...I didn’t know what to expect but can say hand on heart, it proved to be one of the most interesting and valuable ‘networking’ events I have been to in many years...                          Ruth Shearn, Managing Director of RMS-PR

These sessions will not be a networking event in the normal sense of the word. There will be no presentations, no sales pitches and no cost. We do not offer you the chance to ‘meet dozens of like minded business people’, indeed there will be no more than 12 people present at each event. Our event will be a true ‘SME Forum’, an informal discussion on the wide range of issues that currently affect SME’s in the North West. The only expectation of each attendee is that they are prepared to contribute to the discussion by sharing their thoughts, expertise, experiences and ideas with the rest of the group.

The Benefits:

These sessions offer many more potential benefits than most networking events. Firstly, as we all know, networking is a step on the way to getting to ‘Like, know and trust’ potential partners, suppliers and clients. By sharing your ideas and experience you will be able to build the trust of your co-attendees in you. As the event is informal, it allows relationships to start and to develop.

The topics discussed typically mean that most business sectors become part of the discussion, and by contributing your own expertise and ideas you will have the opportunity to build beneficial relationships with potential clients, not in a cold ‘pitch’, but by showing that you are a true expert in your area.

We restrict attendance to senior managers/directors of SME organisations. This is not an event for sales people. We want people who are prepared to contribute to the discussion by sharing their experience of running a business in the current climate.

The Agenda:

We do not have a strict agenda for the session. All attendees are free to pose questions to the group either prior to the event or on the day.

The Format:

Over a buffet lunch, we will begin with brief introductions – name, role, company name and a (very brief) description of what your company is involved in. We have an informal chair who will remind attendees of the purpose of the session. The chair will then pose the first question and invite thoughts and comments. You are not required to comment or respond to every question. At each session, there will be no more than one person from any one business sector.

An example:

At our most recent event we had attendees from the world of banking, marketing, communications, insurance, legal sector, retail, recruitment, training and accountancy. The topics discussed ranged from how to retain talented people to accessing finance. We discussed whether we should be doing more, less or different marketing, and we spoke about the support that is available to SME’s from organisations such as Business Link and the NWDA. Each attendee felt that they had gained knowledge, built relationships and had enjoyed the informal atmosphere of the event.

Eligibility:

Having such a small number of people at the event means that everyone has to be a ‘valid’ attendee. Our criteria are quite simple: Senior level people, from an SME organisation (10+ employees) and prepared to contribute to the discussion

Further events:

The next SME-Forum date will be confirmed soon.

So far we have held 3 of these sessions and feedback from delegates from both was extremely positive. Our goal is to build up a network of around 50-60 attendees, each of which are invited to attend around 3 events per year. The events will be held every 2 months, meaning that attendees will be different each time.

If you are interested in finding out more information, please send a message to Rebecca Charnley at RC@upwebsite.com and we will arrange a quick phone call to discuss.