if we keep our business well communicated to an audience then we will receive more invitations to events and our network will grow.
Attending conferences or trade shows gives us the opportunity to meet hundreds of likeminded people all with the same intention of expanding their networks. But the key here is to speak to as many people possible and present our business in a professional manor to build up a reputation in the crowd. This may be intimidating at first but the benefits of creating these contacts will pay off for the future of our business. Conferences can be costly especially when they industry wide, so a tip for saving some of our businesses’ budget is to volunteer at the event. This in turn can allow us to create a stronger bond with the event planners who usually know the most people and therefore gives our business the best potential at the event.
In addition to networking at a conference there are also more relaxed events usually held after working hours which are just as popular to spread word of a business. There are no speakers at this kind of event and they usually have no set programs, allowing those attending to be comfortable in their environment which is most commonly held at a bar or café. This gives the opportunities to portray ourselves personally to the group which in turn can help gain trust and strengthen business relationships.
Social media is a big priority when it comes to online networking. Sites, such as Quora, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, give networking opportunities for businesses to interact with customers, clients and industry associations. This can help our business reach a greater audience alongside traditional networking. It also increases our credibility as it shows that we are keeping up with modern technology and communication methods.
Overall the best way to maintain a strong network for our company is by trying a few different types of networking business opportunities. Other ways to promote our business include: being active on online forums, attending career fairs and even boasting about the identity of our business to friends and family members. It is important to stay professional as we might be able to meet someone who could be useful for our business, or someone who might be our potential residential or commercial client.
Networking Events
Due to our location, we are able to travel all around the UK for multiple Networking Events. We hope that in the future, once our company expands we can travel abroad to share our ideas and gain more knowledge. In the first few years, London will most likely be our main destination as there are a number of networking events suitable to our company. We have attended the following events and will continue to attend many more throughout the years as our buisness expands.
1. RIBA London Winter social (09/12/2019)
The Department Store, Brixton, 248 Ferndale Rd London
The event created multiple opportunities to meet people in similar industry. London Architects groups gave us the opportunity to be involved with the RIBA at local level.
2. Getting Started With Enterprise Architecture (11/12/2019)
Regus Cambridge, Wellington House, East Rd, Cambridge
The event showed the delegates of what is needed to establish a functioning and integrated Enterprise Architecture Practice using TOGAF.
3. NetLdn (12/12/2019)
25 Rathbone Pl, London
It is an event which is repeated each month in order to socialise with fellow networking professionals. we have met many individuals in the industry in which they shared their knowledge to help with our company.
4. Architecture Forum (18/12/2019)
Hippo Digital Ltd 24-26, Aireside House, Air St, Leeds
We joined the important conversation with IT Architects to hear about new development in the industry and possible collaboration.
5. Architect at the Work (29/01/2020)
85 Brick Lane, London E1 6QR Brick Ln, London
Architect at the Work involved many professionals to maintain and update their industry knowledge and skills through formal education. It allowed us to to meet individuals who are also starting a business, allowing us to collaborate with them to expand our marketing by promoting our company.
6. Interior Design & Architecture summit (08/06/2020)
Hilton London Tower Bridge
5 More London Riverside, Tooley St, London
This event has broaden our knowledge and gave us the connection with senior executives who have been in the industry for a long time. It was a networking event which provided us with long-lasting and beneficial business connections.
7. Business Process Management Conference Europe (26/10/2020)
The Tower Hotel, St Katharine’s Way London
This event offered an opportunity to gain knowledge on the latest approaches and innovative ideas to both Enterprise Architecture and BPM. It also provided diverse and wide-ranging perspectives on there topics including Business Architecture.
8. Enterprise Architecture Conference (29/10/2020)
The Tower Hotel, St Katharine’s Way London
As a company, we have benefitted from the synergies between Enterprise Architecture and BPM.
9. VR World - Virtual Reality Event (11/11/20)
Olympia Conference Centre,
Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX
One of the most important events we have attended. The event hosted over 150 visionary speakers and 1,000 enterprise leaders to discuss the impact of AR, MR and VR in industry. It allowed our company for great networking opportunities, and gave us possible connections with people that are already high up in the industry.
The future events we would like to attend internationally:
WAF - World Architecture Festival (6/12)
Treptow Arena
Eichenstraße 4, 12435 Berlin, Germany
It is the world’s largest, lively. inclusive and interactive global architectural program and festival.
International Conference on Architectural and Environmental Engineering (7/12)
Madrid, spain
The event will provide interdisciplinary forum for researchers, practitioners, and educators to display and talk about the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns, practical challenges that architectural companies may face. Our company is focusing on on Virtual reality, in which this event can help is identify the most recent innovations.
Modul soft - fit iSAQB- Zertifizierung (10/12)
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 32, 10178 Berlin, Germany
This conference allows our company to gain knowledge and corporate with individuals who are software architects, developers and quality assurance specialists.
World Architecture Festival (28/11)
RAI Europaplein 2 1078 GZ Amsterdam Netherlands
Our company will highly benefit from this conference as it brings together people who celebrate, share and get inspiration from architecture. It is an opportunity to be part of global networking useful for the marketing of our company
Stuttgart Virtual and Augmented Reality Meetup (14/12)
Stuttgarter Str. 23 · Stuttgart Germany
This platform is made for VR/AR enthusiasts, developers and individuals who will share their knowledge and discuss the latest topics and inventions.
Stereopsis (11/12)
Brussels, Belgium
This is an international event which focuses on all forms of 3D, XR, AL. It gives our company the ability to speak to professionals who can share their expertise on digital technology.
Bibliography:
Barnard, J. (2018). Networking Business Opportunities: Where to Find Networking Events. [online] Virtualspeech.com. Available at: https://virtualspeech.com/blog/business-networking-opportunities [Accessed 4 Dec. 2019].
Cole, B. (2019). 10 Reasons Why Networking Is Essential For Your Career. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/biancamillercole/2019/03/20/why-networking-should-be-at-the-core-of-your-career/#65d054331300 [Accessed 5 Dec. 2019].
CP, S. (2018). 9 Benefits of Networking in Business. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/swlh/9-benefits-of-networking-in-business-66b2445e6d84 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2019].
Fry, K. (2016). Why Networking Is Important for Small Business. [online] Olympiabenefits.com. Available at: https://www.olympiabenefits.com/blog/why-networking-is-important-for-small-business [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].
The Next Web (2017). [image] Available at: https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2017/06/07/getting-business-networking/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2019].
All events have been searched on Google leading to these websites:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/riba-london-2019-winter-social-tickets-77998414357
https://www.stereopsia.com
Edited by Simone Magdalena Polcik
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