7 reasons why you should attend a networking event

We’ve all been told time and time again that networking events are important for our career but many of us still do not attend them. As an MBA student, there will be a number of opportunities to attend events being offered to you. We believe that networking is a crucial stepping-stone for business professionals, and can only be of benefit to you and your career. If you don’t believe us, here are seven reasons why should you attend a networking event to see for yourself.

1. To build relationships

The best part about networking events is that like-minded individuals are all together in an informal environment. If your goal is to meet contacts in your industry, then you should most certainly attend a networking event. The events allow you to get to know people easier in comparison to the workplace, and are imperative in both the initial relationship building and the relationship maintaining stages.

2. To keep up-to-date with trends

When in a room with a number of people from your industry, you are bound to get talking about what has been happening as of late. This provides a great opportunity to hear what trends are occurring, and areas in which others have been focusing on. It is also a great chance to understand the trends of your target market if you are attending for business growth purposes.

3. To benefit from new ideas

Generally speaking, there is an acclaimed guest speaker at the majority of networking events. Hearing the ideas of those who have been very successful is a wonderful opportunity to learn. If you treat the event as a learning opportunity, you will find them to be very beneficial to you. 

4. To connect with key influencers

It is not every day that you have an opportunity to connect with key influencers and leaders in your field. If you were to walk past them in the street you probably wouldn’t stop them, however networking events provide the environment to approach these people and have a discussion.

5. To be motivated

Most networking events have you leaving with new ideas, inspirations and a sense of motivation. When you are placed in a room with fellow high achievers, it is hard not to go home and wonder what else you can be doing. If you’re not interested in building relationships, attend a networking event as an opportunity to be motivated by others.

6. To socialise

Spending time in the office can sometimes get a bit too much, so why not attend a networking event to break up your day? Networking events provide a great setting for both socialising as well as boosting your career, so it is win-win from that perspective.

7. To recruit new employees

If you are in a role where recruitment is a component, networking events can be a wonderful way to meet new candidates. Generally the attendees are interested in networking, and are eager to learn more from others. It is a great way to gain an informal understanding of a person, and decide whether to proceed with a formal interview.

What do you think?

Are you someone who likes to attend networking events? How do you feel you benefit from them? Please feel free to share your views and join the discussion.