Smiley Happy People is celebrating its first anniversary, and in just a year, Altrincham HQ’s networking events have redefined the way local business owners connect. Launched by Alex McCann, founder of Altrincham HQ, these events have quickly become a staple for those looking to ditch the dullness of traditional networking.
“We’ve run Alex & His Sisters since 2019,” Alex shares. “Alex & His Sisters is our event for Women in Business, launched to coincide with 10 years of Altrincham HQ. We set that event up because 70% of our social media training clients are women in business, and they couldn’t attend early morning breakfast meetings due to school drop-off times.”
But it wasn’t just the women asking for something different. “Near enough since we launched, we’ve had a lot of local male business owners beg us to run something that they can attend. And I relented,” says Alex. “On the condition it kept the same relaxed vibes as our other events.”
Smiley Happy People, which runs every other month, taps into Alex’s experience as a journalist. Each event features an interview with an inspirational speaker, setting it apart from your usual networking group. “Every photo I see of terrible 6.30 am networking meetings, all the men look like they really don’t want to be there,” Alex laughs. “It’s dull, it’s boring, and it’s the sort of networking that existed 20 years ago. I wanted to set the tone from the outset. Our events aren’t like other networking events.”
And the proof is in the response. “Every event we’ve done so far has been fully booked,” Alex says proudly. “100 business owners and decision-makers booking on ahead of the events. Even August, which is a time traditionally networking groups pause due to low attendance, we were fully booked.”
Alex’s passion for supporting the local business community shines through in Smiley Happy People. “Altrincham HQ funds £12,000 worth of networking events every year. We’re underselling ourselves here, TBH, as some local networking events charge over £40 an event. But it’s important as the £480 each business saves a year is invested in the local business community. The events make a huge impact locally.”
Smiley Happy People runs in February, April, June, August, October, and December, alternating with Alex & His Sisters, which takes place in the other months. And best of all, both events are free to attend. “The events can be found on Eventbrite” Alex adds.
As Smiley Happy People marks its first anniversary, it’s clear that Alex McCann’s approach to networking— where people are genuinely happy to be there —is resonating. Here’s to many more years of fun, engaging, and smile-filled networking!
Follow On Eventbrite here
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/alex-mccann-18007752018
PHOTOS: Martin Hambleton
