How to get visitors to attend your networking event

Networking events rely not only on the regular attendees but on visitors, new people. New visitors keep the group alive, bringing a new energy to the room, as well as new contacts and stopping groups from becoming 'stale'.

After time, any networking group will suffer from the members or attendees realising that they all know each other, so new business owners attending give the existing attendees another reason to show up and the potential for even more referrals to be passed, or collaborations to be formed.

I used to run 5,000 physical networking events per year as Network Director for 4Networking, plus I was part of the team who transitioned 4N from real life to virtual events in 2020. On top of that I've run my own events under The Networking Retreat brand. 4Networking is a membership organisation, my own events were pay as you go, but no matter what the cost is for networking events, even if they are completely free, they need to be marketed properly, in order for visitors to attend.

And if visitors are there the existing members will keep coming back.

Here's my advice on filling the room, if you have any other tips, please do add them in the comments.

1. Make your event attractive for visitors. So ensure that visitors are going to feel welcome and get value from coming along. Word quickly spreads if people feel that something is a waste of their time, particularly busy business owners. So time for some inward looking first. Are your networking events a good use of someone's time? Do you have the right guest speakers? Is business being passed between members? Do people enjoy coming? Whatever your structure, if people don't enjoy being there and / or get something from it, then any marketing you do will be in vain. Even if your group is currently small, and you need new blood, you still need to make sure it is attractive.
2. Who is going to benefit from being there? Which business sectors are going to win business or referrals from showing up? If you have a graphic designer and a website builder in the room then would a copywriter complement their skills? Would those three be able to pass business between each other? If there is an estate agent and mortgage broker amongst the membership, I bet there's a Chartered Surveyor locally who would love to get to know them better? Think strategically about who, honestly, would get the most benefit. Then ask amongst your existing members, and Google, to see who is out there you could invite.
3. Create buzz around your events. Pay attention to Google's Zero Moment of Truth. In short, people are going to check you out online, so you need to make sure they have something to look at when you do. Does your group have a Facebook Page, LinkedIn presence, Instagram account? Are you posting regularly and encouraging your members or attendees to respond? Post pictures, testimonials, smiling faces, details of notable business which has been passed between members. When you post anything, tag the individual members pictured or mentioned. Create 'buzz' around your events and start to benefit from people noticing you, as well as ensuring that people who check you out, have something positive to check.
4. What is local for you? Be really clear on where your audience is. If you are specifically looking for members in a particular town, county, or any other specifically geographical location, then look specifically for people in that location. I appreciate that lines have blurred since everything started happening virtually so your event or group may not be 'local' in that respect. Be specific about who would fit in there, based on their geography, their business type, or some other criteria - but if you try to appeal to everyone, you'll appeal to noone. Specificity in any marketing is important and in networking, equally so.
5. Ensure your members are on side. This isn't and shouldn't be down to one person in the group. Help your existing members understand the benefits of bringing new people into the room. Visitors beget visitors and more people in the room creates more opportunities for everyone. Once your existing members understand that, help them understand how to invite people, which I'm coming to in a minute.
6. Ask the members who they would like to meet. This is exactly what I did when I was running 4Networking in Oxfordshire in 2007-2009. The members would tell me they wanted to meet a certain business person, I would call that person and explain I ran a networking group and had members who wanted to meet them.
7. Go one to one rather than scattergun. Identify the people you want to invite and engage with them 121. I would MUCH prefer a targeted 'phone call to a blanket Email, particularly if the caller explained why the event would benefit me. A really simple 'script' goes a bit like this "Hi Steve, I'm Stefan and I run a regular meeting of local business owners, have you heard about us?". And whether the answer is yes or no, you've started the conversation. Remember a couple of important points here - at this stage you're inviting them to try it out, you don't have to try to sell them membership right now - all you're asking them to do is attend. And secondly, inviting people to networking events gives you a huge excuse to speak to any business person, including the ones you would like to do business with.
8. Be prepared for the conversation. So have answers to common questions ready and know the cost to visit, the membership costs, the structure of the meeting etc.
9. Remember the half life of enthusiasm. When someone says they want to come, book them in there and then and get a confirmation Email over to them. They were keen to come in that moment, during that conversation. If you wait two days before sending the Email they'll have forgotten.
10. Confirm, by phone, every time. So often I see people put loads of effort into inviting people, and then never confirming them. How often have you woken up and thought "I know I'd said I would go to that, but I really can't be bothered / need to write that report / have got an article to write for LinkedIn etc etc etc"? So has everyone else. So confirm by 'phone a couple of days before. A really simple and friendly 'phone call from a member of the team or top table to confirm they are coming and explain the format again, even if they've heard it before makes a huge difference to the number of people who actually turn up on the day. Knowing that Sally from the group has 'phoned them and will be expecting them in the morning makes people a whole lot more comfortable coming than just a standard impersonal Email from Eventbrite. AND, bonus, it is another excuse to talk to another business person for whoever does the confirmations. If you are a membership organisation, now is an ideal time to explain the membership options and costs, to give the visitor time to consider the value in membership when they attend.
11. Make the visitor welcome. It troubles me that I have been invited to networking events in the real world, travelled a distance to them, and then been completely ignored when I arrived. On one occasion the top table team were all in conference, leaving the visitor (me) stood in a room whilst they stood with their backs to me talking to each other. If you've invited someone, welcome them, with a smile, point them in the direction of the drinks and conveniences or, in the virtual world, ensure that someone explains again any of the technicalities. Plus have some 121s planned for them with people who would be useful to them (as opposed to people who will just try to sell to them, you know who I mean, I know you do).
12. Run a brilliant meeting. Visitor gets a good experience, they're likely to come again. Visitor gets a poor experience, they'll wish they hadn't wasted their time AND they'll tell other people not to bother. That's over to you.
13. Follow up. Just like you would with your own business. Make sure the visitor gets a phone call very shortly after the meeting. Check they enjoyed it and got on ok, ask if they got any useful connections and if they need you to connect them with any of the other members on LinkedIn and, if you're a membership organisation, explain the joining options and ask them if they'd like to join!

The real opportunity is that most people won't bother, and so many people think that just putting out a Facebook or LinkedIn post with an Eventbrite link will get people queuing to attend - it won't!

Do this over and over again, you'll have a regular stream of visitors, your members will want to keep coming back and, if you handle the opportunity as I did, you'll be creating loads of opportunities for your own business.

Any tips from you? Let me know.