My friend has started hosting business networking events in our community. When I messaged him to see how the event went he said it was ok but he wished more people had attended. I have to admit that I smiled when he said that because I have hosted many events that I wish more people had attended. Most people do not understand how hard it is to host networking events. I always joke that people think it is like the movie Field of Dreams if you host it they will come and I wish it was that easy.
I think there are two keys to success with networking or seminar events. The first, is consistency. I find that people are too quick to give up when they do not reach their attendance goals. I hear this all the time if I cannot draw at least x number of people then it is not worth my time. I just want to scream when people say this to me. My response is always the same. If you get one client out of the event would you be happy? If so then why does it matter how many people are there? If you draw a ton of people and none of them become clients how has that helped you? If you host great networking events or seminars people will talk and word will spread and more people will want to attend.
The second key to success is gratitude. I can remember being disappointed when people registered for my events and they did not show up. One day I said to myself this is simple why don’t use focus on the people who attended the event rather than the people who didn’t and be thankful for them. It is amazing the positive impact this decision has had on my business. If you make people feel welcomed and included they will want to come back.
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Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon
Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events
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