5 Tips to Make Your Next Networking Event a Success

So, you’ve decided to host a networking event, and you want it to be memorable. But, aside from finding a good venue, great food and maybe some music, how does one actually do that? Networking events are not like regular parties in that they have a specific professional purpose. But, just like regular high school parties, the success and failure of one determines your reputation as an event host. So, what can you actually do to ensure yours is talked about for months to come?

1. Choose your venue carefully

This should go without saying, but we're mentioning it anyway. It’s simply THAT important. And we're not talking just about the food. The choice of venue needs to factor in travel distance, proximity to any accommodations, commuting stops, and the like. Find a location that is close enough for the majority of your attendees, with available parking and little traffic commotion. You wouldn't want the mere sight of the venue address to give everyone a headache, let alone affect their attendance.

2. How to Facilitate Mingling

In this avenue, you can’t go better than learning from the best. For example:

• Sales Hackers—at the Revenue Summit, hosted by Sales Hackers, a small intermission called AppExchange takes place between sessions. The attendees are given three minutes to try each new app on the market and afterward, they vote for the best one.
• Social Media Examiner—before their annual networking event, the organizers create private LinkedIn chats, Slack channels, and other communication means to enforce mingling before the actual event.

Ensure you have an interesting pastime for your attendees. The more they are engaged in a leisurely, yet productive activity, the easier it is for them to relax. Having them collaborate will make mingling smoother, and have them leave the venue with a sense of time well spent. A return on investment of their time, if you will.

3. Have a Central Theme

To make your event truly memorable, you can't have a simple get-together with catering. It needs to reflect you as an entrepreneur, and your brand. Otherwise, it'll sink with other unmemorable networking parties. Ask yourself: What does this event mean to you? What do you want to achieve with it?

Find a professional that can help you transfer the answers to those questions into reality. Event planners have an objective eye. They'll be able to form your vision into something tangible. Discuss ideas and brainstorm together, then let them do their magic.

4. The Exclusivity Element

To ensure your guests leave with a sense of fulfillment and actual career progress, consider bringing in high-profile guests. That is, as high profile as your budget allows.

Gaming industry conferences do the same by having larger studio representatives available for a 1:1 meeting with small developers. They can discuss project ideas, pitches, and possible career opportunities.

By doing the same, you can garner greater attention and interest. Bring in professionals and top venture capital firms that won't be on the stage, but hold individual sessions to share insight and answer specific questions.

5. The Devil is in the Details

a. Don't Hog the Spotlight

When it comes to your hosting the event, try to keep introductions short. It's enough to appear at the beginning and the end to close off the event. Networking is there for your guests, and they need to hold the floor in their own ways. You can check with them and mingle around. Just keep your stage engagement to a minimum.

b. Follow Up

To really engage with your attendees, follow up the event with an email. Thank them for their presence, and ask for impressions and feedback. You can even make a brief online survey to find out where your future events can improve. It helps you connect with attendees, let them know their input is valuable, and in return, they are more likely to be returning guests.

c. Gauge Your Timing

Keep in mind that many of your attendees will have busy lives. If your event is happening during the workweek, then the last thing they want after being in an office all day is to sit in another room for three or more hours. Workday networking should be kept short, and rarely, if ever, held on Sundays.

d. Promote the Event Early

There is nothing scarier than a great event promoted poorly. All the time and resources invested, wasted over a simple mistake of not marketing on time and properly. If you are organizing a larger event, consider partnering up with another company or getting sponsors to gain exposure. For smaller ones, use social media, influencers, newsletters, paid ads, and so on. With small investments, you can still get big outreach. Just make sure you plan early, and thoroughly.

The Takeaway

Organizing a networking event is a fairly big undertaking. It requires a lot of planning, looking for sponsors, patrons, and collaborators, optimizing location choices and much more. Everything to the finest details of the interior design and the food choice needs to be carefully selected. To truly hold an event many will want to come back to next year, study the professionals, get an expert opinion, and have a uniqueness to your event that will best represent your brand and ideology. Only this way will you be able to stand out from the crowd.