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In January I wrote a blog posting at davidawest.com about some nearly free networking opportunities in Calgary.
One visitor to the blog posted a comment; He Wrote………
Networking does work, but only when people have skin in the game. Without people running the organization for a living it will not run well. People commit to things they invest in and having a FREE membership is a disaster, I know from experience.
I think that this view is quite short sighted. The fact is that there are hundreds of people networking in this city for Free or Nearly free. Have you heard of things like the Calgary Entrepreneurs meetup? How about the Chamber of Commerce 7:15 club?
Last week the Calgary Entrepreneurs met. 25 entrepreneurs met and heard Perry Rose speak about stress in the work place. Not only is this an excellent opportunity to network, there is no membership fee, a small $5.00 drop if fee covers the organizers expense and there is always a great mix of people from various industries present. The club boasts nearly 600 registered members and meets formally 1 time per month and informally at a series of lunch and learn events. The Chamber of Commerce hosts the bi-monthly 7:15 Club. The club is open to members of the Chamber as well as potential members. There is no fee to attend. There is a breakfast buffet that you can enjoy for $7. At the last meeting, there we 60 Calgary Entrepreneurs present!
Wow! What a great turnout.
So… it seems free or nearly free networking can work!
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