If you are a business based in Bournemouth or the local area it is likely you are well aware of what this weekend means. This weekend is the annual Bournemouth Air Festival! The festival is Bournemouth’s biggest yearly event attracting over 1.2million people to the town to watch the spectacle take place in the skies (providing the weather allows). Although the grid locked traffic may be frustrating for us locals, there is no denying that the festival brings a phenomenal amount of business and money to Bournemouth – the last show generated in excess of 25 Million for the town!
As many businesses look to utilise the influx of revenue that the festival brings to Bournemouth through the festival-goers, the event is also a great time to network. We have noted before on the Boardroom Network blogs how great local summer events can be for networking and, in our opinion, Bournemouth Air Festival is a prime example of this!
We know that the festival is intended as a fun weekend of leisure and that whilst you are enjoying the amazing sights and sounds, business may be the last thing on your mind. However, meeting with new people in less formal environments can also be a great way to start conversations. Without the pressure of work on the mind, everyone is more relaxed – so this is a natural way to network. If you get to know someone on a friendly basis, it’s much more likely they will want to do business with you – so always keep those business cards close to hand!
As a free event to watch, many businesses owners will also utilise on this opportunity by hiring boats, private venues and hospitality boxes from which to watch the air show. If you have been lucky enough to be invited to any of these occasions they are an ideal opportunity to network in a relaxed, fun environment, so we strongly suggest you RSVP now!
However, if you have not been so lucky, the festival can still be an ideal opportunity to get to know people – given the sheer amount of visitors that will attend the festival there is a wealth of new business owners and professionals to meet. Many of Bournemouth’s local hotels will be hosting hospitality events and we can strongly recommend looking into these as a chance to meet with like-minded individuals.
Whatever way you decide to spend Bournemouth Air Festival, we hope you enjoy the weekend and network where you can!
Our next networking event is on the 3rd September at the Hallmark Hotel and we look forward to hearing everyone’s stories of the Bournemouth Air Festival then!