Other London Networking Groups
Other London Networking Groups
Aug 24*UPDATED* See Caroline’s Comment
Someone asked me on Friday what other London Networking groups there were about. A couple of years ago we used a 10-minute slot to compile a list (which is below). Please feel free to comment/ suggest others.
Business Link – http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/
Aurora (women’s group)
NRG – http://www.nrg-networks.com/
The Women’s Company – http://www.thewomensnetworkingcompany.com/
Business Junction – http://www.businessjunction.co.uk/
Speed Networking – http://www.speed-networking.net/
Mingle Minded
London Chamber of Commerce – http://www.londonchamber.co.uk/
Docklands Business Club – http://www.docklandsbusiness.org.uk/
Toastmasters – http://www.toastmasters.org/
PIM (People in media) – http://www.pim-club.co.uk/
Ecademy (online) – http://www.ecademy.com/
LinkedIn (online) – http://www.linkedin.com/
Xing/ OpenBC (online) – http://www.xing.com/
Twitter – http://twitter.com/
Lunchworks – http://www.lunchworks.co.uk/
Business networking in London :: Business Breakfast central London :: Networking events London
Here’s the full list we did a few years ago, it would be good to get it updated:
Networking groups recommended by members of BRE Bond Street
The list below may give you ideas of groups and events you can join and attend yourself, and it may also show you networks and types of people that other members in the group may be able to access for you.
GENERAL
Before and after six
Celia: “One breakfast meeting and one evening per month.”
Also recommended by Martin Dunne : “Targeted at senior level people in large organisations.”
Contact Noreen Cesareo,
noreen@marketaccents.com
+44 (0) 7787 555651
No membership, just pay when you turn up. They are selective about the sort of company that they invite.
BNI
http://www.bni-europe.com
Recommended by George Metcalfe and George Emsden. Breakfast networking, bit more formal than BRE, BNI officially don’t accept people who also go to BRE but in reality many people are members of both.
Business Junction
http://www.businessjunction.co.uk
Recommended by George Emsden : “ There are four centres, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Hackney and Docklands.”
Annual membership per company is £245 + VAT.
Federation of small businesses (FSB)
http://www.fsb.org.uk
Recommended by Mike Segall: “Lots of useful helplines and legal advice”.
Annual subscription from £100 to £750 (depending on size of company) plus £30 registration fee.
In and Around Covent Garden
http://www.coventgarden.uk.com , http://www.coventgarden.uk.com/busforum.html
Recommended by Roy Duncan. Networking for businesses based in or near Covent Garden (though others can visit as guests).
Also by George Emsden: “I really like it, compared to City groups, the members are very bubbly and extrovert”.
Websites appear to be down at the moment so perhaps ask Roy for details.
Mixing Business
http://www.mixingbusiness.com
Gavin Hirst: “Once a month, on Friday afternoons, no restriction on number of people from any one field, so accountants can get referrals from other accountants etc which often works really well.”
Also recommended by Caroline Heward and George Metcalfe.
Per event:
Non members £20 + VAT
Members £15 + VAT
Membership costs:
• £200 (+VAT = £235) membership fee for 12 months, plus,
• a one-off joining fee of £100 (no VAT) for which you receive 100 shares in Mixing Business
NRG
https://www.nrg-networks.com
Recommended by Mike Segall : “40% of my business last year came via NRG lunches”.
Lunchtime business networking organisation. Lunches held in London at Thistle Hotel, Charing Cross, and Selfridge Hotel, Orchard Street.
Lunch costs £30 + VAT (you can attend two events before you have to join as a member)
To become a member there is an initial joining fee (£100 + VAT) and either an annual membership option (£340 + VAT) or monthly membership option (£30 + VAT).
Opus Omni
Can anyone suggest where to get info details, can’t find it on web – or perhaps I’ve written down name wrongly?
Martin Dunne recommended Opus Omni as good for networking with medium and larger sized businesses.
Speednetworking
http://www.speednetworking.org
Run by Mike Segall. Meet up to 30 contacts in one evening. Held monthly at MIC in Euston.
Free to all BRE Bond Street members. Others pay £20 at door or £15 if book 48 hrs in advance.
