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The Art of Networking: Making Connections at Professional Events

The Art of Networking: Making Connections at Professional Events

Networking can often feel like a daunting task, especially at professional events where the stakes are high and the crowd is large. Yet, mastering the art of networking is crucial for career growth, business development, and personal advancement. This guide will help you navigate the complexities of making meaningful connections and turn networking from a stressful task into a rewarding experience.

1. Prepare in Advance

Know Your Goals: Before you attend an event, clarify what you hope to achieve. Are you looking for new job opportunities, potential clients, or partnerships? Having clear goals will help you target your efforts and make the most of your time.

Research Attendees and Speakers: Take some time to research who will be attending or speaking at the event. LinkedIn and event websites are great resources for this. Knowing who you want to connect with will help you prioritize your interactions and prepare conversation starters.

Prepare Your Elevator Pitch: Craft a concise and engaging summary of who you are, what you do, and what you’re looking for. This “elevator pitch” should be brief but impactful, making it easy for others to remember you.

2. Master the Art of Conversation

Start with a Smile: A warm smile is a universal icebreaker. It makes you appear approachable and sets a positive tone for the interaction.

Ask Open-Ended Questions: Instead of asking yes-or-no questions, try to initiate conversations that encourage detailed responses. Questions like “What brought you to this event?” or “What are your current projects?” can lead to more engaging discussions.

Listen Actively: Show genuine interest in the other person’s responses. Active listening involves nodding, maintaining eye contact, and responding thoughtfully. This not only helps build rapport but also provides you with valuable information for future conversations.

Find Common Ground: Identify shared interests or experiences to build a connection. Whether it’s a mutual acquaintance, industry challenges, or similar hobbies, common ground can make your interaction more memorable and meaningful.

3. Make a Lasting Impression

Be Authentic: Authenticity is key to building genuine relationships. Avoid exaggerations or trying to be someone you’re not. People appreciate sincerity and are more likely to remember you positively if you are yourself.

Follow Up Promptly: After the event, follow up with the people you connected with. A simple message thanking them for their time and referencing something specific from your conversation can reinforce the connection. Use LinkedIn or email to maintain the relationship and keep the conversation going.

Offer Value: Networking is a two-way street. Look for ways you can provide value to your new contacts, whether it’s sharing resources, offering introductions, or giving advice. Being helpful builds goodwill and strengthens your network.

4. Leverage Technology

Utilize Networking Apps: Many events have dedicated apps that allow you to connect with other attendees. These platforms can help you schedule meetings, exchange contact information, and keep track of your interactions.

Manage Contacts Effectively: Use digital tools to organize and manage your contacts. Apps like Evernote or CRM software can help you keep track of details about each connection and set reminders for follow-ups.

5. Evaluate and Reflect

Assess Your Experience: After the event, take some time to evaluate what went well and what could be improved. Reflect on your conversations, the effectiveness of your pitch, and the overall impact of your networking efforts.

Adjust Your Strategy: Based on your reflections, adjust your approach for future events. Continuous improvement is key to becoming a more effective networker.

Conclusion

Networking is more than just exchanging business cards; it’s about building meaningful relationships that can foster personal and professional growth. By preparing in advance, mastering conversational skills, making lasting impressions, leveraging technology, and reflecting on your experiences, you can transform networking from a daunting task into an opportunity for success. Embrace these strategies, and you’ll find that connecting with others at professional events becomes a natural and rewarding part of your career journey.

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10 Cool Door Gift Ideas For Your Next Team Building Event

10 Cool Door Gift Ideas For Your Next Team Building Event

Door gifts are common fare at events and are a good way to bring a little spirit and cheer to open or close an event. The biggest challenge is finding the right gift that will please as many people as possible. To aid you in your search, here’s our list of 10 cool & unique door gift ideas for you to consider for your next team-building event.

Zen Wireless Qi Charger Pod @ $11.15 (here)
Wireless chargers are all the rage now and the best part is you don’t have to worry about phone compatibility with this.

 2-In-1 Travel Adaptor With Removable Wireless Charger Top @ $26.85 (here)
Did you know Singaporeans are the biggest travellers in Asia Pacific? This travel adaptor with the cool wireless charger feature as a bonus is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. PS. now they’ll also have no more excuses to say they didn’t bring their charger and hence can’t work on the go. Just kidding.

10,000mah Qi Wireless Charging Powerbank With  @ $17.09 (here)
Ensure no one ends up with a flat battery with this 10,000mah powerbank. With the wireless charging feature just like the above, you dont have to worry about phone compatibility here too.

Lumina Activity Tracker Wristband @ $15.66 (here)
Have you heard the quote healthy employees make a healthy business? So boost your business and the health of your team all at once with this fun tracker. HPB will also definitely be very pleased.

400ml Wolter Curve Insulating Tumbler @ $15.01 (here)
Curve, leak-proof, double-walled, cup with screw cap and drinkable all-around, need we say more?  In case the price isn’t to your liking, fret not, there are a dozen cheaper bottles/ tumblers out there.

