7 Networking Tips – How Attendees Can Ease Into Potential Business Opportunities

Networking is no doubt considered one of the leading reasons guests and recipients attend business events and galas!  The meeting and event industry reaches far and wide, integrating several types of meetings and events through ample range of business sectors.  

We can turn situations to our favour if we network with others and give value.  MPI is the networking core of the meeting and event profession, fashioning this organization the mother lode of schmooze, sharing, and contributing.  However, effective networking requires preparation.  As the old adage goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  You may collect a ton of business cards or send out legions of LinkedIn invitations to anyone who appears engaging, making it quantity rather than quality.  

 Let’s take a look at 7 examples to get our attendees possibly networking differently, and building lasting relationships:
 

1. Quality connections can provide and receive value making for a richer relationship because of the connection.
2. What’s the value you can bring to the interest of others while observing how it balances to the value received by knowing the other person?!
3. Connect with the people because of your passion for giving and helping if you can.  Be patient, build the relationship and it just might expand into something bigger; a long-term connection based on trust and mutual benefits.
4. Define your goals and know what you’re aiming for.  “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. You need to know where you’re going by recording your goals.  
5. Give and receive with the people you want to meet.  Pay attention to those whom you give value and/or receive value from.
6. Be patient and genuinely interested in other people.  That’s the value in the joy of giving and receiving, and winning.
7. Don’t underestimate the power of chance meetings; serendipity.  Amazing people are everywhere!  This is quite apparent at the MPI Annual Awards Gala, or for that matter, every event you choose to attend.  The term ‘law of attraction’ draws out our curiosity about others and oftentimes, we find it easy to communicate because we are drawn to making a connection.  Bring your personality, your own special IT factor, and you’re a dead ringer!  You’ve already won!