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Leeds a hot-bed for marketing networkers

Submitted by Simon Lewis on June 3, 2010 – 3:44 pmNo Comment

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Local marketing professionals prove that Yorkshire really is its own identity as revellers break bar-spend record

Review of the Leeds Link-up

Chilli White bar played host to 100 marketing & media professionals on Wednesday night as digital recruitment advertiser, Only Marketing Jobs, strode into town for the sixth leg of its official regional networking tour. Jobseekers, networkers and employers gathered to share industry thoughts, make important new contacts and learn why meeting people is crucial for personal & business development. And they liked to drink, too, as the bar bill testified!

Whilst for some the the occasion was about finding marketing jobs, others found purpose in imparting knowledge and learning from like-minded industry folk. The diversity of attendees made for interesting conversations too, as attendees were encouraged to engage with students, creative designers, social media enthusiasts and other marketing experts.

Back to basics

The ascent of online networking camouflages the human instinct to socialise, where building trust through face-to-face interaction accentuates an inherent desire to overcome objection. Networking expert, Lloyd Dalton-Brown, treated the audience to a thoroughly enlightening set of interactive tips on how to maximise social events, where a combination of pitch and passion provides altruistic acknowledgement.

Speed networking

With heads full of networking hints the marketers set about making new contacts through seven 6-minute ‘capsules’ of conversation. Speed networking has been likened to speed-dating but this was no place for finding love. Amorous glances were reserved for the next new contact; someone who would likely improve social or business attention, post-event. In what was a vibrant 45 minutes the congregation covered topics from all aspects of marketing: Where is mobile going? What’s the benefit of Facebook for business? Why are creative agencies so popular in Leeds? And how LinkedIn has transformed the way people connect.

Prospect prognosis

Amidst the contact-making, eerily-accurate career clairvoyant, Suzie Sharpe, teased those that dared with tarot card reading; delving into the future to peruse prospects for the remainder 2010. Suzie’s insights proved an enormous hit as even the most ardent sceptic was wowed by the psychic sorcerer.

Self-pitching

These events are not job fairs but, clearly, they attract jobseekers (fantastic to see so many jobseekers embracing the power of contact-making, by the way) and so it was great to have Mark Lester, of Platinum CV Services, mark his Link-up debut by offering a straight-talking synopsis of the wherewithal of people’s CVs.

Champagne

The much-heralded champagne draw capped an inspiring few hours, where strategic marketing graduate, Nikit Gangwani, of Leeds University Business School, was delighted to receive a bottle of bubbles from local marketing recruiter and draw sponsors, Network Marketing. As attendees headed home to digest the evening’s activities (as well as the fine array of cheese and antipasti!) they did so with plenty of gusto.

Talent and turrets

Regionally, it was recently asked, where does Yorkshire sit? Is it part of the North East or the North West? Or is it very much it’s own identity? One respondent commented: “Have you not seen the barbed wire, minefields and machine gun towers pointing west on the M62? Best buy a map – or suffer the consequences.” And following this event, the stoic defence is apparent.

Yorkshire (trumpeted by Leeds in this instance) is a self-contained unit with an enormous buzz. Marketers, in particular, it was discovered, are prepared to share ideas and learn, creating a benevolent tail on which it encourages others to tug. Not for them, London; better to develop local networks than expand too far afield. What’s the point? It’s all here.

So as UK Plc begins to recover from economic peril, so the number of marketing jobs in Leeds increases, which, in turn, encourages some very fine individuals to put their head above the parapet, and really get down to networking. Online communication is great. But where’s the beer in that?

We salute you

Only Marketing Jobs would like to thank all attendees of the Leeds Link-up and would invite any local marketing, media or advertising professional to join them in the UK Marketing Lounge, where 16,000 UK LinkedIn users can be found networking, both on and offline.