Behind the scenes of our first networking event
The first networking event was hosted on the 20thJanuary 2022, a year to the day after I first posted to the @burton_road Instagram account. The idea came to me through the interviews I’ve done along the road and the inspirational people I’ve met along the way. Who wouldn’t want to get them all in a room together?
One of the things I quickly realised, was that the shop fronts you see along Burton Road are only half the story. There are SO many more businesses in the area, run by locals who don’t have a physical location. (@homes_under_the_hannah @calico_collective @jakesbakesmanchester @sweetmessages_vegancupcakes @yogawithjai to name but a few!)
I wanted to seize the opportunity to get all these brilliant minds in a room together, so we can learn from and support one another. Full disclosure: I was super nervous beforehand. Launching anything new is exciting and terrifying in equal measure. What if people didn’t get behind the idea? What if I couldn’t find the right speakers? What if..?
It will surprise no one, that the wonderful community we live in quickly put my mind at rest. People came, the room was full, and the bar was busy. Some amazing collaborations came out of it! Photographers got booked, beauty businesses set up projects with nutritionists, caterers were confirmed… It was undeniably exciting to be in a room with so many entrepreneurial locals.
A special thanks must go to Laura from Copper + Olive Photo who took all the pictures on the night, including those scattered through the blog and elsewhere on this website. She goes above and beyond with everything she does. Not only taking stunning pictures and editing them quickly, but also getting stuck into the event itself.
The two guest speakers, Lisa (Marketing & Inclusion Director at Acacia Training) and Nic (Founder of the Wellbeing & Rehab Co) were both incredible. Lisa spoke about the value of diversity; whilst Nic focused on the importance of promoting and protecting our wellbeing. There is such a wealth of talent in the area that selecting who to choose has been the only challenge. A special shout out too must also go to Lydia who did a fantastic impromptu speech about the wonderful work Depaul do in the local area!
There were some amazing speakers at our Women in Business event and more lined up for our next Networking Night in November. I’ll be sharing details of that event a little nearer the time, so keep an eye out for details. If you’d like to join Burton Road’s networking group or have any questions about what’s involved, then pop me a message at @burton_road or burton.road.network@gmail.com
I look forward to seeing you at the next one in November!