By Hannah Cargill, contract production manager, Avara Foods
Let’s talk about Meat Business Women—the global network bringing together the heroines of the meat and food supply chain. It’s all about ensuring the industry doesn’t just survive but thrives by attracting the sharpest minds and keeping them there. And it’s not spreadsheets and meat thermometers—they host events that are basically like hitting the recharge button for your career. Picture mentoring, wisdom-sharing, and the kind of networking that makes you feel like you’ve just “levelled up”. I’ve been lucky enough to snag a membership through Avara, and after each event, I leave feeling like I’ve won the social lottery, bagging new friends and fresh inspiration.
The latest event, themed ‘Build Your Tribe,’ wasn’t your typical work gathering where you fake smile through lukewarm coffee. No, this was a networking masterclass led by Janie Van Hool, with sessions that made connecting with strangers seem…dare I say, fun? We even survived a Zombie Apocalypse team challenge. Yes, actual zombies. (Well, imaginary ones, but let’s not get bogged down in details.) Oh, and Richard Hood from Tesco dropped some keynote wisdom, because why not?
Now, I don’t know about you, but networking has always been up there with flossing my teeth—necessary but awkward. Luckily, my mother’s voice pops up at moments like these, reminding me that growth happens when you step out of your comfort zone (thanks, Mum!). We all swapped tips for striking up conversations with strangers—everything from sidling up to the loner in the room to asking the ultimate icebreaker: “So, are you a cat person or a dog person?” And the revelation of the day? Even the bigwigs in the industry find networking a bit tricky. So, if the pros are in the same boat, we can all stop sweating it, right?
Janie left us with a handy little tool to conquer the networking jitters: the “Compliment” approach. It’s simple—Approach. Compliment. Ask a question related to your compliment. And voilà, you’re in. Because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love a good compliment?
I look forward to dishing out compliments at this winter’s industry events!