Make A Racket - Construction Networking Event

Make A Racket is back on Wednesday 11 November, running from 11:30am to 2:00pm at Optimum Padel, over at 4 Cross Green Vale in Leeds LS9 0SJ. It's a construction networking event run by an experienced networking team, and the format is pretty straightforward: they bring together developers, contractors, consultants and suppliers from across the industry, pairing informal business introductions with padel on the courts in a relaxed, social atmosphere. The idea is to get people talking without the usual stiffness of a boardroom, and the padel gives you something to actually do while you're at it.

Optimum Padel is a premium indoor club just five minutes from Leeds city centre, with high-spec panoramic courts and its own coffee shop and bar on site. The session is kept deliberately small, with space for only 32 people, so it doesn't turn into a crowded room where you're just swapping cards with whoever happens to be standing next to you. That smaller number means you can actually get through a few proper conversations and leave with a handful of useful contacts rather than a stack of business cards you'll never look at again.

Tickets are £27.50, and that covers a few things beyond the networking. You get a free drink on arrival, an hour of padel on the courts, and racket hire if you don't have your own, so you don't need to turn up with your own gear. It's a midday session, 11:30am to 2:00pm, which fits into a working day without taking over the whole thing. If you're in the construction trade and fancy a bit of sport with your networking, it's a good shout.