Networking events bag the goodies

Anna Jobsz's PR business offers what a TV ad can't buy.

It's just after 6 o'clock on Tuesday night and a Ponsonby bar is packed with young professional women, sipping cocktails and exchanging business cards.

Music TV personality Francesca Rudkin steps on stage to introduce two speakers and later to give several thousand dollars worth of girlie prizes.

At the end of the evening, the 150-or-so guests head home without spending a dollar, each clutching a goodie bag packed with samples, a T-shirt and a certificate for an hour of life coaching.

The night, organised by Auckland public relations professional Anna Jobsz, is part of Work It, one of a growing breed of highly organised, sponsored networking events.

As the old saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Networking events aren't new, but they are changing, says Paul Dryden, executive director of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand.

Time pressures put an end to the days when event organisers could put on a free glass of wine, a few nibbles and expect crowds, he says.

"People are very conscious of their leisure time," says Dryden. "They are very conscious about making choices about that these days, so it's quite a competitive environment."

Even PRINZ, whose members are probably among the best networkers in the country, raised the bar by introducing sponsored events to its calendar this year.

Events organised by professional associations remain popular but researchers say female-focused groups are on the rise.

Australian female marketing specialist Amanda Stevens, who is opening an Auckland branch of Splash Consulting Group in four weeks, says combining socialising and shopping taps into women's "sense of sisterhood".

Stevens notes a huge rise in the popularity of the party plan industry, with the Tupperware model expanding into high-end fashion sales and botox parties.

"It's about not just marketing to women as individuals but incentivising them to invite their inner circle [of friends] into the brand," she says.

When researching women, Stevens shuns the usual focus group model.

She instead opts for SheDinners - which involve women having a two-course meal with matching wines, receiving "a cash incentive" and goodie bag to take home - as a way of freeing up conversation and approaching women in a way they are comfortable with.

Stevens agrees with Dryden about the impact of time pressures: "We are all busy - we have no time to go along to a networking event that has no value to us".

But the SheDinners are so popular, guests are often still talking more than three hours in, says Stevens.

Jobsz started organising female networking events Work It in Auckland last year, setting up a public relations business that specialises in female communication.

She has put on three so far, and while the events don't make her any money, they are good research - and she picked up a client from one.

No money exchanges hands for Work It, she says, the sponsors and speakers donate their products and time for the event.

"None of them pay for the right to be associated or in turn receive money for their products," she says. "It's all goodwill."

She attracts big backers, with Lion Nathan, tapware manufacturer Methven, and Puma among the latest event's supporters.

Imogen Ovens, brand manager of Bendon, which gives away items from its Elle Macpherson Intimates underwear range at Work It, says the events are a rare chance to have one-on-one contact with customers.

"The women who go are young professionals with a certain amount of disposable income that are into fashion but also very savvy shoppers."

She says the promotion is in addition to traditional marketing and offers something a television commercial can't buy.

"Word of mouth is probably one of the best forms of marketing," says Ovens.

"Especially with these type of women - they are networking and they talk to their peers."

Women turn up, says Jobsz, because her database is filled with women who are enthusiastic about having fun.

"In most cases women are proactive and ask to be put on the database or contact me. I haven't done any searching to build the database they've nearly all approached me."

Organising the first event was nerve-racking but the third was so popular demand to attend outstripped the space.

GROUP WORK

* Networking events are increasingly going upmarket, with sponsored entertainment and take home goodie bags.

* Professional associations and companies trying to attract female shoppers are the keenest organisers.

* The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand introduced sponsored networking events this year to raise the calibre of its offerings.