“Good networking skills and opportunities can mean the difference between surviving and thriving in the competitive business world – apparently! Good thing then that The Best of Richmond hosts a regular networking event for local organisations.

We popped along in a businesslike fashion to a recent event held at Tootsies restaurant – and secretly expected to find a bar full of scary Apprentice-style go-getters. However, we needn’t have worried, as it’s actually a bit like a dating agency for businesses! Super-friendly representatives from all sorts of  

enterprises gathered amid a flurry of business cards, Blackberries and PDAs, ostensibly to mingle with other likeminded people but also to relax and chat about general business requirements.

So, whether you’re a milliner looking for a mortgage broker or a journalist looking for a life coach – hmm, that sounds familiar – networking events can be an interesting and informal way to make contacts, and equally importantly, friends in the business world. What’s more, this business networking business is actually quite fun!”