The Forum of Private Business
http://www.fpb.co.uk
Recommended by Roy Duncan though he commented it’s fairly expensive.
Annual fee ranges from £150 (1 to 10 people) to £400 (51 to 100 people, and £5 per extra employee)
1230 The Women’s Company
http://www.1230.co.uk
Recommended by Caroline Heward, business women’s networking group. Caroline runs the Mayfair and Kensington groups.
Networking lunches members £11, non-members £21
Annual membership from £70-£170.
Contact: Caroline Heward
t: +44 (0) 20 8452 4731
m: 07957 160 649
1230thewomenscompanymayfair@vitalitytw.com
London Chamber of Commerce
http://www.londonchamber.co.uk/
Mike Segall: “ ‘Changing Places’ meetings are particularly good, 150 people, it’s free, director level type people”.
Also recommended by Simon Merrett: “Good turnover of people as well as familiar faces. ‘Changing Places’ is good for interesting places. The London Chamber have a lovely café in Queen Street which makes an impressive meeting place in the City, much nicer than a pub etc.”
Affiliated local chambers of commerce
• Croydon
• Docklands Business Club
• Ealing
• East London
• Hammersmith & Fulham
Annual subscription ranges from £311 + VAT (1-2 employees) to £3018 + VAT (1001-2500 employees), plus £50 registration fee.
Local Chambers of Commerce eg:
Newham Chamber of Commerce
http://www.newhamchamber.com
Recommended by Hiten Thaker, open to people outside Newham as well, and lots of Olympic activity.
Grade A Individual Member, Partnership or Company with up to 5 Employees……….£45.00 + VAT = £52.88
Grade B With 6 but not more than 10 employees…………………………………………………£60.00 + VAT = £70.50
Grade C With 11 but not more than 50 employees……………………………………………… £109.00 + VAT = £128.08
Grade D With 51 but not more than 200 employees……………………………………………. £148.00 + VAT = £173.90
Grade E With 201 but not more than 399 employees…………………………………….……. £216.00 + VAT = £253.80
Grade F With 400 or more employees……………………………………………………..……….. negotiable
Kensington and Chelsea Chamber of Commerce
http://www.kccc.co.uk/script/site/default.asp
Recommended by Christian Ingerslev
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Under 10 Staff £ 187.00 (VAT inclusive)
10 – 49 Staff £ 249.33 (VAT inclusive)
Over 50 Staff £ 472.00 (VAT inclusive)
Alumni of London Business School
http://www.london.edu
Christian Ingerslev: “As an alumni of the London Business School I am able to tap into 15,000 business people around the world. For example, when Gavin Hirst wanted a business contact in Boots I was able to look someone up for him.”
Other Ideas:
George Metcalfe: “Effective networking doesn’t need to be restricted to formal and business groups – you can do it anywhere where you can meet people. It’s a good idea to become ‘friends of’ eg ‘Friends of the Royal Academy’. If you’re political join a political party. I meet a lot of people at my church. And although it’s not meant to be strictly a forum for business I am also a member of 8 Masonic lodges and you do develop friendships.”
Simon Merrett: “If you join several groups you benefit from a ‘crossover’ effect eg ‘I know you already from such and such group’ so you get better bonds with people.”
Toastmasters/Early Bird Speakers
http://www.earlybirdspeakers.co.uk
Recommended by George Metcalfe. Not strictly a networking group, it’s run by Toastmasters who want to encourage the skills of public speaking, and members are given the opportunity of giving impromptu talks on different topics to develop the skill of thinking on one’s feet.
time: 07:15 am, finishing 08:45 latest
Held at: New Cavendish Club (Jubilee Room)
44 Great Cumberland Place
London W1H 7BS
There is a £3 meeting charge which covers tea/coffee & fruit – for membership details see website.
ONLINE
Ecademy
http://www.ecademy.com
Recommended by Elliot Hill, Mike Segall and Caroline Hampstead.
Online networking but also offline events – eg the monthly ecademy London meeting at the The Tower Hotel, St Katharines Way, usually attracts about 150 people, free to Powernetworkers and Black Stars and £20 on the door to everyone else including non members. Also good for upping your profile on Google.
3 levels of membership:
Basic membership is free, but very limited functionality and you won’t get picked up on Google.
