FEATURE Polka Dot Events
What does an event manager do when lockdown rules mean gatherings are strictly forbidden? She adapts and innovates and brings businesses together using technology that may well change the way we interact forever
For £5 per month members can attend one
or both of two meetings (on the first and third Wednesdays of each month), be part of a social media group and access the business online spot- light which showcases a different organisation each month. On Wednesday 29 July, the first Business ONline
Kerry Bate of Polka Dot Events has many years of experience in event and project management but when social distancing became second nature to us all back in March, she was forced to rethink her core business, at least temporarily. Her strong belief in the importance of interaction and net-
working between businesses led Kerry to set up Business ONline Networking. Off the success of that, later this month will see the first Business ONline Showcase – a virtual business exhibition, run via an online conferencing and networking platform, but following a familiar format. “Naturally, the events sector was hit very hard by lockdown restric- tions and so my only option was to embrace the virtual online world,” said Kerry. “Networking has always been an important part of my business, I love meeting and chatting to people and I didn’t want to lose that. A lot of networking groups have moved online, but I set up Business ONline Networking with the specific intention of remaining online even when lockdown is over. “Online meetings are an exciting prospect because they open up
the opportunity to widen networking out from a relatively small geo- graphic area at a physical meeting, to anyone, anywhere in the country, online.”
22 ALL THINGS BUSINESS
Showcase will take place between 10am and noon and then 1pm and 3pm. Up to 20 businesses will be able to book a ‘room’ where visitors can ‘meet’ with them to find out more about what they do and the services they offer. Visitors will be able to join as many rooms at the showcase, which will be hosted on a conferencing and networking platform, as they wish. A room will cost £40 and visitors will pay £5
each to visit. All profits from the visitors’ fees will be donated to Age UK. Two keynote speakers are also being lined up to take part in the event. Kerry said: “Lockdown has forced us to find new
and innovative ways to do things, but I genuinely feel that what we do now will change the way we meet and network in the future. “For instance, I have often found that when I
have a particularly busy period at work, in the run- up to an event, say, then I simply don’t have the time to go along to networking groups or business exhibitions. When you factor in the travelling time,
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