A successful marketing agency isn’t just about delivering great campaigns, it’s also about staying connected to people, ideas, and opportunities. That’s why in-person networking is so valuable. Last week at Ideas Fest, our CEO Katie Bullon took to the stage, sharing her perspective with an audience of business leaders and innovators. Beyond the talk, our team had the chance to meet a diverse mix of people, from founders to creatives, and those conversations reinforced why face-to-face connections remain at the heart of long-term business success.
Why Networking Matters
Whether you’re building a career or running a business, networking opens doors. Clients, partners, and collaborators want to work with professionals they trust, and trust is built far faster in person.
Research supports this:
- According to HubSpot, 85% of jobs are filled through networking.
- Oxford Economics found that executives would lose 28% of their business if they stopped networking.
- The close rate for in-person meetings is 40%, showing how effective face-to-face conversations can be in driving outcomes.
For clients choosing a marketing agency, this matters. Agencies that are active in their industries build not just knowledge, but also credibility and relationships that benefit the businesses they represent.
Networking for Stronger Business Relationships
Networking isn’t just about career progression; it’s about creating opportunities that lead to real-world results. A study by Forbes highlighted that professionals see in-person meetings as essential for:
- Building stronger, more meaningful business relationships (85%)
- Reading body language and expressions more effectively (77%)
- Creating an environment for better collaboration and decision-making (44%)
For us as a marketing agency, this translates directly into the work we do for clients. The stronger our professional relationships, the wider our pool of knowledge, insights, and opportunities – and that means better ideas, strategies, and campaigns for the businesses we support.
Lessons from Ideas Fest
At Ideas Fest, Katie’s presence on stage positioned activ as a voice of authority in the marketing and franchising space. It wasn’t just about sharing insights – it was about demonstrating expertise and being recognised as a trusted partner within the industry.
Meanwhile, the informal networking that followed gave us the chance to connect with professionals from a wide range of industries. These conversations spark new thinking and collaborations, ensuring that we continue to bring fresh, relevant ideas back to our clients.
Why This Matters for Our Clients
When you choose a marketing agency, you’re not only investing in services like SEO, social media, and websites – you’re choosing a team that’s plugged into the wider business landscape. Our commitment to in-person networking means:
- We stay ahead of emerging trends by hearing them first-hand.
- We build relationships with potential partners who could benefit our clients.
- We strengthen activ’s reputation as a trusted, well-connected agency – giving our clients confidence in the expertise behind every campaign.
In-person networking is gold because it builds trust, opens doors, and fuels collaboration. For activ, last week’s Ideas Fest was a reminder of how valuable those real-world connections are, not only for our growth as an agency but also for the results we deliver to our clients.
If you’re looking for a marketing agency that combines expertise with strong industry connections, we’d love to talk. Get in touch with us today.