 Hospitality is about bringing people together, and often when we're together, we're doing what we call networking. We're creating new relationships, forging new business partners, and meeting people that we normally wouldn't meet outside of our immediate circles. Now, before the pandemic, we were meeting in person, but for the last couple of years, we've been meeting virtually on Zoom. And while some things remain the same about networking in this fashion, not everything is the same. So we're talking about some of the things you can do to optimize your virtual networking experience today. Stick around. Fun, it's Leanne and I do not like networking. I just want to preface this whole video by saying networking is one of the least favorite activities that I have on my agenda. I'm an introvert by trade and entering a large networking room. It's very intimidating and anxiety inducing. Now, when we started networking virtually a couple of years ago, I saw a little bit of a reprieve, a little bit of a way that us introverts can fit into the networking scene. But here's what I discovered with virtual networking. As much as I wanted to hide behind the scenes, at the end of that networking event, I realized I didn't get any ROI on that hour and a half Zoom call. So I had to revisit the way that I network in person and bring those best practices back into the virtual meeting, as well as discover some new best practices. So today I'm sharing with you some best practices for networking as a whole and some things that apply for virtual networking. First and foremost, regardless of what kind of networking event you are going into, be it in person, virtual or hybrid, remember to set some goals before you even enter the room. This makes your networking so much more intentional and you'll get a bigger return on your investment. Some goals that you can set when you head into a networking event include learning new insights from thought leaders or connecting with industry professionals. Maybe you're there to meet potential collaborators or even find potential mentors. Or perhaps you're there to amplify your own personal brand and solidify your position as a thought leader. And often a networking event on Zoom could be that mental break that we have in our day after a long day of working. Consider that as well as a goal as you're heading into a virtual Zoom meeting. The second thing you can do before heading into a virtual networking event is to do a little bit of research. Perhaps you have the attendee list of the people that will be attending the event. Do some research about them online, perhaps even look them up on LinkedIn. And then when you go into that networking room, those connections are going to seem a little bit warmer. I mentioned LinkedIn before. Here is a great one for a virtual networking event. Have your virtual digital business card ready, maybe your LinkedIn profile link, ready to drop into the virtual event chat. This way people can find you during the event, learn a little bit more about you and have a way to connect with you after the event if a connection is made. Entering a virtual networking room isn't so different from an in-person room where you need to make small talk to break the ice. Consider creating some conversation starters in advance with some thought-provoking questions to help break the ice when you're inside that virtual networking room. And don't forget to use the chat function. Post your thought leadership, your questions, your insights inside of the chat, especially if you're an introvert like me and you're finding it difficult to share in a larger group. This way you're seen as being a contributor to the networking session and maybe someone that they want to connect with after the event is over. When you're in the room, identify other like-minded individuals. These are the people that maybe you do want to collaborate with or learn from or refer to once the event is over. Take some notes during the event, check them out over on LinkedIn, send them a message and continue the conversation outside of the virtual networking room. When you're on that call, do your best to minimize your distractions. This was a tough one for me, but turning off your notifications, your email, your phone allows you to fully immerse into the networking event at hand. It allows you to do your research, take great notes, ask great questions and position yourself as someone that people want to connect with after the call is over. And finally, the true ROI on a networking event is found in the follow-up. After the event is over, catalog the contacts that you've made in your CRM or other database and start to reach out to them to further the relationship. This is where the true value of networking lies and you don't want to miss this critical step. My friends, you've been doing virtual networking all year. Do some of these tips resonate with how you're approaching your virtual rooms or perhaps you have some additional tips to add? Drop them in the comments below so we can see how we can level up our networking game. Friends, the return of in-person networking events is something that we're going to have to get used to again. So start to hone your networking skills on those virtual calls and get ready to meet people face-to-face very soon. I hope you enjoyed this video. I invite you to subscribe to this YouTube channel and click on that little bell to be notified of new content around LinkedIn, personal branding and networking. Thanks for watching everyone and we'll see you next time. Bye for now.