Learnings from a LinkedIn Local Meetup #linkedinlocal

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting our first LinkedIn Local event, where a group of LinkedIn users got together to meet offline. The idea was simple, get to know your online connections, engage in a two-way conversation and meet some new people. The event was a great success and I would actively like to encourage more people to do the same in their local areas. What impressed me the most was the diversity of people and professionals united by LinkedIn. Not only a range amongst professions but also a diversity of those at different stages throughout the business lifecycle. There were business owners, Financial Advisors & Planners, Educators, Real Estate Agents, Solopreneurs, Life Coaches, Public Sector Leaders, Service-industry providers, Start-ups, Salespeople, and Corporate. From that diverseness alone there is much to be gained from a meeting and we decided to make it a regular monthly event, the first Friday of every month.

It was a humble reminder that the true value of LinkedIn is in its users and the quality of the people who choose to spend their time here. Its not in the technical algorithms, its design structure or its features. Of course we need to know these to get the best value, and I admit to being a bit of a collector of the technical how-tos, but the analysis of LinkedIn and its future is nothing to do with any of this. Over recent months there has been much debate about the change to LinkedIn features, the Microsoft takeover, and whether Facebook is really a competitor. The true value of LinkedIn is as a means to build quality business relationships, gain value, grow your network, and interact with a group of business-minded people. In a word that is so socially engaged online, where people are focussed on "numbers" not relationships, it can really pay to step away from the computer or smartphone and build some offline connections too.

Just to give some background, our local meetup happened more or less by accident. I posted some statistics from the LinkedIn Sales Navigator account about low local engagement within our business community in Coffs Harbour. 23,500 accounts and only 289 active. The response from a connection of mine whom I hadn't yet met (Nicole Martin) was "well if its so low then lets meet up." So a few weeks later we did. The posts have generated some interest around the globe and there are a few more local meetups are starting to pop up. Erik Eklund organised a very successful event in Brussels last week, and Alexandra Galviz is busy organising one in London.

For me the success of the local meetup is testament to the business environment that thrives within our city. We are an urban centre in the north coast region of Australia, about 5o0 km north of Sydney, and 400 km south of Brisbane. Our airport offers 6 flights per day to Sydney, one flight per day to Brisbane, and four flights per week to Melbourne. We have low business operating costs, a business environment that fosters startups, a connection to the nbn (National Broadband Network) and thanks to our beautiful beaches and temperate climate, a lifestyle few would pass on the opportunity to experience. Given our regional base, our desire to grow skills, business and employment opportunities, and recent population growth, it’s important that we work together as a business community to continue to engage, and our LinkedIn local is just one way in which we can achieve this.

The feedback from our local event included:

• Nicole Martin:It was a valuable experience to share some personal time with my LinkedIn acquaintances and to meet new people whom I've since made contact with on LinkedIn. I look forward to us all getting to know each other personally and professionally.
• Glenda Simpson: Great network opportunity to meet the people that I interact with via social media. I look forward to the next chance to learn more about the group and what we can achieve together. Great way to start the day!
• Joff Walters: Warm coffee, great introductions, excited entrepreneurs all sharing their stories and goals
• Justine Bonney: Much of my work is by Skype, and when I’m not with clients I work mostly on my own, so I appreciated this opportunity to connect in person with others in business

I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the concept of meeting your local LinkedIn connections to take the plunge, get a few of you together and get something organised. If you have someone in your area who has built a successful network willing to share their LinkedIn expertise, such as Alex in London or Erik in Brussels, then this is a great way of kick-start a local meeting. Afterall we are all here to do business, share experiences and grow our networks and learning from those who have paved the way already is a truly valuable exercise. If you don't have a LinkedIn aficionado in your area though my suggestion is organise one anyway, as we did. There is no need to host a workshop style event or have high local engagement on LinkedIn, as we have proven in Coffs Harbour. It simply about making a connection, getting to know one another, and working together towards better business relationships.

My suggestion would be to keep costs low in order to attract a broad range of businesses. For example costly networking events can sometimes deter startups and solopreneurs and these are the ones who sometimes need to network the most. If you decide to host a meetup that doesn't include a workshop then my other suggestion would be to keep it informal, e.g. at a coffee shop. Several people questioned whether there was a "pitch" involved, and the informality of the meeting environment enabled us to put minds at ease. As a group you may decide to host subsequent meetups involving information sessions, however you will deter many businesses if you go in with that intention at the outset. Get to know your audience first and see what they would like to do. For example, we have decided as a group that we will meet monthly and keep things informal, for now. In the future though we may change the format to incorporate some information sessions if there is a demand.

Please reach out to me if you would like to host an event of your own, or come along to our next local event, as I'd be happy to help support and promote similar such events.