There is little doubt that New York has long been a ‘world city’ and an epicenter of commercial activity, innovation, creativity, and collaboration. This makes it one of the ideal places for professionals to launch new businesses, join high-demand digital marketing agencies, or position themselves as credible experts.
While geographically, New York is fairly compact, it’s also home to over 2.2 million smaller businesses, accounts for a massive proportion of the US marketing agencies and firms, and has a financial economy that eclipses almost every other.
One of the challenges of working in New York is that the level of competition and the number of aspiring marketers can make it very difficult to stand out. The contacts you make, the strength of your professional network, and your reputation as a trusted marketer can be make or break.
Today, we’ll run through the right way to pick New York digital marketing networking events based on your objectives, some of the best regular meetups to pencil into your diary, and what to expect as a first-time networking attendee.
The Advantages of Investing Time in New York Networking
For many professionals and start-ups, the time it takes to attend a networking event may seem a waste – especially for those with crammed schedules and who want to optimize every moment to make the most of their potential business opportunities.
However, discounting the influence networking can have on your prospects could be a mistake. Networking groups aren’t just a way to meet other marketers or find contacts you’d like to work with; they also mean you can connect with potential clients—immediate and long-term.
Here is a quick snapshot of the benefits of networking in New York:
- Establishing a reputation as a digital marketer relies on more than simply creating a slick website, marketing to your target audience or customer base, or investing in advertising. If you are known and have a great network, you can recruit specialists to help with projects, reach out to prospective employers or agencies, or find that referrals help grow your business faster than you’d be able to independently.
- Remaining current with trends and industry pressures ensures you stay relevant, particularly in a market that moves at the speed of New York. Whether you attend marketing-specific events or are invited to more exclusive networking groups, you’ll associate with industry leaders and gain important insights.
- Capturing professional development opportunities is always worthwhile. Many of the networking events and meetups we’ll suggest also include keynote speeches, the chance to make your own ‘elevator pitch’ and forums, conferences, panel discussions, and training opportunities to boost your knowledge and skills.
For many, the key focus of networking is visibility. Still, there is ample scope to make networking work much harder for you and to become an involved member of a respected business community.
Picking the Right New York Networking Events
There are literally thousands of potential groups, regular networking meetups, formal and informal conferences, online networking forums, and in-person sessions you might be interested in – and a lot might depend on your location, time, and interests.
Like most major commercial cities, you’ll discover a blend of:
- One-off events, such as trade forums, conferences, or annual networking seminars, may concentrating on updates or information sharing about recent changes, such as those affecting tax legislation for local businesses or growth in specific trends relevant to digital marketers.
- Ongoing, regular networking sessions, usually with the same group of people – some will have the same meeting venue, and others will host networking events at varied spots around the city to broaden membership.
- Marketing-focused networking events are ideal for freelance and independent marketers looking for partnerships, project work, or employment. Although you’re less likely to find third-party clients looking to hire, you may be able to tap into job opportunities and updates.
In the next section, we’ll share some tips for refining your goals to help you select the networking events that tie into your aspirations and targets. However, it could also be a good idea to mix and match new networking events to see which fit in well and which represent the groups of people you’d most like to spend more time with.
Approaching Networking as a Digital Marketing Strategy
Whether you’re new to digital marketing or an experienced professional, you’ll know how important strategy can be – ensuring you make tactical decisions that contribute to longer-term goals. Using this same approach to networking may be beneficial.
You might start by thinking about what you want to get out of networking events, for example:
- Are you interested in meeting certain professionals, such as creatives, copywriters, graphic designers, and technical SEO experts, to work with you or for you on digital marketing projects?
- Do you really want to find employers, clients, or agencies to work for? If so, do you specialize in a certain industry or sector that might influence the right networking groups?
- Is your aim to source potential clients or referrals to help you launch a new digital marketing business in New York? Might that dictate the areas or types of networking meetups that will prove most beneficial?
New York has a world of business opportunities, but it’s often up to you to get out there and make yourself seen, known, and heard. Beginning with a defined strategy can help you sidestep any events that aren’t likely to be useful while also giving you a way to start creating a well-practiced introduction based on the events, attendees, and groups you’ve chosen.
Recommended New York Networking Events for Digital Marketers
Onto the recommendations we promised—we’ve grouped these networking events loosely to allow you to skip past any that aren’t relevant to your expectations, and to help you find networking meetups aimed at marketers at a similar stage in their professional careers.
These first networking groups are all based around digital marketing or general marketing.
