Before Covid 19 networking, hobnobbing, mingling and schmoozing were a natural part of our business lives. Overnight, we found ourselves restricted from attending in-person events. As 2021 unravels, I suspect we shall not return to large roadshows, or conferences anytime soon. However, in 2021, smaller intimate in-person events may fill that void for our own mental health and well-being.
At a simple level – coffee catch-ups are the way to go. I, fortunately, have a local place called Oates and Sky. It’s close, spacious, friendly, and serves the basics required for a catch-up, good coffee, and simple, healthy food. If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the thought of entering back out, this is an uncomplicated way to start.
Here’s a list of in-person Australian events
Here’s a list of in-person Australian events you could explore. While associations have the main anchor event, they frequently have smaller discussion groups and are open to non-members. These are a way to gently ease back into real-life events.
The legendary Chris Wheatleys half year Accounting and Bookkeeping community party in each state
CA ANZ Events, Conferences, Workshops & eLearning Courses
https://www.charteredaccountantsanz.com/learning-and-events/conferences-and-events
CA ANZ Discussion groups https://www.charteredaccountantsanz.com/member-services/resource-centre/discussion-groups
CA ANZ Special Interest Groups (New Zealand)
ICB Networking group, small groups meet virtually and IRL across Australia. https://www.icb.org.au/networking
ABN Coffee Club – Australian Bookkeepers Network, small groups meet virtually and IRL across Australia. Listings here: https://www.austbook.net/coffeeclublisting/
Association for Accounting Technicians
CPA Australia Conferences and events https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/training-and-events/conferences
Institute of Public Accountants – has events, conferences
https://www.publicaccountants.org.au/events/ and discussion groups https://www.publicaccountants.org.au/events/discussion-groups
Also they have a Monthly BAS Agents Discussion Group
CeBIT Australia – trade show for B2B technology and IT professionals, start-ups, SME’s, and members of the government. 1 Oct 2021 https://www.sydneypoint.com.au/events/cebit-australia/
SMB Digital Powered by CEBIT – Digital solutions for SMB 19-20 Oct 2021 https://www.smb-digital.com.au/welcome
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Events https://www.australianchamber.com.au/events/
Community and Business Women’s Network – womens only group
https://www.irisfoundation.org.au/community-and-business-womens-network/
AmCham – doing business with USA themed events https://www.amcham.com.au/web/Events/Upcoming_Events/Web/Events/Upcoming_Events.aspx?DisplayAreaOptions=No&hkey=98647e69-b19b-431f-9ece-04bef9473724
Referral groups – business people from non competing industries actively encourages referrals https://www.bni.com.au/ https://bxnetworking.com/
Random events: Meetup and EventBrite
Rubbing elbows in 2021
While researching this article, I noticed “rub elbows” is showing up as a synonym for networking. I wonder when it joined the list? Of course, I encourage you to adhere to current local Covid restrictions, for any of these opportunities to catch up with people in real life.
