List of Miami’s Best Business Networking Events

As a Miami business owner it’s important for me to network with the local community. While we specialize in Internet marketing services I see tremendous value in offline marketing – specifically, networking events.

Finding a good networking event is tough – especially in South Florida. I generally have to go to about 50 bad events to find 1 good one.

To save you the time, I put together a list of the top Miami based business networking events that I attended this past year.

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The Mind of a Marketer – Online Marketing Tactics That WORK

• Link: https://www.meetup.com/marketing-help/
• Location: Wynwood
• Cost: Always FREE.
• Review: The group meets twice a month to discuss advanced marketing tips, broken down into easy to understand discussions. If anyone is looking to launch a business in Miami, improve your current one and network with other business owners, this one is for you.
• Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

BNI Miami

• Link: http://www.bnimiami.com
• Location: Varies depending on your chapter
• Cost: Initiation fee + monthly cost (About $500 + $125 monthly)
• Review: BNI is expensive, but they’re worth it. The group’s main focus is to provide referrals to other members. It takes a couple of months to gain the trust of the group, but once you do, you’ll have a steady stream of referrals coming in. BNI has dozens of chapters across the city (from South Beach all the way out to Kendall) giving you the flexibility to join closer to your home or business. In addition, each chapter only takes 1 business type in each (for example, I was the only SEO company in my group – making you the go to for all referrals in your niche). Just a warning – BNI has strict requirements that you must meet or your membership will be revoked. In order to remain in the group you must show up every week and generate referrals for other members. If you have the resources to invest, this is the networking group for you.
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Miami Small Business Expo

• Link: http://www.thesmallbusinessexpo.com/miami/
• Location: Miami Beach Convention Center
• Cost: Free to attend // Cost incurred for table exhibits
• Review: I’ve always had great success at the Miami small business expo. These events can attract visitors in the thousands. If you sell B2B products/services this is a great event to attend and I strongly suggest you purchase an exhibit table. This event also allows you to attend free for networking purposes.
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Miami Under 40 Networking Mixer

• Link: http://miamiunder40.com
• Location: Varies – check EventBrite for more details
• Cost: Free to attend // Between $500 – $1,000 for sponsoring events
• Review: I tend to stay away from the free events because they generally attract a younger crowd looking to network for careers. While this event skews younger (hence the name) it still attracts a good crowd that has some pretty influential people in attendance.
• Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Network After Work (Miami)

• Link: http://miami.networkafterwork.com/city/miami
• Location: Varies – check EventBrite for more details
• Cost: Regular price $15 // At the door with RSVP $20 // At the door NO RSVP $25
• Review: The network after work events take place at a number of bars / good happy hour locations in the Downtown Miami area. Since it is a paid event, these typically gather a good crowd of about 250 professionals. The crowd is mixed between young professionals networking for career improvement and upper level management looking to source new clients. If you’re a good networker, you can land some valuable connections here.
• Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Miami Chamber of Commerce Events

• Link: https://www.miamichamber.com/events
• Location:  Varies – check website for details
• Cost:  Between $300 – $10,000 yearly, depending on membership type
• Review: The Chamber of Commerce is a business staple in every city, not just Miami. In order to attend an event, you have to be a member or invited by a member. Because of this, the quality of business that attend are the top in Miami. I’m not a member of the Miami Chamber but I’ve attended a number of events with colleagues – they are some of the best Miami has to offer.
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

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Micro VC Club of South Florida

• Link: http://www.meetup.com/microvc
• Location: Monthly – check website for details
• Cost: $10 at the door
• Review: Think Shark Tank for local Miami businesses. While this is technically a group for investors, I’ve had great success meeting influential people and business owners. Each Meetup draws about 80 people who are highly engaged and open to meeting others.
• Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Brickell Living

• Link: http://instagram.com/brickell_living/
• Location: Ad hoc – follow on Instagram
• Cost: Free (most events)
• Review: Brickell Living started as an Instagram account that eventually grew into a local Miami networking business. They compile a number of events across Miami and run their own mixers. Most of the events are free or low cost and definitely worth checking out.
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

We’re here networking at @MarionMiami! If you haven’t checked in yet, make sure you make your way! We’ll be here until 7:30! Then we’re heading to Blue Martini! #Brickell #NetworkCrawl #BrickellNetworkCrawl #Networking #Brickell #BrickellLiving #Drinks #Community

A video posted by Downtown Miami – Brickell (@brickell_living) on Sep 1, 2016 at 3:51pm PDT

Have another event to add to the list? Leave it in the comments or email us directly at He***@We****.org