Business Networking in Edmonton

Edmonton offers many opportunities for networking. It’s one of the things that make Edmonton so remarkable is that so many people come to Edmonton to work, making it a community of newcomers both interprovincially and internationally.

Edmonton is, in many ways, a city of strangers, where new people are always coming looking for opportunities. As such, business networking is huge in Edmonton, and most people, including executives, are more accessible than in other cities where there are “old boys clubs”. Edmonton is outsider friendly.

That said, not all networking events in Edmonton are created equal, and you will often find yourself at various events with the exact people you saw last week at an ostensibly different group.

Here are some of the options out there:

BNI (Business Network International) - This group is demanding of time and money and pays members back in referrals. Not so much a networking club as a business referral group. There are over 2,000 members in Edmonton in 33 groups. Very beneficial to some businesses, especially start-ups, who want to get their name out there. Not as useful to well-established businesses and very difficult to be in a group like this if you're in a line of work with a low transaction volume (like commercial real estate).

http://bnialberta.ca/en-CA/index

Chamber of Commerce – Some people swear by it, others don’t. My experience at Chamber events is that it is a networking group and you can make some good connections here. I’ve had excellent luck at these events, and although I haven’t directly made money from a chamber event, I’ve made some good connections.

https://www.edmontonchamber.com/

The "BAs" – SEBA, NEBA, WEBA, DBA, 124 BA, Strathcona BA - These are the business associations, South Edmonton, North and West respectively. Then there are the community business associations such as Downtown Business Association, 124 Street and Strathcona (Whyte Ave).

https://www.yegba.com/#!event-list

https://neba.ca/

https://weba.org/

https://www.edmontondowntown.com/downtown-business-association/

https://www.124street.ca/

www.oldstrathcona.ca/

Vantage Networking Club - Is an independent group, smaller than many others but with fewer time constraints and a strong commercial focus. Seats are exclusive and this group has many benefits to more established businesses, rather than start-ups. The focus here is on networking and business development rather than referrals. For the sake of full disclosure, I'm a member of this group.

https://vantagenetworking.com/

4 Musketeers - This is a networking group for HR people and business consultants, but it draws a crowd from other industries. They meet quarterly and their events are worthwhile.

Some others worth checking out:

Edmonton Economic Development Corporation

http://www.eedc.ca/

Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)

http://bomaedm.ca/

Did I miss a group? Shoot me an email with your favorite networking group in Edmonton.