Over the past two years, virtual events have filled the gap left by in-person events and have opened up new opportunities for leaders to meet peers from across industries and regions. The Ortus Club, a company specialising in knowledge-sharing events, reached out to C-level executives to share their opinions on virtual networking.
Growth through learning
‘The only way you can grow is to learn. The reason why I signed up as a moderator is not because I have a specific skill set around moderation. It was more about the fact that there are 15 people in that panel. They are marketers coming from different industries. I was going to learn a lot. That hour or 75 minutes that we had, for me, was a fantastic session. I took a lot of notes because it’s all about the perspective that people shared and the kind of challenges that they shared.
I realised that we are not very different, no matter which industry we work in. I would say that these kinds of events, The Ortus Club roundtable events, helped me learn to network and also to basically bring the outside into my company so I can say, “These are some of the best practices out there that we should look to adapt.”’ – Parth Partel, VP of Marketing at Kerry Group APAC
Broadening perspectives
‘I really like having the opportunity to have an honest and open discussion with other CEOs on the problems they face within their organisations, how they go about solving them, and their perspectives on different topics. I think it’s really beneficial to exchange opinions. It helps everyone grow and think differently about different topics.’ – Ortal Green, CEO and Co-founder of Glittering Minds
‘It was really lovely to be connected in a room full of people on a topic that we’re all engaged and interested in. Our event was very much around logistics and transport, and I think it touches all different industries. We all had very different businesses.
However, it was something that impacted all of our businesses, so it was great to see it from all different perspectives. It was also great to meet other people that I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to connect with, so I’m very grateful.’ – Kate Save, Founder and CEO of Be Fit Food
“I think it’s really beneficial to exchange opinions. It helps everyone grow and think differently about different topics.”
Identifying problems and crafting solutions
‘They help drive our go-to-market tactics for the next three months, because when you have people in the room, having a conversation around a pain point, they’re telling you what they need to solve the problem, and they’re telling you what’s relevant for them right at the moment. So for us to be able to hear that, we can take that information and apply it to how we’re going to talk to our audience.’ – Sherri Banister, North America Business Applications Marketing Lead at Avanade
Open communication with mutual benefit
‘It truly is an opportunity and a safe place to communicate across different countries, lines of business, industries. The conversations really get to the heart of all these leaders trying to determine the biggest challenges and biggest solutions. I feel fulfilled because when I moderate, I’m able to leave those events feeling like everyone who participated came out better than they were going into it.’ – Dennis Wakabayashi, Chief Collaboration Officer at Team Wakabayashi
Meeting peers and expanding networks
‘The Ortus Club events, for me, have always been a valuable way to actually connect with other people who are in the same boat as me and to compare notes because most of the time, we’re all going through the same thing. It’s great to get that reassurance. It’s also good to connect with people that you can actually then meet up with outside.
One of the trusted fellows who I’ve discussed my business with is actually a person who I met at The Ortus Club, so I have a great deal of respect for that environment of being able to actually share our knowledge.’ – Neelan Mahendran, Managing Director and Founder of Fimcen
Finding opportunities for growth amongst the challenges
‘We worked with The Ortus Club on an event with CEOs, managing partners, and executives from law firms across the UK.
The topic and the theme for most of that discussion was around change management, bringing technology into the firm, and adopting a really client-centric mindset. I think The Ortus Club was able to really foster a constructive discussion among senior leaders about not only the challenges in those but also the opportunities they hold for business growth and for strategy.’ – Lauren Watson, Director of Legal Partnerships at Legl
Virtual networking events are here to stay, bringing new value to guests and hosts alike, even as in-person events make a comeback. These online events are providing unique opportunities for growth, strategising, and networking with peers from around the world, and more and more C-level executives are discovering their value. If you’d like to take part in one of our events, you can visit our Attend an Event page or browse all of our upcoming events by date, region, or industry here.
