Have you ever wondered what contributes to the success of a business networking group?

I’ve asked myself that question on many occasions over the nearly 10 years since I went full-time with my business. I’ve asked it as a leader of several different business networking groups. And I’ve asked it whenever I explore the possibility of joining a new group.

A couple months ago, I wrote a blog post on this topic. That post was written as I was deciding whether to join a new group and whether to leave an existing group.

Here’s what I wrote then:

When it comes down to it, the main attributes of groups I want to stay in or potentially join are:

  • Friendliness of the group – especially to first-time guests
  • The degree of support the members show for each other
  • Whether the group is energetic and the meetings are lively
  • Types of education provided by the group members, such as tips on marketing, goal setting, etc.
  • Follow-up by the group leader with visitors
  • Whether the meeting is well-run and stays on schedule

How One Business Networking Group Got Back on Track

As the president of the RiNo chapter of the Denver Area B2B Networking Group, I need to ensure that attendees find our group and its meetings worthwhile. I need to hold myself and the group to the standards that I look for when checking out a new group.

Sometimes you can have a group that hits the mark on all the attributes that I listed above. Yet, there are also external factors that come into play, especially the meeting venue. In our previous venue, the space they provided was simply too small for us to grow the group. Plus, there were limited parking options in the vicinity of the venue.

In November, our group switched to a new venue, The Walnut Room. It has both free parking right next to the building and a large, flexible private room for us to meet in. Plus, the food is great, the service is excellent, and the ambiance fits the vibe of our group.

Another long-time member, Benny Carreon, and I kicked off a major recruitment effort. We invited people we know who work in the business-to-business space to our first meeting in the new venue.

The results paid off! We had much higher attendance at our last two meetings than the ones we had at our previous venue.

At our meeting yesterday, we had 24 attendees and a great deal of positive energy that was sustained throughout the meeting. Our member presenter, Jason Gorley of CiferNoise Productions, gave a fascinating demonstration of a silent disco.

I wasn’t surprised that two of the guests who attended yesterday already submitted applications to join our chapter.

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 55 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially LinkedIn and Facebook. She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com