BNI Inspire weekly meeting

BNI Inspire hold their weekly business networking meeting at the Best Western Reading Calcot Hotel on Wednesday 4 November, starting at 07:00. It's part of BNI (Business Networking International), the world's leading business networking and referral organisation, and the Reading chapter goes by the name Berkshire Inspire.

What makes this one a bit different from your usual morning meet is the mix of people in the room. Rather than being dominated by one industry, it's a cross-section of local businesses: service providers, tradespeople, creative professionals and business support specialists all under one roof. The organisers describe it as a mini-ecosystem where members refer clients to one another and build strong local business relationships, and they put it in friendly terms, too — a group that has fun while doing serious business.

If you're thinking of joining, there's a specific way it works. BNI maintains open categories for new members, but they only take one person per professional specialty per chapter. So if your particular line of work isn't already represented, you've got the spot to yourself. The organisation as a whole claims its members increase their business by an average of 20% in their first year.

It's an early start, so you'll be there before the rest of the town has properly woken up. The meeting is at the Best Western Reading Calcot Hotel, Bath Road, Calcot, RG31 7QN, and tickets are £15 via Eventbrite.