Community networking…
At AxonPoint, we believe that the best way to grow our business and widen our horizons is to get out there. It’s what fuels our choice of clients, our marketing strategies and our networking. Wednesday 11th May saw a big day for the company as JJ went to his first solo networking event at Clean Cut Kitchen in Nottingham hosted by KuKu Connect while Jave and myself headed off to the wacky world of Manchester to watch the FA Youth Cup Final from the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford as well as attend an art exhibition!
For JJ, a first networking event on his own was a bit daunting but after some encouragement and the promise of some high quality grub, he decided to venture out. KuKu Connect is a networking group where we have made strong connections in the past and as a small local business, these sorts of events are crucial to our growth as well as building relationships. As our junior outreach consultant, JJ is steadily becoming more involved in this area and despite his earlier trepidation, he did well on his own and helped build our base of connections while also strengthening our current contacts. JJ also took on board some of the training we received at the hands of Pam Edwards, a connection we made through this community, who has been coaching us on our networking skills which you can find out about in another upcoming blog post. All in all, it was a successful first event for JJ and with future events on the horizon, it’s promising to be a busy few weeks for the newest member of our team!
For myself and Jave, the destination was further afield to Jave’s second home of Manchester for an art expo in the afternoon and then the football match in the evening. The trip also gave us a chance to catch up with Simone, our social media and google ads manager, who is based in Manchester. The art exhibition was held in Elliot House by the Chamber of Commerce showcasing the work of Ghislaine Howard.
Ghislaine Howard is well known for her work showcasing the human condition through a variety of different expressive forms with an iconic blurred style as showcased by this image of Victor Moses during his time at Stoke City. Ghislaine’s style is one that I find quite interesting and it was nice to be able to see her work up close and personal and take in some of the nuance that is hard to notice in photographs. There was also free champagne and peroni so y’know. When in Rome and all that…
Going to the art exhibition provided us with the opportunity to explore a sort of networking event in a different environment and with new faces which is so useful as being a local business, you can often fall into the trap of relying on the same few connections. Those connections are always useful and valuable but it’s good to expand where possible.
After leaving the event and bumping into Man United legend and controversial pundit Gary Neville, we headed down to the match, my first proper away match and Jave’s first time in the United away end. After walking up the iconic steps, like United legends Roy Keane and Marcos Rojo before us, we settled in for the match of the under 18s, representing two of the most well-regarded academies in world football. The match was a close one until a rash tackle from Forest on the edge of the box led to an incorrect penalty call and a red card, which paved the way for the United team to storm to a 3-1 victory. Both sides can be proud of their accomplishments this season and the Forest side were applauded for their efforts by the incredible away support. The overall attendance set an incredible record of 67,000 fans with around 6,000 forest fans making the trip up. It was a great time and an enjoyable match despite the result.
All in all, it made for a jam-packed but solid day out and one that was quite useful from a work and social point of view. It’s good to get away from the office from time to time, to see new faces and to get some time to really reflect on the business. It also reflects what we want to be as a business. We don’t want to be another agency firm, full of people in suits whose only purpose is to drive sales. We want to be active in our community and to experience new things and meet new people.
