Ready, set ... network!
The Tribune
You could call it speed dating for business owners — except the goal was finding contacts, not falling in love.
More than 40 local professionals met Wednesday night to try the latest trend in business promotion: 5-Minute Networking.
Organized by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, the event allowed business owners to meet one-on-one for five minutes before moving on to another participant. Representatives from a variety of businesses — accounting to entertainment — were at Fairways at Dairy Creek to pitch their business, exchange business cards and make connections.
"It's a cutting edge networking practice," said Laura Spence, director of communication for the chamber. "You're actually meeting people who are relevant to your business."
Lines of tables filled the open room where participants sat after being assigned a number.
After five minutes, half of the participants moved to another table to meet their next contact. Many guests wanted to make up to 20 new contacts during the event.
Ashala Lawler, a San Luis Obispo graphic designer, hoped the networking would promote her home-based business.
"Other mixers don't usually fit my schedule," she said. "When I heard about this, I thought I'd give it a try."
The chamber used the software program, 5-Minute Networking, to organize the event. Created by two Southern California women, the program allows participants to choose what kind of business owners they'd like to meet while limiting the enrollment of certain kinds of industries.
"This way, you pick who you want to network with, and you don't have a bunch of people all from the same profession," Spence said.
Chamber president Dave Garth discovered the program while attending a regional chamber conference. The event, which cost participants $30, is the first of its kind on the Central Coast, said Spence, who hopes to hold the networking events bi-monthly.
Return to Press Releases...
|