Tips on Making the Most of Your Membership

The network and community is constantly evolving, and we respond quickly to the interests and feedback of our members.

The essence of what we do at Schmooze is to create the environment for our members to meet as naturally as possible, and make it easy to foster professional and personal contacts.

Through our activities we aim to create the  environment for the right people to meet, but its up to the members to make the most of the opportunities we offer.

You can get an overview of our activities here.

Members should remember that whilst our events are great in fostering new connections and the sharing of knowledge, members should make use of this website and our e-news, to promote their events and expertise and to foster new contacts. 

In short, you should get a game plan together and do a mix of the following over six or 12 months. Remember, we can advise you on the best strategy to promote your expertise and meet the right people for your business and professional goals.

Make an offer

There are four ways a Professional member can make an offer to other members.

• Become part of our Referral program and a commission is paid to Schmooze for sales converted
• Add a notice on the Notices page for other members to see and is mentioned in the e-news each month (as we did this week)
• Reach out personally using the Member Profiles database for an individual approach
• Provide some lucky door prizes for our events!

Sponsorship

• We offer a range of sponsorship options for members to showcase their expertise or venues to a target audience or you can become a principal sponsor or partner of one our Branches (and since we are heading interstate in 2010 there will be lots more opportunities)
• All our major events are sponsored in full (such as the monthly Schmooze's) which enables us to offer the events for free or at cost to our members and guests
• You can read more about Sponsorship options here.

PROMOTE YOUR EVENT OR COURSE or news

• You can add any event you are hosting directly onto our website calendar for free using a simple online form in the Members Lounge.
• You can also add news such as appointments, new products and services, newsletters etc, onto our Notice Board for other members to read.
• The idea is to stay top of mind every couple of months with something newsworthy.

Show off your smarts

• We offer lots of ways for you to showcase your expertise. You can contribute articles to our website, or you can offer to present at one of our  professional development workshops, or be a guest speaker at one of the SYPG events, or at one of our Interest Groups.
• You could also offer to run a range of courses or workshops exclusive to members which we can help to promote.
• Or you can host a Master Class- which are invitation-only events which are facilitated by Schmooze- read more here.

Make a date

• Members have access to our online contacts database. So why not reach out to a fellow member and make a coffee date to get acquainted?
• You can also use the database to promote your own expertise, interests or services and so make sure its up to date. The database is of course a fantastic resource to find products and services.

call the concierge

• A service unique to Schmooze. If you want a lead on a contact, or you are coming to a Schmooze event and want to be directed to the right sort of person or organisation our concierge team can assist you.

INVITE SOME SCHMOOZER'S TO YOUR PLACE!

• Are you having an in-house function, concert, conference or launch- why not reach out to the other members and invite them along. Often our members enjoy special rates for entry (if you do we'll happily add the event to our website) or are your guests.

KEEP YOUR COMPANY PROFILE UP

• Professional Package members can send anyone from their organisation to our hosted events for free, so why not keep your company out there by sending your team to at least one event or two per month.
• If you've got a young team then the SYPG is the perfect environment for them to home their interpersonal skills and make new contacts amongst their peers, as well as learn at the same time!
• Alternately, if you are a young professional, you could join our SYPG Council and assist in its development and events, and receive mentoring and great on-the-job experience in the process.

CREATE or participate in AN INTEREST GROUP

• Our special Interest Groups are both very popular and effective in providing a supportve and collaborative environment for our members to learn, and be inspired by each other.
• If you think there is a need for a new one- then please get in touch and we can have a chat about it!

 Join us on facebook and LINKED IN and twitter

• Professional Branch Facebook Group here
• Young Professional Facebook Group here
• Twitter for Schmooze Canberra here
• Twitter for SYPG Canberra here
• LinkedIn (members only) here