Premium Microwavable Eco-Friendly Lunch Box @ $10.74 (here)
Because sustainability & being eco-friendly is the new way of life, encourage your participants to go green with this all in one lunch box.

 Customised EZ-Link Card With $10 Top Up @ $17.70 (here)
Practicality is key to every door gift and they probably also need it to get to work so why not an ez-link card?

10L PVC Waterproof Dry Bag @ $8.16 (here)

Having an outdoor event by the sea, this dry-bag will definitely be a crowd-pleaser.

23” Foldable Umbrella With Carabiner Handle @ $10.80 (here)
With today’s unpredictable weather, an umbrella is also something handy on the go.

 Gomez Reversible Windbreaker  @ $23.85 (here)
Why provide a shirt when you can provide a jacket? Go one level up with this cool windbreaker.

*Disclaimer: Price might vary based on quantity required (cheaper if high quantity required and more expensive if only a small quantity required). For the sake of this article, we’ve used a standard number of 50 and based from a supplier in Singapore. In case you are wondering, prices were taken from our door gift partner Gift Market.

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Things To Consider When Deciding On A Team Building Event

Things To Consider When Deciding On A Team Building Event

Tasked to plan your upcoming team building but don’t know where to start? Fret not as we’ve drafted this quick article to help you in your journey.

Objectives
There are many benefits an organisation might reap from organising a team building, team bonding activity or any event for their employees. Much of what can be achieved by these events, is dependent on the objectives one has for the event as a whole. With a specific goal in mind, a teambuilding activity can then be designed or chosen to meet it.

One example of an objective driven team building event, is one that promotes organisational goals/mission/values. For example, if collaboration is an important organisational goal, team building activities that are designed to promote this value might include mass collaboration activities where all participants have to work together to achieve an end goal. This would be more effective than a team based activity, where participants work in small groups to each try to achieve their individual team goal. If required, team building activities can also be designed in a way where the activities first focus on performance as a team followed by performance as an entire organisation.

Besides promoting organisational goals, team building events can be designed to promote specific qualities an organisation wishes their employees to embody. An example would the promotion and development of the ability to deal with change. Given this rapidly changing landscape, change management is an increasingly important skill that organisations wish to employees to have. Change management specific team building events would involve activities that introduce drastic and sudden changes, where participants are facilitated and encouraged to manage through it. Having specific objective team building event, can allow for participants to manage their landscapes and work situations better.

That being said, not all team events require a specific objective. The other side of team building is team bonding and team bonding events are fundamentally meant to encourage interaction between participants and can be organised for merely that purpose. Team bonding events such as Family Day or Sports Days or even an Amazing Race can be utilised by an organisation to improve connections within the organisation, and would be a great opportunity to foster social bonds, in an out of the office setting.

Participants
Different types of team building activity engage and are enjoyed by different individuals. One factor that affects this is the age of participants. Very broadly, younger participants enjoy more fast paced and action packed activities such as amazing races while older participants would very much more prefer interactive team indoor activities.

Secondly, one should consider demographics of the organisation and of its employees, like the industry and positions of the employees. It is a known fact that different industries draw different crowds. Creative industries are more likely to draw more easy going and adventurous individuals as compared to the medical or engineering industry. Therefore, they are likely to enjoy different kinds of activities. An easier going crowd might enjoy activities which require them to think out of the box, and come up with unique solutions whilst other kinds of crowds might enjoy a more structured and competitive activity. The title or positions of the participants is also likely to affect what kind of activities they enjoy. For example, in most organisations, management level participants are more likely to enjoy activities that are more brain based activities as compared to team bonding activities that demand more movements. There are many exceptions to this case, but it is still important to consider this aspect when designing an event.

Thirdly, one should consider the number of participants expected for this event. There are many different types of team building events and one differentiating factor is the range of participants that are expected. There are some who organise team building event for the entire company, going up to 2,000 people while others organise activities for departments or units which can be as small as 10 people. There are many things that will be different as well based on the varying number of participants who are there. For a large scale event, there is always the concern about being able to fully engage all participants while also ensuring that the activity itself can be managed.

Cost
The last factor one should consider when designing a teambuilding activity, is the allowed budget for the entire event. With a more flexible budget, one can explore more possibilities. It is a rising trend that organisations take team building events abroad. For Singapore team building events, countries like Indonesia and Malaysia are top choices. Such team building activities combine company retreat with team building events and are effective in meeting its objectives. With a greater budget, one can also explore having incentives like prizes or rewards for employees who participate in the teambuilding event.

However, it is important to note that budget does not necessarily correlate to the effectiveness of the teambuilding event. Having a clear objective and understanding the demographics of participants can ensure that event objectives can be met. There are also many team building options that one can consider when under a tight budget like having a half-day team building event!

In conclusion, there are many variations of team building activities that differ in respect to objectives, participants and cost. One should consider each factor while deciding on a teambuilding activity to ensure that you find the best one for you!

To head back to read another article in our blog or for more tips on team building, click here

 

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