Looking to attend networking events in Edinburgh?
Looking to generate more business leads?
If you are a business owner or sales manager in Edinburgh then a good place to go to meet new people and build relationships with other businesses is a networking event.
I found this hard when I first wanted to get out there and meet new people. There are so many events in Edinburgh that trying to find the time to go to them all and see which ones were best was time consuming.
So I have put this list together to help you cut down on your research and give you some of my experiences of networking events in Edinburgh.
Why go to networking events?
They are not for everyone and you need to understand a few things about them.
Most people go because they want to get more business but that won’t happen straight away. Too many people stop going to networking events after only a couple of visits.
Networking is a lot like inbound marketing, with inbound it takes time to build up a relationship with your audience and networking is the same.
People won’t refer businesses that they don’t know and trust.
So stick with it, you will make some new friends.
BNI: Business Network International
About BNI
BNI is a little bit different from a lot of other events as it is totally focused on getting your business referrals. BNI is made up of chapters. There are 6 chapters in Edinburgh.
BNI will only allow one person from each industry sector in each chapter in order to avoid competition.
So you may need to shop around to find one that fits you.
When I attended BNI in Dunedin I found everyone to be extremely friendly and helpful and it was really focused on people exchanging referrals. There was also a presentation from one of their members for 10 minutes.
Everyone attending also gets one minute to talk about their own business.
BNI meetings do require a weekly commitment and if you fail to attend two times within a year then you will lose your place. To combat this you can send someone else in your place if you cannot attend.
Some members ask members of other chapters to attend for them.
This can also widen your network if you are asked to attend in the place of someone.
Cost
The cost for a BNI membership is around £600 a year. This does also include your breakfast but the hiring of the venue is an added extra. However this can work out a lot cheaper than some other networking events which I have attended.
You can also go along to a chapters meeting for £10 to try it out. A great way to learn if it’s the right event for you without having to fork out £600.
Where are they held?
| Breakfast in America Chapter
Edinburgh Marriott Hotel 111 Glasgow Road Edinburgh EH12 8NF Meeting day Every Wednesday at 6:45am Contact Martin Richardson 01337 860318 |
Britannia BNI (Leith)
Victoria Park House Hotel 221 Ferry Road Edinburgh Lothian EH6 4NN Meeting day Thursday, 6:45 AM Contact Stuart George 07872 197767 |
| Dunedin BNI
Edinburgh Marriott Hotel 111 Glasgow Road Edinburgh EH12 8NF Meeting day Tuesday, 6:45 AM Contact Derek Clark 0131 333 3453 |
In the City BNI
Duddingston Golf Club 137 Duddingston Road West Edinburgh EH15 3QD Meeting day Wednesday 12 noon Contact Colin Read |
| Nouveau BNI
Edinburgh Marriott Hotel 111 Glasgow Road Edinburgh EH12 8NF Meeting day Thursday, 6:45 AM Contact Brian Mackenzie 0131 334 6444 |
TGI BNI
Edinburgh Marriott Hotel 111 Glasgow Road Edinburgh EH12 8NF Meeting day Friday, 6:45 AM Contact Mark Ellison 0845 4704003 |
Thrive for Business
I really enjoyed Thrive when I attended and again everyone was very friendly. Thrive is usually once a month but they do offer other events at different times and they also invite along speakers to each event.
The quality of the speaker when I attended was very high and they gave really interesting talks.
You also get what they call a ‘magic minute’ to give a short talk about your business.
In addition to this, you get an opportunity at the end to say who you would like to connect with.
Cost
Thrive offers a trial membership so you can attend and see if you like it without having to pay a fee.
They offer monthly subscriptions from £35-£75 a month plus VAT.
There is also a joining fee which ranges from £195-£995 plus VAT.
Where are they held?
The Royal Scots Club
29-31 Abercromby Place
Edinburgh
EH3 6QE
Contact
Katie Kelsall
0141 428 3020
Meetup
About Meetup
Meetup is a great way to find people within your industry or that share your interests. You can even start your own Meetup.
Meetup is not just for business networking but can be for anything, friends getting together who share common interests.
Take a look at their website and I’m sure you will find a meeting that fits your needs, if not then why not create your own?
Cost
The cost of these meetings vary, some are even free.
Where are they held?
They are held all over the city.
Edinburgh Chambers of Commerce
Every city has one and going along to an Edinburgh chambers of commerce meeting can be really fun and a great way to build relationships with other businesses in the city.
Edinburgh chambers of commerce also offers a wide range of benefits. You can see the full list of benefits here.
Cost
The cost of membership depends on the size of your business, see some examples below.
| Number of employees |
£ (ex VAT) |
| 1 to 3 |
£193 |
| 4 to 10 |
£290 |
| 11 to 20 |
£350 |
| 21 to 50 |
£430 |
| 51 to 100 |
£562 |
| 101 to 250 |
£696 |
| 251 to 500 |
£1017 |
| 501 to 750 |
£1252 |
| 751 to 1000 |
£1499 |
| 1001 to 2000 |
£1823 |
| 2001 to 3000 |
£2302 |
| 3001 plus |
£2807 |
| Association and Charities |
£249 |
Where are they held?
Edinburgh chambers of commerce are very busy and host events all over the city. They also have events at their business location.
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
40 George Street
Edinburgh
Midlothian EH2 2LE
Contact
Carol Cairns
0131 221 2981
How to get the most out of networking events
Visiting a networking event once won’t give you a feel for seeing if it’s worth your time or not, you need to go a few times to see if it is a good fit for you and your business.
So research the event and see who the members are. Sometimes you can go to a network meeting to discover that most of the people there are in the same sector as you.
The main reason you want to go is to get more business. I get that, but there is no better way to get business than from referrals from people you know and networking can be great for this.
If you are a regular reader of this blog then you will know that we talk a lot about inbound marketing and how it’s great for growing your Edinburgh business.
So I asked some business owners in the HubSpot LinkedIn group who have had a lot of experience with networking events to offer some help and advice to get the most out of networking.
“My best networking groups were groups that I started myself. I invited people that I knew and trusted implicitly. Our only rule was that there were no rules and no dues. Come if you want. Don’t come if you don’t want. No advertising. By invitation only.”
The logic was if I trusted somebody implicitly and they trusted somebody implicitly, I could probably trust the third party. Our HANG (Holden Area Networking Group) started with 3 members and met every Tuesday for about 2 years. Our high was 40+ members, but we had a couple of hundred visitors over the years. We lost our space and I think the group spun off into a few smaller groups” – Rick Roberge
“I have been attending as many networking events as I have had time to. Different lead groups, BNI’s etc. BNI turned into a speaking gig, and got a couple of leads from that. Like @RickW mentioned, I am looking to do more speaking engagements. Just need to find the right audience. Last night was my second BNI presentation, and I am still shocked at what people just do not know, but are eager to learn.” – Darin Bernston
“BNI requires an investment of time that most people don’t actually make. It also requires an investment in others that most people are too short sighted to make. BNI itself is great. But, it’s not much different than HubSpot. Becoming a member is like buying a subscription: you still have to do all of the work.” – Peter Caputa
Now it’s your turn
What’s your experience of attending networking events in Edinburgh?
Do you recommend any that I haven’t mentioned?
We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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