Today we’d like to introduce you to John Wilkinson.
John, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been a marketing consultant to the tech industry for the past 20 years, focused on partnerships and alliances. A few years back, a major client that had acquired some new technology was struggling with how to get their current partners working with their new partners to create more valuable solutions. They were trying to figure out a way to do it remotely, through social media and the web. But, we all know that when it comes to conducting meaningful business, a face-to-face meeting is better than long distance any day. So, I put together a session at that client’s partner summit that brought individuals with different skills and interests together for curated one-on-one, face-to-face meetings to create new solutions and develop new business opportunities. We arranged 514 individual meetings between 198 partners in the space of just a few hours, with each meeting tied to a topic that was chosen by both of the participants. It was a great success, and I realized that there was an opportunity to help other companies take their group events down to a more personal level, bringing their participants together for meaningful business conversations and expand their personal networks while doing it.
Has it been a smooth road?
Although we’ve had some logistical challenges, once we ironed out the problems (like having too many people show up to the same meeting table at one time!) it’s been pretty smooth sailing. This isn’t rocket science, but it isn’t easy either. Some event planners run speed networking sessions which looks somewhat the same, so I have to explain how what we do is different and more valuable. The fact that every meeting is based on a topic of common interest, and that each meeting is different for each participant – no matter how many there are – is the secret sauce. We have to look at each and every meeting to make sure that it makes sense for the individuals in that meeting.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’ve turned that original side gig into b2b talk, and our mission is to connect business leaders. We work with a variety of companies and publications to create curated networking sessions for their customer and industry events. These clients are answering the demand from their attendees for more networking, but for networking with a purpose.
Some might say this isn’t rocket science, but b2b talk sessions are much more than speed networking, meet ups or networking receptions, We curate and facilitate 1:1 meetings, knowledge sharing and topical business conversations between event participants, focused on issues that matter to our clients and their audience. And we do it completely turnkey. Give us a couple hundred participants and we’’ll create three to five curated meetings for each of them in the space of an hour…that’s three to five hundred new business connections for knowledge sharing, new business opportunities, or simple expansion of personal industry networks.
Honestly, these sessions are extremely satisfying. I feel the positive energy and see the enthusiasm of the participants at every b2b talk session. Setting personal meetings and defining the starting topic for each meeting has a way of making everyone comfortable with meeting new people and making new business connections — something that not everyone is comfortable doing on their own.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Boston is great for a business like ours. It has a thriving technology, biotech and otherwise diverse business community. Although we work events all over the US, the Boston area is a prime destination for events and conferences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.b2b-talk.com
- Phone: 781-652-8727
Image Credit:
b2b Talk
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