How to Plan a Successful Networking Event with Actionable Insights

At Shelley Offices, we have seen the benefits of networking within the local community first-hand, and we believe in the importance of connecting with others. According to The UK Networker, networking played a crucial role in securing new clients and contracts for approximately 70% of small businesses in 2023.

We wanted to create a space to have meaningful conversations and make valuable connections, and after having hosted networking events here at Shelley Offices for others previously, we decided to host our own event here. Read on to find out how we planned and executed our first successful networking event.  

Setting the date and starting the preparations

After deciding on a date two months away, we got started with the planning right away. We knew that hosting an event at our own venue would be a brilliant opportunity to showcase our space, whilst also bringing local businesses and professionals together, so that was one of the most important aspects sorted immediately.  We were then left with planning the other details, including marketing, catering and ticketing.

Getting the word out with Social Media Marketing

Marketing the event was one of the key aspects of our planning, as we wanted to get the word out as far as we could in order to ensure we reached as many interested people as possible.  The first thing we did was share a save the date post across our Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) & Google Business Profile pages so that we could not only engage with our existing followers, but also with a wider audience. We posted regularly across all of our social accounts leading up to the event, with each post highlighting different aspects of the event including the guest speaker and the networking opportunities. We encouraged our audience (and potential followers)
 to follow along for event updates such as the guest speaker reveal, which successfully created a spike in our engagement when we made the announcement.

We also wanted to utilize our existing audiences, so alongside reaching out to some contacts directly, we displayed QR codes at a networking event that we sponsored at Watford FC.  This allowed for a seamless sign-up experience for any attendees who were interested in attending.  We also attended other local networking events in the run up to our event which provided us further opportunities to spread the word.

Ticketing with Ticket Tailor

We decided to ticket our event at the low cost of £5 +VAT per person, and after some research into different platforms, we chose Ticket Tailor.  Ticket Tailor’s straightforward set up, great customer service and low fees made the decision fairly easy for us, and after the initial account set up, we were able to create and publish our event in a matter of minutes. Keeping the process simple for both us and our attendees was very important as we wanted a streamlined experience.  We set a minimum expectation of 15 guests, to ensure the event was valuable for everyone, and we were delighted to see the tickets sell steadily.

Ticket Tailor’s platform kept us updated on all ticket sales and allowed us to monitor the progress and stay on top of everything. We ended up exceeding our expectations and had 20 people in attendance in total which we were thrilled about for our first event!

An impactful guest speaker

Having attended many networking events personally, we know how much of an impact a great guest speaker can make. We wanted someone engaging, who could bring our attendees together and provide them with valuable insights. We met Neil Giller at another networking event, and after discovering more about his work as a coach and public speaker, we decided that he would be the perfect addition to our event. Neil delivered a brilliant talk on mental health and knowing your worth in business, which kept everyone engaged. It proved to be an inspiring session with many helpful takeaways for everyone to implement in the new year.

Catering and Networking

We arranged catering with a local bakery, providing delicious pastries and fresh fruit, as well as plenty of tea and coffee, ordering enough to ensure guests were well fed.  This set up permitted informal networking before the guest speaker gave his talk.

Our break-out room’s relaxed and welcoming environment was the perfect setting for this event, allowing guests to make new professional connections and expand their networks. We provided a valuable speaker as well as a space to connect and succeeded in delivering an event that met both social and professional needs.

A Successful First Event

We are thrilled with how our first event came together, and we are confident that this event will continue to grow.  Hosting this event at our own venue allowed us full control over the details, a chance to showcase our space as a versatile event space, and the opportunity to bring businesses from the local community together.  We exceeded our attendance goal, made some valuable new connections and received great feedback from those who attended.

We’re excited to host more of these events in future, and we’re looking forward to continuing to cultivate community, and to provide a space for businesses to raise awareness through our guest speaker slots. After the success of this first event, we have decided to hold them every other month going forward, so if you would like to join us at the next one in February, you can buy your tickets here.

Event planning tips

1. Start planning early. We started planning 2 months in advance to allow us time to keep on top of all details, including marketing, confirming a speaker and all logistics.
2. Use Social Media. Posting updates about our event across Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter) and LinkedIn increased awareness.
3. Utilise other events. We provided QR codes to purchase tickets at an event we sponsored at Watford FC and also attended other local networking events during which we had the chance to spread awareness.
4. Choose a suitable ticketing platform. This will depend on your requirements and budget, but we decided on Ticket Tailor which allowed us to easily set up and manage our ticket sales. Get started with 50 free credits here! 
5. Find a relevant speaker. Our speaker delivered an engaging talk on mental health and knowing your worth in the workplace, which was relevant to our audience and provided valuable insights for all.
6. Create the right environment. For our event, a relaxed and informal environment encouraged people to connect.

We look forward to hosting many more successful events in the future! If you are interested in attending our next event, please sign up to our mailing list to be kept up to date with all the details.