Why Speed Networking Is Taking Off In Dubai's Startup And Business Scene

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

On June 10, Dubai resident Viktoria Camp sat in front of her laptop, logged into Google Meet and watched as a small group of professionals trickled into the virtual room. Camp, who is the founder of Affinect, a guest intelligence platform for the hospitality sector, was attending a virtual speed networking event organised by Founder Connects, a community for UAE-based startup founders. Participants were given a few minutes to interact and talk about their businesses before moving on to the next participant. It's a bit like speed dating, but less awkward.

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Once logged in, participants were separated into breakout rooms that rotated, remembers Camp.“We would chat and then get a message in the corner of the screen saying it's time to join another room,” she says. The virtual session was then followed by an in-person meet-up later that same day, where participants who had hit it off earlier could reconnect and resume their conversations.“You build this connection and then in the evening, you walk into a room full of people and you're like, 'Oh, I need to catch up with this person and pick up our conversation where we left it,'” she says. As an introvert, Camp adds, the format puts her at ease.

Speed networking events have grown more popular over the past couple of years for several reasons, say event organisers and participants. For one, the short, timed sessions force participants to sharpen their pitch and approach people they wouldn't usually.“I found that refreshing,” Camp says. It also doesn't have the pressures of traditional networking – for instance, participants are spared the social anxiety of exiting a conversation that isn't going anywhere. And finally, in fast-paced cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, time is one of the most valuable assets, says Rony Hage, founder and CEO of Founder Connects.“People here are eager to connect, but they need to do it efficiently,” he says, adding that speed networking cuts through the noise and allows busy professionals to reach out to maximum people in minimal time.

Camp, a seasoned networker, is only too familiar with conversations that seem promising at first but fizzle out soon after – they have left her a bit world-weary. So, she likes that at such speed networking events, people are not looking for referrals from you.“People are looking for knowledge about the market,” she says.“They are looking for investors, people to work with or for different types of collaboration, and I don't feel like I'm wasting my time trying to build somebody else's business.” They help her to build the right network and be a part of exciting opportunities.“I met a couple of agencies whose clients' needs aligned well with Affinect,” she explains.“I've also met business owners who are interested in working with me personally on their business strategy, as my background is in hospitality and software development. And, I have hired talent with the right skill set as well.”Need for speed Hage says that the organisation launched its first speed networking initiative in June this year to bridge the gap between members in a way traditional mixers often don't.

Founder Connects currently runs two meetup brands, he adds. One of them is Spotlight, the monthly virtual speed networking event that Camp attended, where members engage in one-on-one, rapid-fire rounds before automatically rotating to the next participant.“It is a focused, 75-minute virtual session where every member meets exactly nine different founders,” Hage says.“We found that doing the 'speed' portion online is significantly easier to manage logistically and respects our members' time.” Spotlight is primarily attended by their community members who are vetted, so Hage explains that the atmosphere is different.“It isn't a room full of strangers; it is a gathering of peers.”“To date,” he adds,“we have successfully facilitated connections between more than 300 founders across the UAE.”Ishita Datta, Head of Projects & Programming at Women in Tech UAE, which supports women working in tech, says they began organising speed networking events about five months ago.“I have attended speed networking events in the UAE and elsewhere, and I really like the format as it's more targeted and allows you to meet many more people,” Datta says.

Their events, all held in person, have three-minute rounds with Datta keeping an eye on the time, guiding the group and occasionally acting as referee if two participants get too engrossed in conversation although the group is, sometimes, allowed to move around them. Networking may not come easily to everyone so as Daniela Nastase, social and community lead at Women in Tech UAE explains, the short timeframe encourages people to be succinct while explaining who they are, what they want and the kind of collaboration they are seeking.“It forces you to present yourself better,” she says. On the flip side, brevity is not everyone's strength.“It does tend to favour people who either have experience in this space or are very good communicators,” Datta says.

Still, the meet-ups have led to longer conversations over coffee and, eventually, business collaborations.“We also do a short retrospective afterward to get feedback,” Datta adds.

Bridging gaps The British Chamber of Commerce Dubai launched its speed networking series post-pandemic in early 2022 as members navigated remote work, isolation and a lack of meaningful professional connection, says Katy Holmes, CEO of the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD).“At the time, we saw talented professionals eager to progress in their careers but struggling to find the right support network,” she says.“In response, the chamber launched a speed mentorship initiative designed to bring people back together and rebuild the peer-to-peer support that has always been central to our mission.” Feedback from members and participating businesses has been“overwhelmingly positive,” Holmes says.“We have expanded the concept into a dedicated business development series with quarterly sessions.” Growing demand has led to waiting lists, prompting the chamber to increase the frequency to bi-monthly. Holmes says the format has evolved to cater to different segments of the community, including“tailored speed networking for parents returning to the workforce, connecting students with businesses to bridge the gap between education and industry, and a Business Advance edition exclusively for C-suite and senior leaders” in the chamber's top membership tier.

The chamber has hosted 20 speed networking sessions so far where attendees are seated in pairs and participate in one-on-one conversations that are usually three-minute long.“When the timer ends, one row shifts to the next seat, allowing participants to meet every person in the room in a systematic way,” she explains. Attendance at these events is capped at 50 participants, with one representative per company.“This ensures every attendee has the opportunity to connect with everyone else during the two-hour session,” Holmes says.“Sessions are tightly facilitated and always start and finish on schedule. It's an intense, fast-moving exercise, but that's exactly what makes it so rewarding.”

Barry Lee Cummings, Chief Digital Officer and Co-Founder, Contractors Direct and a Business Advance member of the chamber says that the first event he attended resulted in two partnerships evolving as well as“some introductions to great people that I hope to be able to support moving forwards.”

“The format of the speed networking events works really well to provide necessary structure to what could otherwise be just another networking event,” he adds.“It gets everyone talking with people they might not otherwise approach and, of course, this is where connections are made, common interests are unearthed and business happens.”

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