First came speed dating, then speed recruitment — now speed-networking is the next big thing to hit the business world.

If you’re a nervous networker, or never quite got to grips with pressing the flesh, then this kind of event is a short, sharp shock. They are now held all over the country, gaining enthusiastic converts.

So does speed-networking work? Like speed-dating, guests are seated opposite someone they have never met before. Each person is allocated a unique number, and given a score card before the event begins. “I’d been to a number of networking events, and found that they were often not particularly useful because I kept meeting the same people,” explains Anthony Villas, of Contact 25, which runs events in Newcastle.

“I’d heard of speed-dating, and some speed-networking events which were happening in the United States. I thought it would be the kind of thing which could work over here.”

Because speed-networking is about the serious business of forming contacts, the line-up is less daunting than with speed-dating. “We started out with each guest meeting 25 people,” explains Villas. “But we found that this was an exhausting number for people to retain any information about on a practical basis. Now we have 15.”

For secretaries and PAs, such events can be a great way to promote the company and attract customers. “With networking events I sometimes felt that I was ‘just a secretary’,” says PA Emmie Rosser of Cheetah Web.

“But with speed-networking you’re in a much stronger position. Most people didn’t know that I was a secretary, and I think that most PAs know just as much, if not more, about the day-to-day running than managers, so we are often in a better position to answer questions.”

Emmie also found it easier to follow up contacts from her personal meetings, rather than on behalf of her managing director, and enjoyed the straight-forwardness of fast-paced introductions.

“I think it’s a brilliant thing to do because I’d been to networking events before, and found that you end up talking about the weather. With speed-networking, you only have two minutes, so people very quickly get down to why they’re there, what they do, and whether you’re likely to be able to help each other,” she explains.

Emmie also credits speednetworking with helping catapult her from PA to a more hands-on position in the company. Instead of meeting clients through her MD, Emmie found that the clients she met through speed-networking regarded her as their first point of contact, enabling her to become more involved with their projects.

So if you dread the thought of networking events, perhaps speeding up the process could be a good thing after all.

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