Name of your organisation: Scottish Women in Business (SWIB), which is a Glasgow-based businesswomen’s network. SWIB is a member of the Association of Scottish Businesswomen, which also holds national events such as an Awards Dinner.

Year Established: 1992

Website address: www.scottishwomeninbusiness.org.uk
Email address: admin@scottishwomeninbusiness.org.uk

Costs involved in becoming a member: from £70 for an individual member, see Prices section of SWIB for details of different memberships

Where and how often do you hold events: 2nd Tuesday of each month (quarterly lunch event, remainder evening events); mostly held in or near Glasgow city centre restaurants.

Can you briefly describe the structure of your events:

Each event begins with informal networking over a glass of wine and includes a 2-course meal. Our events are varied: interesting speakers, table-based networking and development topics (e.g. marketing, selling, communicating), and so the actual structure varies depending on the event. See the Events section on SWIB for more details.

Your top three tips for effective networking:

1. network for the long term, not the quick sale
2. aim to build long-lasting business relationships
3. offer help and contacts, rather than trying to sell

A big thank you to Heather Alexander (President of SWIB) for providing the above information. If you have attended SWIB events in the past then please feel free to add your comments

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.