We know what it’s like. Your fifth online meeting of the day and you’re beginning to get what some are calling ‘Zoom Fatigue’. There’s something about meeting virtually that just isn’t the same as face-to-face. It can be tiring and doesn’t always seem as gratifying as meeting ‘the old way’.
But perhaps that’s just because you haven’t found the right virtual event for you!
One of the mainstays of the SBCN has always been our monthly networking events. Creating an environment where everyone in the small business ecosystem can get together and build and maintain valued business relationships. Our meetings were fun, friendly, informative, and helped hundreds of businesses find greater success.
Things changed quickly when the COVID-19 restrictions forced all in-person events to close. We saw this as a challenge to ensure that networking could continue, and our events would be as valuable as before.
Since March 2020, the SBCN moved our monthly networking events online via Zoom. We released a series of videos to help our members and guests make the most of video calls with tips on sound, lighting, and more.
So, let’s look at our virtual events to find out what makes them great!
We are fortunate enough to have three great sponsors that help us bring the virtual networking events to life. My IT Guy is our event sponsor, helping ensure we have what we need to deliver a fun, friendly experience.
Each of our events features a Business PowerUp session from sponsor Tom Fournier of Shades Mills Group. These short segments challenge us all to think about various business aspects from a different perspective and offer up tips and suggestions that may unlock the potential you’ve been missing.
Just because there isn’t a door, it doesn’t mean we can’t have a door prize, right? Ian Inglis sponsors our door prize where each meeting someone wins something that can have a great impact on their business.
One of the things that people miss most from face-to-face networking is the ability to chat in groups, and that’s why we introduced Roundtable Roulette. Our playful take on breakout rooms allows attendees to meet in smaller groups and get to know one another more effectively than in a large group setting.
We’re also well known for our monthly networking guest presentations – featuring many of our members. Sharing their expertise, experience and wisdom, our guest presentations focus on a topic that affects everyone in small business. We’ve had some terrific presentations and many of our attendees have turned suggestions into actions with great results.
Above all, we retain the sense of fun, comradery and support that means our virtual events wake you up, not send you to sleep. It only takes a few minutes to hear the giggles and see the smiles to know that the SBCN virtual monthly networking events are maintaining our long tradition of great networking.
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