My friend and Public Relations/Media Relations wizard, Nicola Blazier (seriously, she is one of the most passionate, kindest and media savvy people you’ll ever meet), recently created a Toronto women’s networking group with her friend Helen. The first event was on Wednesday and, judging from the turnout and feedback, it was a very successful networking event.
Here are 8 reasons why I think the networking event was such a success.
- They targeted a gap in the networking market. Nicola and Helen live in an area of Toronto, Leaside, in which there are many women who have or are planning to start up their own businesses. They recognized these women might appreciate an after-work event that was closer to their homes than downtown. They were right.
- They leveraged word of mouth and social media, but didn’t get too ambitious. Nicola created a LinkedIn group as a home base, and encouraged a few targeted friends to spread the word. At the same time, she asked her friends not to be too aggressive about promotion as she wanted to limit it to 40 people.
- They charged for tickets (enough to cover costs). A good way of filtering out “shoppers” is to charge for an event. Also, keep in mind that items you pay for have a perceived higher value.
- They served food and drink! Nothing is better for making people comfortable than having tasty stuff to nosh on, particularly if you’re doing it after work. Moreover, they engaged the help of a friends (and friends’ daughters for servers) who are in the food preparation and service businesses, giving them the opportunity to showcase their products in exchange for food. (Check out Pampered Chef and Icing on the Cupcake.)
- They made it easy for people to start conversations. Everyone got a tag with their first name and something they like to talk about. Words like animals, drugs, fortune tellers, beer, stuff were great conversation starters. Moreover, by knowing many of the women in attendance, it was easy for Nicola and Helen to facilitate introductions between people. “Hey Chocolate, I would like to introduce you to Switzerland.”
- They provided value through a keynote speaker on a topic of interest to everyone. The main focus of the evening was a social media presentation given by someone immensely entertaining and brilliant (ahem, yours truly). But in seriousness, they predicted correctly this would be a hot topic.
- They gave everyone a chance to introduce themselves. Before the talk, everyone in the room had a chance to stand up and talk about their business interests. You could see people ticking off mental checklists of attendees to speak to afterwards.
- They had more food (and coffee) available after the talk. Everyone had the luxury of leaving at their own pace without feeling rushed out.
As a keynote speaker, I share a few tips of my own to make a positive impact on the audience.
- Recognize there will be people in the audience who are familiar with the subject matter. Call upon their expertise – let them talk. But don’t let them hijack your talk.
- During the introductions, try to memorize a few things about people in the audience. Weave new information into your presentation. Speak to individuals when relevant.
- Engage the audience by having them answer questions. You act as moderator. Everyone’s credibility (and interest) increases.
- Don’t be afraid to joke around with the audience.
- Recognize if you’re losing your audience. Pick up the pace.
- Make eye contact with all.
Anyone have other suggestions for running a successful networking event or giving a presentation in front of an audience? I’d love to hear them.
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