Planning a Career Networking Event
http://www.self-improvement-centre.co.uk/articles/27149/1/Planning-a-Career-Networking-Event/Page1.html
Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews is writing for Shepherd Gilmour - a leading estate agent, Manchester, UK. By Dave Matthews
Published on 02/10/2010
Attending networking events can often be na awkward affair as talking to strangers and making contacts isn't a skill that comes naturally to many of us However, organising an event that encourages people to get talking is even harder so when it comes to planning a networking event for your school or organisation that will benefit all who attend, the prospect of all that organisation can be pretty daunting
Attending networking events can often be na awkward affair as talking to strangers and making contacts isn't a skill that comes naturally to many of us. However, organising an event that encourages people to get talking is even harder so when it comes to planning a networking event for your school or organisation that will benefit all who attend, the prospect of all that organisation can be pretty daunting. There's no need to be intimidated as all it takes is a little forward planning and help from a few dedicated volunteer staff in order to put together a smooth running networking event.
First you need to decide on a date that is most likely to be mutually convenient for the participants. As an example, if you are looking to organise a networking event specifically for a professional organisation then you would be wise to plan for it to take place at the same time as a regular event that takes place around the organisation. This will provide you with a much larger audience and will make for a significantly more effective networking event.
Next you need to choose a venue that will be appropriate. It should be common sense that you hold your event at a venue where people can easily be heard over any background music. There should also be plenty of seating areas for participants as this will encourage conversations amongst attendees.
Now you have your date and venue the next task is to source a list of companies from which to solicit representatives. As the idea of this event is to assist people with career contacts, your company list should include appropriate Human Resources contacts as well as other relevant decision makers who have the power to take on new employees.
Make sure that you start advertising your event plenty of time before the actual date. It would be advisable to start distributing your promotional material a month before it is due to occur. Some potential outlets for could be your company or school newsletter, a mailing list or posters in a common area of the school. If your advertising budget is slightly larger you may wish to print and send some postcard invitations.
You should plan ahead and put together some sort of goody bag of pens, pencils and pads for the attendees to use. It may also help to compile a contact sheet of all those who are attending so it is easy for participants to get in contact with each other once the event has finished.
If the event is scheduled to take place in the evening then you should set aside a budget for a bar or other refreshments. Catered events will always draw a larger crowd so the more people you can entice along, the more likely it is that your networking event will be a success!
After the event get in touch with all of the volunteers to thank them for their assistance and if there is any way you can give them some sort of recognition in return for their efforts then you should definitely do so.
First you need to decide on a date that is most likely to be mutually convenient for the participants. As an example, if you are looking to organise a networking event specifically for a professional organisation then you would be wise to plan for it to take place at the same time as a regular event that takes place around the organisation. This will provide you with a much larger audience and will make for a significantly more effective networking event.
Next you need to choose a venue that will be appropriate. It should be common sense that you hold your event at a venue where people can easily be heard over any background music. There should also be plenty of seating areas for participants as this will encourage conversations amongst attendees.
Now you have your date and venue the next task is to source a list of companies from which to solicit representatives. As the idea of this event is to assist people with career contacts, your company list should include appropriate Human Resources contacts as well as other relevant decision makers who have the power to take on new employees.
Make sure that you start advertising your event plenty of time before the actual date. It would be advisable to start distributing your promotional material a month before it is due to occur. Some potential outlets for could be your company or school newsletter, a mailing list or posters in a common area of the school. If your advertising budget is slightly larger you may wish to print and send some postcard invitations.
You should plan ahead and put together some sort of goody bag of pens, pencils and pads for the attendees to use. It may also help to compile a contact sheet of all those who are attending so it is easy for participants to get in contact with each other once the event has finished.
If the event is scheduled to take place in the evening then you should set aside a budget for a bar or other refreshments. Catered events will always draw a larger crowd so the more people you can entice along, the more likely it is that your networking event will be a success!
After the event get in touch with all of the volunteers to thank them for their assistance and if there is any way you can give them some sort of recognition in return for their efforts then you should definitely do so.