Speedlinking - The UKs Premier Business to Business Speed Networking Organisation

Launch Event: Tuesday 20th January, 2004 2.00pm to 8.30pm Stanley Room, Royal National Hotel, Bedford Way, London WC1H 0DG From the founders of The Learning Curve and miniDATES, and in association with Ecademy, comes the very latest in abbreviated business to business networking techniques. The main focus of SPEEDlinking is providing offline events that give business people 15-20 three-minute seated networking sessions. These follow a carefully choreographed plan so that both parties in each session can exchange information. The January 2004 launch event will be followed by monthly events in London and will quickly spread to all major towns and cities during 2004.

Why speed networking? Alternative networking events are either industry (PRWEB) December 14, 2003 -specific, or they are speaker-led where the networking is a peripheral activity. In both cases, you are lucky if you come away with more than a few contacts. There are dedicated networking organisations, but these are expensive to join and of variable effectiveness.

Why network? Consider these quotes from highly popular current business best-sellers.

The new currency of the Internet Age isnt simply intellectual capital, its social capital -- the collective value of the people we know and what well do for each other. When social connections are strong and numerous theres more trust, reciprocity, information flow, collective action, happiness -- and, by the way, greater wealth." Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge, Jossey-Bass, 2002.

Society is changing: the world is being networked through the Web; industry is becoming networked through increasingly complex alliances and partnership; organizations are becoming networked through remote technology; teams are becoming networked as they become more virtual and dispersed in nature; hence, you need to learn how to network more effectively." Mick Cope, Personal Networking, FT Prentice Hall, 2003.

Following a successful SPEEDlinking pilot event in West Malling, Kent participants said:

Just a very brief note to thank you very much for all the effort that you put into last night, I certainly enjoyed the evening, much more so than normal even though I came away exhausted!!! We are just gathering more formal feedback from last Tuesday, but certainly those attending thought that it was a great evening, focussed and productive. The experience was well worth the effort and I have no doubt that we will use the model again." Andrew Brouard, Club Moderator, Kent Ecademy

Please allow me to extend a personal 'Thank You!' to you and Nicky for all your fine efforts yesterday evening. Very nicely facilitated" Bob Marshall, The Bigger Business Club

Thanks for a great evening. I thought you did very well and people found it very positive. I hope we meet up again soon." John Dashfield, Coaching and Development

What a cracking night - even though I was starting to loose my voice towards the end of the evening! Many thanks to Andrew for arranging for Colin to run the evening and a big thankyou to Colin and Nicky for running the session. Knowing Colin from G2E I knew it would be well organised but I think he and Nicky were absolutely superb on the night" Jeremy Flisher, Foster Brown Associates

Congratulations for organising such an enjoyable evening. I have never spent my time networking in such a focused way. The sessions were just the right length to be able to convey information about the business but not long enough to move into 'chitter chatter" Doris Stahl, Genus Europe

This SPEEDlinking UK launch event is preceded by a seminar workshop 'The 6 Steps to Effective Networking that challenges the common view of what networking is and is not.

Discover how to use networking to:
-   find suppliers
-   find customers
-   establish partnerships
-   research your idea
-   benchmark in your organisation
-   grow your career
-   find a job
-   expand your social and professional networks

See the website www.speed-linking.com for more information or call Colin Newbold on 07785 548888.

About SPEEDlinking
SPEEDlinking is the product of two companies -- miniDATES (a web-based speed dating company) and The Learning Curve (a learning and development consultancy).

Colin Newbold and Nicky Pharoah are directors of both miniDATES and The Learning Curve and have combined their experience to bring you the very latest in abbreviated networking techniques. In addition to providing regular speed networking evenings, some of these will be preceded by an afternoon workshop where you can develop and hone your skills as an effective networker.

Colins networking experience includes running networking seminars for Drake Beam Morin (global outplacement services) and Business Link. He has also successfully coached tens of senior execs in the art and skill of networking, as well as running workshops for several sales/business development teams where the idea of networking for sales has overtaken traditional selling skills. The Learning Curve, established over 13 years with clients as diverse as Boots plc through Bacardi-Martini to Threshold Housing Association, has successfully employed networking techniques in preference to other forms of advertising and marketing.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Colin Newbold
The Learning Curve
PO Box 300
Tunbridge Wells
TN2 4ZW
Tel: 01892 533811
M: 07785 548888
www.speed-linking.com