Name of your organisation: The Athena Network

Year Established: 2005

Website address: www.theathenanetwork.com

Email address: margot@theathenanetwork.com

Costs involved in becoming a member: £235standard annual / £200 founder (at launch of new group) membership plus £20 monthly meeting fee – all costs include VAT

Where and how often do you hold events: Lunch meetings are held monthly; currently there are five meeting groups around Edinburgh:
City Centre, West End, Pentland, Musselburgh & Portobello.

Can you briefly describe the structure of your events: Dynamic monthly meetings for businesswomen include interesting and topical business talks, networking, idea generation and support. One member per profession in each group creates opportunities for relationship building, strategic development of ideas and effective collaborations.

Your top three tips for effective networking:
1.Treat networking meetings as you would a sales meeting and your fellow networkers as prospective clients or agents for their contacts, so dress and prepare accordingly. This is your investment in time and money.
2. Prepare to do more listening than talking, and ask salient questions to find out about the contact’s business background, client sector, reasons for attending the event, what type of business they are looking for etc. The more you know, the more you can help or be helped.
3. Always take a diary so that you can book follow up meetings then and there. Follow up meetings are guaranteed to be more valuable and productive than the networking event


A big thank you to Margot Grantham for completing the profile. If you’ve attended Athena events in the past and would like to share your experience please feel free to leave a comment below.

Name of your organisation: Promise for Business

Year Established: 2006

Website address: http://www.promiseforbusiness.co.uk

Email address: rmeredith@sutherlandblack.co.uk

Costs involved in becoming a member: Joining fee – £200, £30 Monthly

Where and how often do you hold events: First 3 Thursdays of each month, Leith Business Exchange

Can you briefly describe the structure of your events: First and Third Thursday, Individual Presentation, Small Group Discussions, Magic Minutes & Referral Round.

Your top three tips for effective networking:

1. Join a Friendly Referral Group
2. Regular Contact with Referral Partners
3. Always be on the lookout for openings for group members.

A big thank you to Robert Meredith of Sutherland Black for providing the profile. If you’ve attended Promise for Business in the past then please feel free to leave your comments below.

Name of your organisation: 6 Degrees Networking

Year Established: 2009

Website address: www.6degreesnet.com

Email address: events@6degreesnet.com

Costs involved in becoming a member: £299 (special offer of £199 to guests at our events)

Where and how often do you hold events: At least three times a month: breakfast, lunch and evening events

Can you briefly describe the structure of your events:

Networking with a guest speaker (15-20minute talk). Complimentary food and drink are available to guests. Prizes and special offers are sometimes provided.

Your top three tips for effective networking:

• Give a good firm handshake with eye contact and a smile
• Your elevator pitch should concise and interesting, followed by any exciting news
• Ask for business cards from attendees for future reference or referrals

Our thanks to Steven Mitchell for providing this information. If you’ve attended events held by 6 Degrees in the past then we’d love to hear your opinions in our comments section.