Not Your Everyday Networking Event

Today I attended a networking event sponsored by our Chamber of Commerce. It wasn’t a typical (translate: boring and over worked) networking event. It’s a program called Morning Connections.

It works like this:

A Chamber member opens their business establishment at 8 am, then serves food and drink to the invited Chamber members. We mingle, eat, drink, catch up with friends and business acquaintances and meet new ones. Then the host business owner has a chance to talk for 10 minutes about what they do. If it’s a larger business (larger than our Hard Bean Café), they often conduct tours of the interesting facility. After the host speaks, everyone in attendance, now facing each other in a circle of sorts, introduces themselves with their company’s 30 second commercial.

Today I introduced myself this way, “I’m Cheryl Wills with The Hard Bean Café, Kansas City’s alternative drinking establishment. Four years ago we spearheaded a program called Share the Love which is a food drive for Grandview Assistance Program (G.A.P.), a community based program. It runs through the month of February. This year Crews Jewelry asked to join our efforts. People bring in canned goods for G.A.P. to the Bean for a 20% discount on their drink, and buy a raffle ticket for a lovely $250 necklace that Crews is donating for the cause of standing in the gap for Grandview.”

So  I did about a 45 second commercial. But no one really minded because, after all, who would complain when we’re raising funds and materials for a good cause?

This type of networking event is short, sweet, to the point, and has a reasonable return on investment of time for all. The spotlight is on the host who has the opportunity to tell the little stuff they’re about that many people don’t know and the attendants are thankful to learn.

What is your favorite networking event?