July 14th 2020
Surrey

Business Networking Opportunities in Surrey

Business networking is vital for the success of SMEs. Networking in the right business circles not only establishes strong links within the local community, but the valuable advice gained also helps business owners navigate and overcome challenges. It can be lonely at the top, so the support of like-minded and experienced professionals is vital to ensuring a business goes from strength to strength.

If you’re a start-up or established business in Surrey, and are looking for a local networking group, then the good news is we’ve done the leg work for you! Read on for the best networking groups in your area:

Enterprise Connexions, Farnham

Enterprise Connexions offers excellent business networking opportunities for SMEs. Not only does the company provide Networking Meetings, to help grow your network, it also hosts Business Meetings, which focus on business growth. As of July 2020, you can also attend workshops, allowing you to gain expert advice from industry leaders. There’s an attendance fee of £15, and meetings take place across the county. In the Surrey market town of Farnham, Enterprise Connexions meets twice monthly at the Farnham House Hotel. There’s an attendance fee of £15. To book a place, go to this link.

Connect Surrey

For fantastic peer support and regular meetings, look no further than Connect Surrey. Events are offered across the county – including Woking, Farnham, Dorking, Guildford and Leatherhead – and at various times of the day, fitting in with your work and home schedules. Unlike other events, you’ll be under no pressure to refer on other business owners, and will be able to network in structured, yet informal gatherings.

There’s a fee to join this networking community, and an additional £15 to attend each event. But you’re encouraged not to sign up until you’ve attended a couple of events and know it’s the right forum for your business, so you can definitely ‘try before you buy’.

Business Buzz

Business Buzz is a vibrant, drop-in networking event takes place on the fourth Thursday of the month. This monthly event is a fantastic way to improve your business connections. Not only will you meet like-minded people, helping you identify products and services, but it’s also a fantastic place to form alliances and synergistic partnerships. It’s subscription free, so you won’t feel under any obligation to attend. The group meets in Guildford, in the Tunsgate Quarter, on the fourth Thursday of the month. You can book via Eventbrite or pay £5 on the door.

How DOES She Do It?

This networking group is all about supporting women in business. How DOES She Do It meets monthly at venues in Guildford, Kingston and East Surrey and is so all-inclusive, you can even bring your children along! The group not only helps women connect, but it also hosts one-to-one inspirational brainstorming sessions designed to help you think outside the box. The sessions start at 10am, allowing you to take care of everything else you’re juggling, such as the school run! Each session costs under £15, and can be booked here.

ECX100, Farnham

These larger, ticketed breakfast events take place across the county. Part of Enterprise Connexions, ECX100 offer more traditional, structured network meetings. The next events taking place in Surrey are as follows:

7 am, Wednesday 18^th November 2020: Farnham House Hotel, Farnham, GU10 5ER

Early bird tickets are available until 4^th November 2021 and are priced at £15. Full price ticket options start at £25 per person.

7 am, Thursday 25^th March 2021: Hampton Court Palace Golf Club, Kingston upon the Thames, KT1 4AD

Early bird tickets are available until 10th March 2021; prices are the same as above.

ECX100 events are a fantastic opportunity to promote your business and grow your business contacts; what’s more, breakfast is included and there’s bottomless tea, coffee, juice and water. We think this is the perfect way to bring like-mined people together, to nurture a business and prep it for success!

Omni Breakfast Hub

Omni Local Business Networking is a national network, with the Surrey meetings co-ordinated by the Guildford and Woking branch.

This vibrant, energetic group has a vast network of attendees, from all trades and professions. This makes it an invaluable resource for sharing information, resources and setting up collaborations. At the events, you’ll have the opportunity to present your business or products to those in attendance; not only will you find new clients and customers, but Omni will help you find trusted local suppliers, which is definitely one less headache for business owners.

There are two membership packages which come with an array of benefits and rewards, but you can attend each event for just £13 (or £6 for online sessions). Non-profits and charity organisations are offered discounts.

Be part of one of the UK’s fastest growing business networks by signing up today.

The Athena Network

This is a professional hub for women in business, both entrepreneurs and executives. It’s actually the leading international networking group dedicated to helping women in business, so by joining you know you’ll get the best support possible, to ensure your business thrives.

Within Surrey, The Athena Network meets at several locations, including Camberley, Farnham East, Farnham West, Guildford and Woking. Within Camberley, the group meets on the third Thursday of the month from 12-2pm at Pine Ridge Golf Club, GU16 9NX.

LinkedIn Local

Designed to put the social back into social media, #LinkedIn Local gives you the unique opportunity to meet LinkedIn connections in the real world! It’s a great way to get to know existing contacts better, and to make new connections along the way. Although the event has currently moved online (we know – the irony!) the event is usually held at The Weyside Pub, Millbrook, Guildford, GU1 3XJ. It’s free to attend and great fun, so what have you got to lose? Get the Zoom link here and start connecting properly today.

#SurreyBuzz Twitter Hour

In the words of networking group Business Buzz – ‘instead of meeting, we’re tweeting!’ If you’re interested in joining the chat, this session takes place online on the second Thursday of the month from 10-11am.

#SurreyBuzz is free to join, fun and informative, so why not join and see if it’s right for your business needs? You’ll pick up some great tips and meet new contacts, in a virtual Twitter Hour. For more information, contact Jane Tyson.

We hope that’s helped you find the right group for you, and your business. Here at Leapfrog Internet Marketing, we regularly attend local breakfast networking groups. One of the challenges we constantly hear raised is how to improve a website’s search engine rankings. Getting seen online is just one of the challenges SMEs face, and it can feel daunting competing with retail giants. But this is where our experts can help. We can help optimise your website for SEO, and ensure you get found for target keywords, helping you rise up the rankings and get seen by clients.

As a local business, we understand the physical and virtual business landscape. Contact us on 01252 217141 and see how we can help drive organic traffic to your site, improve those all-important sales figures, and help you achieve your business goals.

About
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Samantha Hathway

Sam is an alumni of Leapfrog, having worked for several years as our resident Content Marketing Executive. She is now a freelance Copywriter and Digital Marketing Executive, working to help clients improve their online presence and maintain market leadership. Her industry experience also spans publishing and editorial roles in the world of medical communications, as well as digital marketing and event planning for the education sector. Sam has a broad, eclectic range of writing interests - from professional development and lifestyle advice to digital marketing and emerging technologies.

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