1. DigiMarCon Exhibitions and Conferences: For Up-to-Date Insights and Information
DigiMarCon stands for Digital Marketing Conferences and is the world’s largest series of conferences and events. It provides digital marketers with practical information about the latest trends, emerging technologies, practical solutions, and changes in the world of marketing.
Although presented as a conference series rather than networking, in reality, that’s how these regular meetups function, with representatives and delegates from the top of the advertising, media, and digital marketing industries.
There are regular seminars, many hosted online and in person, and two-day conferences are normally held annually in May in New York.
Learn more about DigiMarCon Exhibitions and Conferences
2. The Advertising Club of New York: For Networking With Peers and Ad Professionals
As the name suggests, The Ad Club is local to New York and is a professional organization that holds a number of events spanning the media and advertising sector—from talks with media figures to masterclasses on the industry and opportunities to meet more experienced marketers or peers you might wish to work with.
Many members are younger marketers, and although there is a membership cost, this is discounted to just $50 as a one-off joining fee for anybody under 30. The calendar is busy, and you can pick and choose the events most relevant to you, from informal business mixers to award ceremonies.
Learn more about The Advertising Club of New York
3. The International Association of Digital Marketing Professionals (IADMP): For Established and Ambitious Digital Marketers
Our final sector-specific networking opportunity is provided by the association, which has a wealth of resources for members, from a career center to events, awards, and member rewards, with a 90-day free trial for new members to see if the network is right for them.
While this is a global body with events held internationally, the New York City branch is highly active. It is represented at the DigiMarCon New York conferences mentioned above, alongside online webinars, panel discussions, and even networking cruises!
Learn more about The International Association of Digital Marketing Professionals
General Networking Groups for New York Digital Marketers
Our next list of suggestions isn’t specifically centered on digital marketing but may offer the chance to meet like-minded professionals and potential clients to help further your business in New York.
1. TECHSPO Global Technology Expos: For Professional Tech Networking
TECHSPO is another larger organization that hosts international networking events and conferences, including within New York. It focuses on bringing together tech professionals and innovators from across the sectors, including tech providers, marketers, developers, designers, and specialists.
Attendees can buy passes to each regional exhibition and connect with brands, agencies, and exhibitors from all kinds of evolving technology subsectors, including AdTech, MarTech, SaaS, and mobile. This often provides newer marketers with access to service providers and professionals they’d love to work with.
Learn more about TECHSPO Global Technology Expos
2. The NYC Business Networking Group: For General Business Contacts
This group has been recognized for leadership in the Top 100 Small Business Influencers Awards. It is specific to New York and has been holding business networking events for attendees from all backgrounds and sectors since 2007.
Often considered one of the best networking groups for those new to working or trading in New York, and with a huge variety of networking events, there is something for marketers of all seniorities, with examples like networking for company representatives, investors, start-ups, entrepreneurs, SME business owners and C-level execs.
Membership is free of charge, although brands and businesses sponsor tables at networking events. Profits from the networking schedule are used to provide educational opportunities, such as the annual cyber security summit and masterclasses for aspiring professionals.
Learn more about The NYC Business Networking Group
LEVELUP in NYC: For Ambitious Entrepreneurs and Marketers New to New York
Our final recommendation is LEVELUP, which provides curated access to career events and networking groups aimed at helping aspiring marketers and those from other sectors to advance their careers, improve their revenues and earnings, and build a circle of professional contacts.
Focused on strategic networking, the group often promotes third-party networking events that members may be interested in. It also has an Insider Community group that offers extended member benefits and access to 20 to 30 potential events per week.
Learn more about LEVELUP in NYC
Advancing Your Digital Marketing Career in New York
Networking events can expose you to opportunities, professional learning, industry insights, and ultimately to groups of professionals, agencies, businesses, and brands that can help augment your visibility and position as a digital marketer living and working in New York.
While some networking events may be more relevant to marketers specializing in specific industries or types of project-based work, there are undoubtedly groups and conferences suited to all New York marketers, who can share business cards, attend online events, or list their contact information as a regular group member to boost exposure.
If you’re either working in New York or planning to relocate to the Big Apple as the next step on your digital marketing career, you’ll find more advice and resources through the Digital Marketing Jobs, alongside hundreds of listings for freelance, agency, and recruitment roles in and around the city.
Register your resume today, browse digital marketing jobs in New York, or compare vacancies to discover current openings, remote working roles, or positions with reputable agencies and employers that are a perfect match for your skills.
