Event: Networking series for online business owners

Networking is a soft skill that is essential for start-ups and entrepreneurs, but many struggle to network and build meaningful relationships online. 

ITC ecomConnect – The International Trade Centre’s e-commerce programme for online business owners around the world – surveyed its ecomConnect community members to learn about the biggest networking challenges for digital entrepreneurs.

The results? The most common challenges were: introducing yourself to new people in a meaningful way, owning and speaking about your achievements when networking, and maintaining business relationships over the long run. 

In the era of digital connectivity where most events are held online, meeting new people through a digital construct is an essential skill to master. That is why ITC ecomConnect is launching its “Network with the Community” series in May 2021, to offer small businesses the opportunity to improve their networking skills and meet new people online. 

The series will include six networking workshops, in collaboration with global partners including Google’s own  #IamRemarkable Initiative.

Each event will be hybrid between a meetup and workshop, to support entrepreneurs in putting into practice actionable recommendations whilst meeting new people and fostering collaborations and new opportunities. 

The series will include the following events (running from May-Sept 2021): 

• Introducing yourself to new people online in a way that is authentic and meaningful (May 2021)
• Reaching out to new people online and growing your network naturally (May 2021)
• Owning your achievements when networking (June 2021)
• Having meaningful conversations when networking online (July 2021)
• Identifying alignments while networking (August 2021)
• Maintaining meaningful relationships over time (September 2021)

To join the sessions, participants will need to register for each event via the online community ecomConnect. 

If you’re an online business owner looking to improve your networking skills and meet other entrepreneurs in an open setting, register for the first session on 4 May from 15:00-16:00 (CET) here.