Powernetworker is £10 a month, lots of functionality, recommended if you want to get most out of ecademy, you can try 2 months for free.
Black Star is £60 per month or £300 x 24.
Linkedin
http://www.linkedin.com
Online networking group. George Metcalfe: “Worth looking at”
Basic membership is free with option to pay extra for premium memberships.
Soflow
http://www.soflow.com
Jamie: “Soflow is an online networking group with focus on creatives. Within it there are lots of clubs, I belong to a club like the art club? – and from this I get between 5 and 10 invites a week to a variety of events.”
George Emsden: “An offshoot of Soflow is 3Cs for entrepreneurs and inventors, a bit like Dragons’ Den, lots of people with expertise.”
Basic Membership – FREE (does give you quite high level of functionality, can contact other members, join groups etc)
Premium Membership – Free trial month then £15 per month or £135 per year
Viadeo
http://www.viadeo.com/connexion/
Recommended by Roy Duncan.
Strong European focus (over 1 million European members), lots of ‘hubs’ or groups on different interests eg finance, internet, entrepreneurs, arts, culture, wines.
Basic membership is free, Premium membership for 12 months is 79.80 Euros.
Xing (formerly OpenBC)
http://www.xing.com
Recommended by Mike Segall.
(I’ve been told the meetings attract generally more senior people than ecademy)
Basic membership is FREE (allows you to contact other members, join groups and go to one event a month)
Premium membership (unlimited events, advanced search options etc) is 5.95 € per month
SPECIALIST
International networking:
BritishAmerican Business
http://www.babinc.org
Paul Chapman: “The British American Business has loads of international chambers of commerce, it’s very good if you want to develop links or business in the US”.
Also recommended by George Metcalfe.
London BritishAmerican Business Inc
75 Brook Street
London W1K 4AD
Contact: Peter Hunt, Managing Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7290 9888
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7491 9172
E-mail: ukinfo@babinc.org
Website: http://www.babinc.org
Contact: Rosario Henshall
Director Membership
+44 (0) 20 7290 9880
rhenshall@babinc.org
Different levels of membership from corporate (one year membership is £750 + VAT) to Transatlantic Council Membership (one year membership is £3,970 + VAT)
The Danish-UK Chamber of Commerce
http://www.ducc.co.uk/
Recommended by Christian Ingerslev
Membership fees
Small Corporate (1/2 employees) £200 + VAT
Large Corporate £450 + VAT
The Danish Club
http://www.danishclub.co.uk
Recommended by Christian Ingerslev
The French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain
http://www.ccfgb.co.uk
Recommended by Simon Merrett though he warned it’s quite expensive.
Website didn’t have any info on membership rates you’ll have to contact them to find out. (Mike Segall thinks it’s about £500)
The Swedish Club
Couldn’t find details on web, can anyone provide them?
Recommended by Christian Ingerslev
The London Business Guide (Turkish)
http://www.londonbusinessguide.org
Turkish business networking. Recommended by Roy Duncan.
Member and non-member rates for events.
Industry specific networking:
Mingle Minded
http://www.mingleminded.com/home
Property and construction networking group, recommended by Celia Hyde.
Evening networking event/night out every couple of months at different venues.
FREE – no subscription or membership, just pay for your own drinks and bring as many guests as you want.
The Property Person’s Dinner
Can anyone provide details of website or where to get further info?
Recommended by Elliot Hill.
Alliott Group and AG Legal
http://www.alliottgroup.net , http://www.alliottgroup.net/public/department36.cfm
Paul Marmor’s sub David: “Paul belongs to the Alliott Group, which is a network of accountants and law firms around the world and to AG legal which is an offshoot of that and is a network of law firms around the world.”
CIM, The Chartered Institute of Marketing
http://www.cim.co.uk
Recommended by Caroline Heward as a good source of quality leads for those involved in marketing.
Different levels of membership – ‘Professional Membership’ rate is £130
ISES, International Special Events Society
http://www.ises.com
Emma Boardman: networking for events professionals.
MICE, Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions
http://www.londonmice.co.uk
Emma Boardman: events industry business network
There’s also Open Soho (media/ social media) > http://www.netdotworks.com/tag/open-soho/