Wow! What a noisy bunch we were?! Any observations about the acoustics of the meeting room at the Hallmark Hotel are irrelevant in the light of the level of buzz that surrounded the inaugural Boardroom Network event on Thursday morning.
In my view, there’s noise and there’s good noise. That kind of din was good noise; in fact it’s a very positive sign that dialogues were being had, new contacts being made and hopefully new business starting to be done. It’s also a function of a healthy turnout – 78 people in total, from an impressive cross-section of the local business community. Quite an achievement in the face of what we see as some apathy in the region for networking. Then again, you have to be in it to get something out of it, as any successful networker will tell you.
But it wasn’t all about noise. There was breakfast too. And in quieter moments, MC Simon Scarborough brought the house to order and managed proceedings in a firm but pleasant manner. Efficiency was always at the core of The Boardroom Network philosophy, so table host Ambassadors were briefed to keep the table networking running to a strict agenda. And it worked. The one-minute individual presentations ran to one minute, more or less, which allowed a bit of extra time for chatting before the table swap.
The “Two Minute Warming” slots handed the floor to a couple of participants, giving them the opportunity to talk about their businesses in 120 seconds. Amanda Burger of Intulo Health Sports and Remedial Massage took the first slot and revealed the benefits and virtues of massage and treatments as a key part of a healthy lifestyle. It was well received, albeit with some guilt and irony by those of us who’d just downed a full English breakfast. Which was most of us!
Second onto the floor after the table swap was Shane Eyers of Dune Hair & Beauty in Canford Cliffs. Shane impressed us with a catalogue of big-name coiffeurs with whom he has worked, but stayed pleasingly down-to-earth by pointing out that his own smooth pate was not perhaps the most compelling example of his art. More irony!
So what was the consensus on the first event? Among the organisers: comfortable satisfaction tempered by some relief that so many people turned up and everything ran to plan. Among the visitors: from what I could tell, a hearty endorsement from the vast majority. Okay, as with any first-off event, there are things that can and will be done better next time; plans are already afoot to implement improvements.
What was your experience of the inaugural Boardroom Network event? We’re keen to hear. All feedback, ideas and suggestions are welcome.
Final point – a reminder: the special offer for reduced price founder memberships expires at the end of play on Monday 7th October. Be sure to fill out and return the application form before then.