Just Connect

 

When you think about a Women in Business event, what comes to mind? Is it connecting with likeminded women or fear of not knowing anyone? Is it relief at the opportunity for honest communication, shared learning and support or is it a terrifying vision of a room full of power suits?

I’ve heard fears about nightmare-like scenarios as well as the reality of genuine connection since I joined the Women in Business team last February and I’m also reminded of when I joined as a member myself in 2012…


I had left my corporate role to go out on my own, but had no local network. I had moved to Northern Ireland two years earlier and my work network was in England and overseas. Joining Women in Business was a deliberate step to enable me to meet new people, test out my new elevator pitch (how should I explain my freelance self?!) and invest in my personal and professional development. And at the heart of my membership was the opportunity to CONNECT – meet new people, come to recognise familiar faces and feel part of both a larger community and a cause I believed in and could get behind – women supporting women.

Back in 2012 I never dreamt that 10 years later I would be heading up the organisation (the journey of how I got here is one that I’ll save for another time!) but still my foundation and the heart of Women in Business remains the same – it’s about CONNECTION.

Yes we can connect via social media, we can grow our followers and contacts, we can ‘like’ a post and add a comment; but we know instinctively that this is not the same as human, personal interactions and conversations – which is what we do so well at Women in Business. Month in, month out, in Belfast, Derry-Londonderry, Newry, Coleraine, Mid Ulster, Omagh, Dungannon, Craigavon... Connecting matters.

As I’ve said before, people not only want to connect, we need to connect – and these connections can change lives, indeed they can change the world - innovation, economic and social advances are all sparked through connecting - opportunities are spotted, steps are taken, careers develop, businesses grow.

In the last three months alone we have had 1400 people at Women in Business events – so if it’s been a while since you connected with us, check out our new event schedule, we have a range of in person and online events every month, and if you can’t see what you’re looking for let us know and we’ll see if we can build it into a future schedule. What I would also add is that being a member of Women in Business can be a bit like a gym membership – the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.

I hope to connect with you at one of our events soon…