Speed networking turns up the pace in the world of business contacts

Mar 6 2009 by Tom Scotney, Birmingham Post

Speed networking is growing in popularity as a way to build up your business network. Tom Scotney made 20 new contacts in half an hour at the Business Growth Show.

What can you do in 45 seconds? Drink a glass of water? Leaf through the paper? Listen to Napalm Death’s greatest hits perhaps?

How about sum up yourself, your company and its business plan? Sounds difficult, but that’s the idea of speed networking. After you get paired up you hand over the business card and then the clock is ticking to introduce yourself to your potential new business partner.

And it’s tough – 45 seconds is barely even enough time to ask “which way to the canapes?” at the average meet-and-greet schmoozefest. So you have to work on your patter.

Which is why I was at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on a sunny March morning, to see how speed networking works, and what people get out of it.

The Business Growth Show, run by Corkscrew Events, is an annual networking roadshow. In fact many of the people I speak to in the hectic half hour or so of speed networking came the year before and decided they wanted another go around.

From the start it’s like one of those baffling dancing scenes in a Jane Austen adaptation, with two rows of businessmen and women lining up, eyeing each other hungrily and wondering if they’re going to meet that special contact – the start of a beautiful business relationship if you like.

What sets it apart from the Austen world is the ex-services drill sergeant presiding over the evening. Getting businesspeople to network seems to be a bit like trying to herd chickens – it takes constant attention to keep them in line, otherwise they end up wandering all over the place and clucking away without a care in the world. So our army guy is there to enforce the rules – 45 seconds only, think of three things to say about your company, swap business cards at the first whistle, and move on at the double whistle.

Things are more Full Metal Jacket than Sense & Sensibility. You have to follow orders. When he blows the whistle you go. So he blew the whistle, and I went – to pieces.

The first rule of speed networking is; when your time’s up, your time’s up. The second rule of speed networking is; bring lots and lots and lots of business cards. Oops.

I’ve somehow missed out on the name badge that everyone else is wearing, which coupled with the lack of a business card, means I’m going to have to rely on my personality and appearance to stand out in people’s minds. I’m doomed.

But you can’t let these things get in your way, so I’ve got my first speed interview coming up. Emma Bate is from video communications firm SD Voice and Video. She’s not been speed networking before, but hopes to make useful work contacts and... that’s it. Emma has to move on and it’s on to Jon Luisada from computer service firm My First Server.

You have to talk quickly – there are a few sore throats by the end of the day, including mine – but the growing pile of business cards in my pocket is a testament to the

number of people I’ve chatted to. And while not everyone’s going to be an instant work contact, there’s a good few people that I’m planning to phone back soon. Not bad for half an hour’s work.

Mark Linton, the director of Corkscrew Events, says speed networking is becoming more popular – and they’re turning people away at the door at Edgbaston – because just like with their budgets, people have to look at their margins in terms of time as well.

“People have to quantify their time because it’s important to them,” he said. “If we are going to ride out this tough economic climate we have to stop talking ourselves into recession – we must adapt and overcome the current difficulties. Owners of businesses – large and small – have to get out there and start fighting. Otherwise they might as well shut down and go and work for someone else.

“We’ve had everyone from sole traders to corporates like Microsoft come along to events, we are bringing old and new together.”