Published: November 29, 2022 | Updated: 2nd December 2022
As few as 3,000 of Dorset’s 52,000 businesses – that’s below six per cent – are estimated to be taking advantage of organised networking.
The finding is revealed in the first-ever survey of business networking groups in the county.
It also discovered that membership of networking groups has shrunk since 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, there has been a growth in online networking with two groups meeting exclusively in virtual rooms.
At least three others are offering a hybrid format.
The survey was carried out by Andrew Knowles, pictured left.
The freelance copywriter was President of Weymouth & Portland Chamber of Commerce from 2017 to 2019.
There are at least 27 separate business networking groups meeting at least once a month across Dorset.
Of these, two are women-only groups, five are Chambers of Commerce and five are part of national or regional networks.
Seventeen groups are independent of any other organisation.
Sixteen of the 27 groups have unrestricted membership, meaning any business can join.
The others limit membership, mostly to control the number of businesses per industry.
Other findings include the cost of annual group membership, levels of member retention and specific benefits offered by groups.
Most of the networking groups were approached to take part in the survey with 15 responding.
The survey is based on the information they supplied, supplemented by data drawn from the websites of other groups.
Andrew said: “I think too many small businesses, particularly one-person businesses, undervalue networking.
“Every business should give it a try.
“I hope this survey will encourage them to do that by revealing the variety on offer.
“With regards to numbers, I’ve had to make some assumptions.
“There are 52,000 businesses in Dorset, according to Dorset LEP.
“Based on the information I received, and my knowledge of Dorset groups, I’ve estimated that the number involved in networking groups is between 3,000 and 7,000.
“I think nearer 3,000.
“Hence the numbers which are admittedly vague. I hope to refine my approach in future surveys.”
Among those taking part in the survey were The Boardroom Network and ONLE online networking.
Jacqui Frampton, pictured right, who owns and operates The Boardroom Network, said: “We were delighted to take part in this survey.
“The finished product reveals an in-depth study of business networking in the county and has clearly been well-researched and documented.
“As we enter another recession and face tough challenges, we at TBN shall take on board the report findings and utilise the insights to encourage more Dorset business owners to venture out and embrace the power, value and support of business networking.”
James West, Co-founder of ONLE online networking, pictured left, said: “This report illustrates how the business networking audience in Dorset has fragmented in recent years.
“Now attendees have the choice of purely in-person, hybrid or online-only events.
“Once attendees explore the options and learn their preference, I believe the majority of networking groups will start to grow again.
“The beauty of this fragmentation is that Dorset business owners can get the best of both worlds: localised networking with the option to meet in-person for those who prefer it, plus the ability to network across the UK and overseas.
“It’s an exciting time for networking organisations and those who attend networking.”
Of the 52,000 businesses in Dorset, around 85 per cent are micro businesses with many of these sole traders/freelancers according to Dorset Council (State of Dorset Economy, May 2022).
The 15 networking groups responding to the survey were:
Andrew is not currently a member of any groups.
He attended his first networking meeting in three years as a guest in October and has also taken part in an ONLE online networking event as a guest.
He plans to repeat the survey in 2023 to assess how business networking continues to evolve in the post-pandemic and increasingly digital environment.
Andrew said: “My motivation for the survey was to go a step further than maintaining a listing of groups on my website.
“Over the years many people have told me how useful the list has been.
“When I updated it post-pandemic I could see how much had changed.”
