Basingstoke in person business networking 1st October 2024

Following a fabulous launch in September our new Basingstoke in person business networking group is back on Tuesday October 1st. We’d love to welcome you.

Do you do business in the Basingstoke area of Hampshire or surrounding areas? If so we’d love to welcome you to our in person business networking group. If you own a small or micro business or are responsible for business development working with small business owners or consumers then we’d like to meet you.

Everyone is welcome. No gender or professional exclusions. We believe that people buy people and there is opportunity in collaborating with our competitors.

Your host is Dawn Packham. Dawn is an HR consultant and very much a people person so she will help you to feel really welcome and supported.

Grow your business network in Basingstoke and beyond

There’s an old saying that it’s not what you know but who you know that counts. We agree. Our aim is to create the best connections in Basingstoke and surrounding areas. Connections to people who will support you and your business. They might become your customers, your advocates and, very likely, your friends.

Fabulous Networking is a membership organisation, but visitors are always welcome. Visitors are encouraged to attend up to three of our events before deciding if they’d like to join.

Your attendance fee is £15 (£12 for members) to cover venue and light refreshments.

Our agenda

There’s time for informal networking and to introduce your business to everyone present. We don’t do the traditional one-minute pitch. Instead, we find ways to be more spontaneous and interactive. Each month we do something a little different.

In October, we ask you to introduce yourself in 20 words. This is slightly more generous that described in this article. The beauty about a limited word count is that it focuses the mind on what we really do and who we do it for. This makes your message more punchy and keeps the introductions flowing quickly allowing attendees to maintain their focus.

Our agenda is structured but flexible to respond to the needs and size of the group on the day. Typically, we will have a speaker on a topic of interest to business people. Our speaker will be Felicity Dwyer, author, facilitator and trainer. Felicity will be speaking about ‘What are polarities? And how can polarity thinking enhance the way you communicate?’ Polarity thinking can help us to thrive in a complex world. In this interactive session, Felicity will introduce the concept of polarities and discuss how this way of thinking can enrich your business communication.

Support, learning and inspiration are three of our core values and will be woven through the meeting. We want you to leave feeling it was a morning well spent.

Your speaker

Felicity Dwyer helps people to connect and communicate effectively at work. She is a speaker and workshop facilitator. She is the author of Crafting Connection ‘a must-read guide to communication and building better relationships’.

Your host

With over 27 years’ experience in the field of HR, Dawn is a Chartered CIPD-qualified HR professional.

She runs a fabulous HR consultancy which provides small businesses with friendly and straight-forward HR support for all things people.

Dawn’s industry background spans the luxury hotel market, large scale retail, senior hospitality recruitment, and electrical and electronic engineering, which gives her a diverse and rich understanding of various business environments and challenges.

Outside of her professional life, Dawn is an avid dog lover, motorhomer and a passionate baker.

Our venue

We’re meeting at the Apollo Hotel, Basingstoke which is easily accessible just off the Basingstoke ring road. There’s ample parking but if you need help with transport please email Glenda and we’ll try to connect you to a lift. The Apollo is an independent hotel with 125 rooms and spa facilities.

Reasons for attending.

Running a business can be lonely, the people you meet networking can help you feel less isolated and more supported. They may become your customers or refer you to others who will.

We aim to ensure that you leave our meetings with at least one benefit from attending whether that’s a new contact, some learning or renewed enthusiasm for your business.

Feedback from our launch meeting included…

• ‘What an excellent launch, well done Dawn! Such a ‘fabulous’ group, thank you for a wonderful meeting.’ Lisa Sinfield
• ‘what a great inaugural meeting. Brilliant talk by Lisa Sinfield! So wonderful to meet so many members in person, after seeing them online for so many years.’ Anita Chakraburtty
• ‘ Well done great launch event and already looking forward to the next one ‘ Grant Notman