Have you been asked, on behalf of your business or organization, to host the meetings of a BNI chapter? As part of the team of directors for BNI West Virginia (link) I know how important it is to have an excellent location for a chapter's weekly meetings. It's one of those elements, the importance of which is easy to miss when you have it good but which can not be ignored when a chapter is in desperate need of an appropriate place to meet each week.
This post is not geared toward the chapter seeking a location, however. Instead, it is directed toward the organization which has a good potential meeting space to offer, and is considering whether to allow a BNI chapter to use it each week for their 90-minute meetings. I will try to cover both the positive aspects of such a decision, and some of the other important things to keep in mind.
The Philosophy of BNI: 'Givers Gain'
As the most successful organization of its type, BNI has tens-of-thousands of members in thousands of chapters all around the world. These members help each other grow their businesses through word-of-mouth marketing which recognizes the power of the golden rule. Members learn and practice that helping others grow their businesses means that those others will in turn want to help them with theirs. The result is an organization responsible for passing millions of qualified referrals worth billions of dollars in net income among the members each year.
These are top-notch professionals and entrepreneurs who are some of the most active, accomplished and trusted in their fields. From banking and finance, to graphic design and marketing, and even including dog grooming and health care - these members represent a wide variety of businesses in your area. But most importantly, they represent a group of quality business professionals who understand becoming both the cause and effect of "Givers Gain".
Who Can Gain From Hosting a BNI Chapter Meeting?
Perhaps obvious would be hotels, restaurants and conference centers who have meeting space available. Many BNI chapters meet in the mornings, most of the rest at lunch. Their meetings are short (90-minutes), punctual and well-organized. A business dedicated to having groups of people come together will find a BNI chapter to be pleasure to host.
But perhaps less obvious is any business or organization which has appropriate meeting space available, and is willing (or eager!) to share with 20, 30, 40 or more people every week how Service is not just a buzz-word to your organization, but is the very reason for your existence.
Some types of locations I've seen benefit from hosting BNI chapter meetings include hotels, restaurants and conference/meeting centers of course, but also financial institutions, libraries, hospitals, colleges, municipal/community centers, co-working facilities and more. If you have private meeting space and ample parking that can be set aside for 90 minutes, one day a week, you could provide a much-appreciated service for these motivated professionals.
How Can You Gain From Hosting a BNI Chapter Meeting?
Allowing a BNI chapter to meet weekly at your location gives you great exposure to a group of people who will have both motivation and capability to share their experience. The impact of this can leave a deep, lasting impression. These will tend to be folks that will be planning - or who have close, personal relationships with those who are planning - business conferences, family gatherings, out-of-town travel for people they know, awards banquets and so much more.
The benefit to hotels and meeting/conference centers is obvious, but what about other businesses who share their conference rooms with a chapter, but are not in the hospitality business? The benefit may be more subtle there, but it is still important. No matter what kind of service your organization provides, having the goodwill and gratitude of a group of people who know exactly what to do with that gratitude can be priceless.
Things to Keep in Mind
A BNI chapter meets once a week, regularly, for 90-minutes. The members will be busy, active professionals who are focused on growing each others' businesses. It will be important to these folks that their weekly meeting starts and completes on-time, and is held every week. Some members will arrive early to assure the location is prepared and guests are greeted, and many will remain for a short time after the 90-minute meeting to continue networking with their fellow participants, and clean up after the group as appropriate.
The chapter will have members responsible to you to assure that the meeting does not in any way disrupt your other business, and to see to any special needs that may arise. Each chapter has a president who will be more than happy to make sure that the relationship is mutually beneficial. Be sure to let them know of any particular requirements you will have of them (such as re-arranging the room furniture appropriately after a meeting, or parking locations).
The chapter may have guests each week who are invited by members. This is one of the major reasons that some members will arrive early. But it may also be helpful if your staff knows how to direct those persons to the chapter's meeting room, as well.
Finally, this isn't necessarily an opportunity you can just go out and seek on your own. BNI is all about referral by relationship, and that includes seeking meeting/training locations and catering providers. Also, chapters tend to maintain relationships with their meeting locations for a while. However, various reasons cause chapters to need to seek new locations for meetings from time-to-time, such as growth of a chapter or a meeting location no longer being available. Read on for more...
Related Opportunities
In addition (or perhaps in lieu of) the weekly meeting hosting opportunities, BNI chapters may also provide other direct opportunities to promote your location and organization. BNI provides different types of training to its members at different times. These could involve smaller groups in monthly or semi-weekly schedules, or (perhaps significantly) larger groups every six months or so. Whether or not a weekly chapter meeting would work at your location, these other situations may be something with which you could help.
Of course, you may wish to consider inquiring about applying to join a chapter, as well. If a chapter or BNI director/staff member has inquired about hosting a meeting or event at your location, there's a good chance they would be more than pleased to talk to you about applying for membership as well.
I strongly encourage you to go to www.BNI.com and click on the "Find a Chapter" link. You may find chapters in your city, and you may find that you or someone you know already has a relationship with a member of one or more of them. While there, you may also find that BNI could be a great way to promote your business otherwise, as well!
Andrew Barber is an Assistant Director and Trainer for the BNI West Virginia region (link), which includes portions of South-East Ohio and Eastern Kentucky. He credits BNI with enabling him to operate as a freelance software developer, working for the types of local businesses that he both prefers and is most capable of helping.