Dakota Hotels UK, Royal Highland Centre, & Arran – Sense of Scotland

The Scotsman Hotel hosts a Thrive Networking Business Exchange on Wednesday 4 November, with speakers from Dakota Hotels UK, Royal Highland Centre, and Arran – Sense of Scotland. It's one of those mid-week mornings that manages to fit a fair bit in before most people have even finished their first coffee.

The morning is run by Thrive, a B2B membership organisation, and it follows their structured meeting format, which is built around helping delegates make introductions rather than just swapping cards and hoping for the best. The structured part wraps up around 11am, and informal networking carries on until noon, so you can stay on for a proper chat if you've found someone worth talking to. There's a hot and cold breakfast buffet running throughout, which is a handy way to fuel up while you're at it.

Three names are on the bill. Andrew Ovenstone is Managing Director of Dakota Hotels UK, a lifestyle brand that started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh and Glasgow before moving into prime city-centre spots in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, and Newcastle. Mark Currie is Managing Director of the Royal Highland Centre and the Royal Highland Show. And Andrew Russell is Sales Director at Arran – Sense of Scotland, which makes bath, body, and home fragrance on the Isle of Arran, where they opened their factory and first shop at Home Farm Arran in 1989.

If you're a first-time visitor, you can attend on a complimentary basis, provided you agree to a feedback coffee with the organisation's founder, Amanda Kremer, arranged after the visit. Larger organisations can opt for a no-obligation Trial Membership. The session runs from 8am to 12pm at The Scotsman Hotel, 20 North Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1TR, and tickets are £122.63 per person.