7 Secrets of Organising Epic Networking Events (online, of course)

Originally published by FBCC on 8th February 2021

Once, I described myself as “stubbornly positive” at a networking event. That attitude has slowly become an everyday practice, a reminder during isolation that we can choose how we feel. I’d like to say it’s easy. On many days, I forget, pick myself up, and resume my practice. 
 
It’s one thing to be self-aware and control your thoughts, feelings, and words. As an organiser of a networking event, how can you influence the feelings of the participants? How do you create an atmosphere where people can feel safe to share their thoughts, enjoy themselves, and make meaningful connections?

We are heading towards the spring and have plenty of upcoming opportunities to renew, re-assess and transform our events. With a very special art-focussed networking event with ProjectTransformations and FBCC coming up, I’d like to share my top 7 learnings about organising networking magic:

1. Pick a theme that people gather around. Priya Parker suggests in her transformative book The Art of Gathering [1] that you can engineer meaningful gatherings by being intentional and clear about the theme.
   
2. Be brave. When you pour your heart into your work, it shows. Bring your true self to the event planning meetings and encourage others to do the same. It’s hard to put this into a couple of sentences as Brené Brown [2] has been studying it for over 20 years.
   
3. Embrace the limiting factors. When you have limited choices (about anything), you’re actually releasing your creative powers within. We all know the power of deadlines, and that’s an example of limited time. Check out more of Tina Seelig’s creative wisdom in inGenius [3].
   
4. Create a magical space. The environment that you’re in has a major impact on your creativity, output and mindset. Often in times of crisis, it can be easiest to change your environment as a positivity boost. That is why top schools and universities look attractive, and why cathedrals have high ceilings: they make you think prosperous thoughts, let your mind wonder in a vast space and invite you to look upwards. For inspiration, take a look at Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft’s Create Space [4]. Adjusting for a virtual environment, send a physical item to the participants they can touch and feel, or invite them to bring their own.
   
5. Think about who you’re targeting. Who are you attracting to the event? The easiest way to influence who will be there is to understand the target profile and use words that speak to them (and not others). Shelle Rose Charvet’s Words That Change Minds [5] opened my eyes to the power of words.
   
6. Think holistically. What else is going on in the lives of the participants? Will they be able to attend your event if it’s at school pick-up time? Will they need to, and be able to, download special software on their work laptops? Are there other accessibility, or language barriers that you need to take into account?
   
7. Plan your hellos and saying goodbye. Coming back to Priya Parker’s book [1], she explains how participants’ experience of the gathering starts as soon as they hear about the event and ends after the event has come to a close. What are the opening and closing rituals that you will employ? Ending a gathering is much easier in a virtual space than, for example if you had guests at home. In either case, you’ll want to let everyone know what to expect, and in which sequence or at what time. Finally, how will you follow-up after the event? When you’ve arranged a great event, you’ll want to help the participants to take something home with them, to remember it with gratitude and a smile. If they learn something that reminds them to live life to the fullest, you’ve more than achieved your goal.
   

Thank you for taking your time to read through the post, and I hope it gave you ideas and inspiration for organising your next event. If you are curious about participating in a novel art-networking event, sign up today to secure your place. Look forward to seeing you there!

​ProjectTransformations is an art workshop creating a safe, immersive space where participants can create in a vulnerable and explorative state. ProjectTransformations is ran by Elizabeth Jenner and Dr Tuuli Bell.

References:

1. ​Priya Parker, The Art of Gathering: https://www.priyaparker.com/thebook
2. Brené Brown, Dare to Lead: https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/
3. Tina Seelig, inGenius: http://www.tinaseelig.com/books.html
4. Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft, Create Space: https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources/make-space-excerpts
5. Shelle Rose Charvet, Words That Change Minds: https://wordsthatchangeminds.com/  

Content Disclaimer
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. DR TUULI BELL disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.