Wolves Summit is a fast-paced action-packed B2B networking event where companies, VCs, start-ups and scaleups make the best use of everyone’s time by absolutely cramming high-value meetings over only a couple of days. The outcomes can be as big as the effort, if you play it right. UK start-up Pynk recently described the Wolves Summit B2B experience as ‘relentless’, with high-potential meeting scheduled after high-potential meeting, with only a few minutes between each.

If you’re serious about innovation, there’s no question you need to be at Wolves Summit. The only question is, how will you make best use of the event, for you and your company? We’ve got some general networking tips, and some particular to Wolves Summit, from event insiders. Ready? Let’s take a look!

What Can I Learn? 

We’ve all been there. You enter a networking function, and everyone but you looks comfortable, effortlessly socialising, and enjoying themselves. That shot of anxiety that you’ll end up standing alone, or with nothing interesting to say. The thing is, half the people in front of you feel the same. Imposter syndrome is a common experience, especially among high achievers – and you’ll find no shortage of high achievers at Wolves Summit.

Throw your shoulders back, look confident, and strike up a conversation with someone. Don’t focus so much on what you have (or don’t have) to say. Most people love to talk about themselves, so approach networking conversations thinking “What can I learn from (or about) this person?”

By approaching the conversation with curiosity, you’ll come across better, and in the process of learning about them, you’re bound to find some things in common, and more questions! If a conversation really isn’t working, then move on; it happens. Don’t get hung up on it or feel like it was a failure.

How Can I Help?

Networking gets a bad rap. It can conjure images of ferocious card swapping events and lame pitches for products and services (or insurance policies) you don’t want or need. If you’re in a 15-minute B2B meeting, then by all means, pitch. And pitch well. But if you’re at a cocktail event, instead of looking for ways to sell, look for ways you can help the person you’re speaking with. Entrepreneur Kat Cole calls it the ‘mini helper’ approach. She’s found it builds positive relationships that last over the long run. This is a woman who knows about success; she went from being a waitress at Hooters to president and COO of Focus Brands.

Clothes Talk 

Some of the best preparation for a networking function happens well before you arrive. By dressing smartly and professionally, you’re communicating with and projecting a message to those around you. Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov ran experiments that found it takes people a tenth of a second to form an opinion of someone and that these impressions were unlikely to change after they spent more time with you. So, make that first impression a good one!

How to Network Right at Wolves Summit 

Wolves Summit is a high-energy high-potential B2B meeting event. You’ll get most of the benefit if you prepare for it right, and long before you get there.

Advanced Matchmaking Tool 

Once you sign up to Wolves Summit, it’s time to make the best use of our advanced matchmaking tool. Two weeks before the conference we send out access to our matchmaking system to each participant. You’ll log in, and set your availability between events like pitching, keynotes, discussion panels etc.

Make sure you fill in your profile as thoroughly as possible, as it’s one of the key things other participants will look at while choosing who to meet up with. If your offer and your intentions are unclear, you’ll end up with B2B meetings that aren’t worthwhile for either party. Once you’ve confirmed your availability and have added information about you, you can start sending requests for meetings.

You Gotta Kiss a Lot of Frogs… 

Have as many meetings and attend as many side networking opportunities as you can while at Wolves Summit. It’s a numbers game and the more you have the higher your chance of some quality meetings. As Pynk put it on our recent LinkedIn live session, “you gotta kiss a lot of frogs before you find the right one…”

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

While we’re taking advice from Pynk on how to network well at Wolves Summit, let’s look at a gold nugget of advice they dropped in their chat to us over our LinkedIn Live session. They contacted potential investors on their dance card for Wolves Summit before their Wolves Summit B2B, so they went into a B2B meeting with a warm lead. They could get straight to numbers and respond to nitty gritty questions in the meeting, since the investors already knew something about them. To the point that at the end of one of their Wolves Summit matchmaking meetings, the investor had signed up to funding them. Now that’s a measurable result!

Use the time between your meetings at Wolves Summit intelligently, as it can be ‘relentless!’ Before you get there, have meeting specific notes prepared. Give yourself a couple of minutes to note down the follow-up for the meeting you just had and then scan over your prepared notes before heading into the next one. That way you’ll make each meeting high impact, and ensure no lead is wasted.

The Best Networking Advice? Get to Wolves Summit 11^th Edition! 

You’ve got this. You’ve got the funds to invest, or the tech ready for funding. You know what you’re looking for, and you know what they next steps will be once you find it. So, it’s time to get that Wolves Summit ticket in your hand so you can get on with the matchmaking process and put your networking skills to work at Wolves Summit 11^th Edition, the innovation hub where companies, investors, start-ups and scale-ups meet to make big things happen.