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Get Creative with Your Business After Hours

Business after hours events can be very popular if there’s a good mix of networking. If not, it’s hard to keep the energy going. If it’s the same people month after month, you need to find a way to bring in new blood. These creative ideas from other chamber pros could help.

Creative ideas for business networking

Creative Ideas for Increasing the Energy at Your Business After Hours

Make It Fun

At the Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce, they often bring in a photo booth to increase the fun factor. Their Business Development Executive, Christine Puma reports: “We’ve brought in a photo booth, sponsored by one of our local radio station partners, one we have a mini trade show format, and our holiday BA5, we have live acoustic music.” Keeping varied but consistent activities makes it a different event each month but also keeps people interested because they look forward to the different formats.

Cost-savings idea: If you don’t have money for a photo booth, ask for a sponsor. If that’s not a possibility, you can make inexpensive props using ideas from Pinterest or talk to your local promotional marketing company about samples they might have on hand.

Speed Networking

In order to ensure everyone has time to meet the “room,” the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce introduced a speed networking activity at their last business after hours event. They found everyone having a good time at their breakfast meeting.

Pro tip: a great emcee can add a lot to this type of function. On occasion, you do have to play the heavy in order to get people to move on.

Make It Industry Specific

At the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, Stuart Harrison shared, “We changed ours from Business After Hours to PBX – Peterborough Business Exchange. Each month we partner with another group or sector and invite them to the PBX. It could be a neighboring Chamber, a women’s networking group, homebuilders or real estate association, etc. Or just a theme such as the not-for-profit sector. It has increased our number significantly, opened us up to potential new members, allows our members to meet fresh faces each month etc.”

What have you done to change up your business after hours format? Share your ideas with the group.

By: Christina R. Green 

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Frank Kenny is a successful entrepreneur, chamber member, chamber board member, chamber board of directors chair, and chamber President/CEO. He now coaches chamber professionals, consults with chambers, trains staff and members, and speaks professionally. He helps Chambers and Chamber Professionals reach their goals. See full bio.

Christina R. Green teaches chambers, associations and small businesses how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular guest blogger on this site and Event Managers Blog. Christina is just your average bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.Visit her site or connect with her on Twitter @christinagsmith.
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