Find only the best networking events in Minneapolis with our help… Today’s business world is a fast-paced, social experience. To be at the top of your field, you can’t just do business as usual. You have to do more to soar to new levels of success… especially if you are a small business. The easiest way to make progress and understand your market is to network. The best way to network is to attend and host networking events. The benefits of networking events are too numerous to list, but we will give you our top reasons. One, you build meaningful relationships with strong, creative attendees across your field. Two, you stay current with trends by learning from exciting speakers and cohorts. Three, you connect with influencers, and in turn, your target audience. Finally, you will get fresh ideas and solutions for your business.

 

If you want to be identified as a leader in your field, it’s time to host a networking event right here in Minneapolis. Show the community who you are and bring your world together. We’ll be your hype-man. Here’s how to do it.  

 

Decide what kind of event this is

 

Networking can be as casual or as structured as you want – you just need to decide what will work best for your audience. You could think about speed networking, where every participant gets to make a minute introduction speech to the group. You could organize the event around a group activity that would connect like-minded individuals like a fundraiser or a class. It could even be as low-key as a happy hour. Or, our favorite, it could take the form of a professional workshop or lecture, giving participants an extra incentive to attend.

 

We love guest speakers at social events. They provide a center point and natural shape to your event. Choose someone with style and substance – you need someone significant to the business community or even a local celebrity. A word of advice when booking your speaker: don’t neglect their technical rider. It will provide you the appropriate details concerning AV equipment to guarantee their presentation is as professional and inspiring as your networking event is.

 

Choose the most versatile venue for your networking events in Minneapolis

 

Now let’s talk about the venue! Choose wisely. You want to make sure the venue is upscale (to promote the energy of success and abundance), easy to find (to avoid frustrated attendees), and has plenty of parking. Minimize any possible barrier that might come from people getting into the actual space, or you’ll sour attendees on your networking event before they even step inside. Additionally, if you choose a place that gives people the opportunity to visit somewhere unusual or exciting, it will have a major impact on your pre-registration and follow-through for same-day attendance.   

 

That’s a big list of Must Haves, but listen, we’ve got the boxes all checked for you. Lumber Exchange Event Center. We are centrally located in the heart of Minneapolis, offer flexible spaces that coincide with the style and format of your social event, have amazing menu offerings for your cohort, and will provide the Wow factor to your event by not only being the sleekest venue in town, but by being so intuitively business-friendly, that you’ll wonder how you lived before experiencing all the branding opportunities we serve on our digital displays and monitors.

 

Meet Everyone. We mean, Everyone.

 

The whole point of networking events is to meet everyone and let everyone meet YOU. Friendly chat, exchanging ideas and contacts, and expanding your professional impact is the most important objective. Minneapolis has so many innovative small businesses emerging. Who knows, maybe your idea is the next big thing and you are about to meet your next business partner, distributor, or client. Throughout the networking event, make sure you introduce yourself to every person who attends. Welcome them, and focus on talking about what they do, not what you do. Be a great listener, and take a genuine interest in them and their business. They’ll remember you for it. Remember: People don’t remember what you did or what you said, they remember how you made them feel. So make every single attendee feel special and heard. Be ready with a recommendation or two for more socializing to anyone who doesn’t frequent Downtown. Have your card on hand and be ready to share your social handles easily and readily! You’ll get more followers in one night than the past year combined.

Follow up, and do it again.

 

As you meet and greet everyone, constantly look for opportunities to connect with people who would benefit from meeting each other. If you meet an inventor, introduce him to the patent attorney you just met. Oh hey, freelance writer, do you know my new publisher friend? Keep track of these connections and follow up the next time you see them. Find out if

they benefited from the introduction. Something that will make you stick out as a pillar in your field is follow up. It’s something that people don’t do that often. Ask attendees how they liked the event and get ideas from them about how it could be even better. Then plan the next one (good thing, we’ve got lots of different space options for you as you diversify your style!). If you follow this formula, you’ll see your events grow and grow, and before you know it, you’ll be the talk of the town.