Recently one of our members took a trip to the UK to visit family. While there, Patsy McCook (BNI Achievers President) used a free day to visit a BNI chapter (BNI Kingston) to see how they do business on the other side of the globe.
BNI New Zealand, is part of an international organisation with chapters all over the world. Although there are local nuances and cultural differences, BNI meetings are all run in the same manner no matter where they’re taking place.
As a Business Development Manager, Patsy is always looking for ways to help her clients to achieve in business. She used this same mentality when visiting BNI Kingston in Surrey to see what lessons she could draw from the meeting to bring back home. Although the meeting ran in a similar manner to her own, she did notice 3 interesting variances:
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Networking time
The UK chapter started at 6:30am and 15 minutes earlier for some casual networking. Patsy was impressed by how much business was being done before the meeting began. Similarly, at the end of the meeting, there was time for members to talk and do more networking business.
As the meeting ran to time, there was that window of opportunity at the end of the meeting to network further. Most of our meetings here have networking time at the beginning and/or the end of meeting, so all members should be encouraged to be present.
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Name cards at tables
Everyone at the meeting had on the meeting tables their own individual name card with their business name and logo where appropriate. Visitors had a special ‘visitor’ card that identified them from subs or members. The name cards were then mixed around the table weekly, so people sat at different locations.
It’s a great way to mix members up and ensure visitors are located near appropriate people who for example might be in a suitable business hub for them. It also breaks the easy habit of sitting next to the same people every week. The name cards change this behavior and open up new conversations.
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Slide show
BNI Kingston had a slide show put on while members were presenting their 60 seconds. As each member spoke, there was a basic visual presentation (like a PowerPoint presentation) that a member of the Leadership Team coordinated. This presentation varied from member to member but was very simple and involved either their special offering for that week, key points they were covering or just some details about their business (including their logo).
This visual element brought a professionalism to the meeting.
After observing the meeting in England, Patsy came away even more inspired to help grow her chapter. Why not discuss these three observations at your meeting and share what you observe if you visit a chapter overseas? This can reinforce the efficiency of our own chapters and bring us even more success with how we run our meetings.
Local Business – Global Network®
