More Than Networking: Real Connections Are Changing Lives and Businesses

Last night, more than 50 business professionals packed CoCo & Blu in Arlington Heights for another incredible Northwest Business Network event.

With specialty cocktails, great food from CoCo & Blu, and a room filled with professionals ready to meet one another, it was a fantastic evening. But what really stood out wasn’t the size of the crowd or even the atmosphere. It was the stories people shared with us throughout the night.

People weren’t just telling us they had a good time at our events. They were telling us about what has happened because they attended them.

Connections That Are Actually Going Somewhere

Throughout the evening, several people came up to share stories about relationships that started at one of our networking events.

Some told us they had met incredible people who have since become valuable members of their professional network. Others came to our events while searching for a job and found employment through connections they made within our community.

We heard from business owners who were searching for strategic partners and found them here. Others were looking for referral partners and made exactly the connections they needed.

Those are the stories that mean the most to us.

Networking should lead somewhere. It should create relationships, opportunities, introductions, referrals, partnerships, and sometimes even a completely new chapter in someone’s career.

So Many Industries, So Many Opportunities

Part of what makes these connections possible is the variety of professionals who walk through the door. Last night’s group included people from:

Food & Beverage
Healthcare
Software
Artificial Intelligence
Marketing
Various Areas of Law

Put that many different backgrounds and areas of expertise together in one room, and you never know who you might meet or where a conversation might lead.

“Your Events Are Different”

There is one comment we continue to hear at our events:

“This isn’t like other networking events I’ve attended.”

Last night was no exception.

People went out of their way to tell us that we’re doing something special. They talked about the quality of the people they meet, how comfortable it is to approach someone new, and how attendees seem genuinely interested in getting to know one another rather than simply promoting themselves.

When you hear the same feedback event after event and across our different networking groups, you realize you’ve created something much bigger than a monthly happy hour.

It Started With Building Relationships for CueCamp

During the evening, our founder, Michel Sharritt, shared something with the group that surprises many people.

Michel and Matt Sharritt didn’t get into this because they wanted to become event planners. Their business is digital marketing.

They founded CueCamp, a digital marketing company focused on taking the guesswork out of marketing. CueCamp helps businesses develop a clear strategy designed to set them apart from their competition through user-friendly websites, social media marketing, SEO, and GEO.

The networking groups originally grew from Michel and Matt’s desire to build relationships, meet other business owners, and create opportunities for CueCamp.

But along the way, something much bigger happened.

They discovered that one of the most valuable things they could do was connect other people.

As the groups grew, they learned more about the professionals attending their events: what they did, who they wanted to meet, what challenges they were facing, and what kinds of partnerships could help their businesses grow.

Today, that ability to bring the right people together has earned Michel and Matt a reputation as power connectors throughout the Chicago area.

CueCamp is still very much at the heart of what they do, but these networking communities have become something they are incredibly proud to have built alongside it.

A Night That Ended with Hugs and Thank Yous

Perhaps the best indication of what this community has become happened at the end of the night.

There were hugs. There were thank yous. There were people telling us about the connections they had made that evening and others already saying, “I’ll be at the next one.”

That’s what we want these events to be.

Not another networking obligation on your calendar.

Not another happy hour where you spend the entire night talking to the same three people you already know.

A place where you can walk into a room, meet authentic business professionals, have meaningful conversations, and leave knowing that one of those introductions might just lead somewhere.