Real Networking

Early in the year I decided to change the way I network.  I've never been much of a morning person, and breakfast networking meetings just weren't working for me any more.  Besides, I was bored with the format, with the mind numbing scripts, speakers you don't really want to listen to, and the awful around the table introduction round.  Awful mostly because I was bloody awful at it, often I'd just stand up and say "I shoot people" and sit back down again.

Shortly after I give up eating cook breakfasts, I discovered Business in Southampton.  Business in Southampton is aimed mostly at the bigger businesses in the city, but once a month they hold an evening networking event, normally at the Dock Gate 4 piano bar.

I'm sure Business in Southampton have a more politically correct name for it, but to me its real networking without the "dicking about" that's normally associated with business networking.  At other meetings I've been to up to 50% of the meeting time is "dicking about" with eating, the intro round, and the speaker.  Held one a month, this event there is no format, just good honest real networking in a room full of people for 2 hours.

The added bonus is that in almost a year of meetings I don't think I've met a single MLM (multi level marketing) person.

Result!

Oh, the picture is from The Southern Daily Echo (Wednesday 22nd December 2010) who had a photographer at the Xmas meeting last week.