Networking opportunities in Kent seem to have grown exponentially in recent years – with events taking place morning, noon and night in a wide range of venues and all across the county.  If you already have a PR agency in Kent, you may be lucky enough that they identify the best places for your business to be seen, and indeed attend and network on your behalf.  A very valuable use of an agencies time, especially if, like many business owners, you are reluctant to take time away from your business even though you know how important, and potentially lucrative, networking can be.  A very real quandary for business owners!

PR in Kent

If you haven’t engaged a PR agency in Kent, the best advice we can give you when beginning your networking journey is start off with personal recommendations.  If you have clients, customers, business friends and associates, quiz them on networking events that they have attended, find out how many businesses were there, what types of business, whether there was plenty of opportunity to mingle and talk.  All quite common-sense questions, but in the over-crowded world of networking it might help you focus and whittle down the choice of event you wish to attend.

One example of a networking event that is getting it just right is Gravesham Council’s Business Networking Breakfasts held at The Woodville in Gravesend.  The Council have spend about five years building up this event and now regularly get 100-200 businesses attending.  The Council fund these events and actively encourage the businesses in their Borough to talk to each other, build relationships and do business together.  The early start is made easier by the provision of breakfast and coffee – all free of charge and businesses are given the opportunity to speak about their business.  Today’s event (21st Jan) was rather special and it included a detailed and enlightening presentation from the people behind the incredibly exciting London Paramount Resort – a great example of how excite and also reassure the local community about this proposed, ground-breaking project.

Great to see so many businesses in attendance – we hope to see many of them enter the Dartford & Gravesham Business Awards this year.
Top tips:

Take a good supply of business cards with you

Get cards from anyone you engage with and write a quick note of what you discussed with them on the back before you forget!

If there is a list of attendees, be sure to pick on up

Take a small mirror to check your teeth for stray bits of bacon after breakfast!

Enjoy