Chapter 37
Understanding Event Flow
Every event follows a typical flow. Once understood, event flow dynamics can help you choose the most advantageous time to network and thus when you should arrive and leave.
For each event, notice the best time for you to network and adjust your arrival time accordingly. As you can see, the greatest opportunity is to get involved during the event setup and preparation phase. The least amount of opportunity to network is during the official program. Visit www.BC2BR.com for a verbal explanation of the typical event flow and how it can affect your networking results!
The chart above shows that the best time to arrive for networking isn't necessarily at the obvious time, which is often believed to be just in time for the formal program.
Busy professionals will commit to an event and expect to get there well after the official start. Arriving “fashionably late” means you'll miss prime networking opportunities and be forced to walk into a potentially intimidating crowd.
Arriving at the scheduled beginning gives you a greater chance that the organizers will be available for a quick chat and as people arrive they will hand you off to someone else by making an introduction. If they understand their own job as hosts, they realize their organizational work is done and now, as people arrive, their role is to facilitate a successful networking event.
