Over the past few weeks there have (finally!) been some great opportunities for face to face networking. It appears that as the UK is out of Lockdown and the working world is gaining back some form of normality, this is now the ideal time for networking, trade shows and meetings ‘in real life’ (as my daughter would say!) It is handy having London based clients and living so close to the NEC as it has made attending networking events between clients, after work and during lunch breaks that much easier.
My first foray back into networking since starting Meliora Consultancy Services was attending the fantastic ‘Above & Beyond’ event hosted at The View from the Shard by the Institute of Hospitality. It was wonderful to see old faces, catch up with colleagues from the hospitality industry and make new connections. The panel discussion was lively and informative and the venue was excellent. Whilst ‘zoom’ meetings could be considered somewhat easier, (no hassle getting to the event, less stressing about what to wear and a smaller likelihood of me throwing a canape or drink down my front during a conversation!) they are no replacement for human interaction and the benefits that this brings.
Trade Shows are also back with avengence. If I visited all the ones that are suddenly being ‘suggested’ in my inbox and newsfeed, I would never get any work done! It was a pleasure however to visit the Independent Hotel Show earlier this month between client meetings. It is great to see how hospitality suppliers have been weathering the storm of the pandemic and hear about strategies to tackle the challenges the industry faces in the wake of the COVID crisis and Brexit.
Last week, I was able to visit The Care Show at the NEC. Here I enjoyed seeing the innovation that the care sector has been engaging in over the past couple of years, and meeting suppliers for demonstrations of their technological solutions.
Later this year there are sessions booked with the Institute of Hospitality and local business networks here in Northamptonshire which I am already looking forward to. Things have changed somewhat; there is still the uncertainty around shaking hands (or not?!) and considering the additional financial cost of face to face networking versus logging into an online meet up.
Nevertheless, I have enjoyed getting out and making new contacts. It has been great to finally hand out my nice shiny new business cards and talk about the services that Meliora can provide. Things may have changed (I remember the days when a wristband signified what areas of the festival you could access rather than denoting your COVID status!) but I for one am glad to be back out there.
If you would like to meet up face to face or online to discuss any projects I can help with (or simply have an intro or a catch up!) please do get in touch.
