About #LinkedInLocal Basingstoke

Meet your online business connections and turn them into offline friends

Every meeting is so different and yet there is something extremely similar.
A room full of interesting people
willing to get to know each other better
and help with ideas and advice

Meetings

LinkedInLocalBasingstoke is following the idea that started in Australia and has caught peoples imaginations. Founded in December 2017, together Kerrie-Lyann-Hirst and myself, Gill Fountain decided to support the growth of LinkedinLocal in our Basingstoke area, and Internationally.

"Very simply it is to put the social back into social media, to meet the person behind the LinkedIn profile. It’s a great way to meet with existing contacts and to make new connections in an informal business context.

Our meetings follow a loose structure but mostly it’s about you connecting with other LinkedIn members and building relationships". This is not only for business owners, we have a complete mix of people from different backgrounds and professions, some looking for contacts, others looking for inspiration and future adventures. Why not join us, make new friends and firm up old connections.

Every meeting holds new and swapped ideas, introductions are made and friendships formed. During lockdown and the pandemic we continued online and found International visitors joining us.

Now we are back meeting face to face. enjoying the friendships made during that time and getting to know new members as they find us.

NEXT MEETING

Moving with the times

As a business owner and host of LinkedinlocalBasingstoke, running a Networking group was not on my list of 'things to achieve' however the attraction of gathering people together to increase their visibility, helping to 'Unite people with possibilities' is a passion of mine.

As we moved into Spring 2020 and lock-down our Linkednlocal Basingstoke meetings moved away from meeting in a traditional 15th Century Grade II listed building in a rural setting, to online and now almost always have International visitors. Budding speakers are encouraged to mix with experienced speakers on a, now Global Basis, and I see friendships growing and business passed, at every meeting.

Networking

When is networking not networking?

When it’s a #LinkedInLocal meeting.

LinkedIn Local Basingstoke is so far away from the traditional networking that most people understand. Yes some network meetings can be all about business, but they can also be, if you make them, fun, friendly and in our case ‘down the pub’.

No 60 or 40 seconds to worry about just bring yourself and your business cards along and enjoy the evening. You don’t even have to talk business!

Learning

"When you stop learning,

you stop earning"

Yes, we learn about each other’s business but also about each other, we see tips and little snippets of advice passed around and we are lucky to have a few regular visitors who are willing to provide information about their processes and answer questions in areas we are struggling to understand.

It truly is a hub of information and a great place to meet people from a variety of companies.

Socialising

Know, like and trust are built at

LinkedIn Local meetings.

The two very much go together, whether you are popping in for a coffee or staying for a pint or glass of wine, you are welcome to come along, just book and pay and help support a local worthwhile charity.

People who are already friends in other networking groups have said they have got to know each other better, and at first there was a lot of ‘I didn’t know you did that’ Great can you help me with?

“What a great evening it was & lovely to have had a chance to spend time with such a lovely group!”

Dawn Gregory, The Confident Speaker

“ I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to the group. Thank you for making me so welcome. I hope I can make the next one.”