Business group launches virtual networking to beat Coronavirus stay-home directive

Published by

Nicky Godding

Business group Sterling Networks , which has networking groups across Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, has launched ‘Sterling Virtual’ to keep businesses connected and operating. With more than 270 members from the business community, working together by virtual networking in groups across the region, Sterling Virtual helps maintain business relationships and visibility. It has also taken on an important role of providing emotional support to business owners at a very challenging time.

Just one month on from Sterling Networks’ biggest networking event to date, with 150 businesses attending a BIG breakfast event at Worcester Sixways stadium in February, the scene couldn’t be more different in today’s business world. The launch of Sterling Virtual is welcomed by members who continue to network via Zoom, through the same structured meeting every other week across Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.

Co-Founder and Director at Sterling Networks, Neil Davis, explains: “It’s been a whirlwind launch of Sterling Virtual as we’ve had to quickly adapt to the changing business world because of the coronavirus. Although no one could have foreseen the massive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual networking was always on our list for the future expansion of Sterling Networks, as we could see clear benefits. Not only can you network, any day or night, it also opens up new opportunities to business owners who are usually unable to attend physical meetings, perhaps for reasons of family commitments.”

Neil added: “We also now find that geographical boundaries to networking have automatically been lifted! From the comfort of your own home you can cost effectively network with businesses in different cities, even different regions, providing a sales and marketing platform without the restraints of logistics. Using our tried and tested meeting structure, networking virtually with 20+ members over 2 hours, gives each meeting a unique energy and genuine positivity”.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.