London ranked best city in the world for networking

London is the best city in the world for networking, according to new research published by Solopress.

The rankings are based on factors including networking events, rentable event spaces, coworking opportunities, wi-fi speeds, number of hotels per city and even the price of a beer. 

London leads globally with an average of 2,851 daily networking events, 176 co-working spaces with community events, and 72 trade fairs. London also had more than double the number of rentable event venues of any city on the list, with a total of 1939. 

“I’ve worked in the London startup scene for more than a decade and been privileged enough to travel to multiple other European cities for tech events, and I now call Barcelona home,” Cathy White, founder and CEO at CEW Communications, tells Startups. 

“There are some great scenes across the continent, but nothing quite compares to networking in London. Whether it’s the multitude of different industries colliding in one city or the numerous cultures meeting in one place, there are many reasons why London is magic for meeting new people and discovering opportunities. 

“Even now, when I pop back to London for a few days for work, I know I can do some intense networking that I can’t so easily do at home in Barcelona.”

The runners up in the study are Berlin, New York, Tokyo and Istanbul, which placed second to fifth respectively. Berlin has the highest number of trade shows of any city listed, with 153.

Other cities in the top ten include Washington, Singapore, Paris, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

When it comes to the worst cities for networking, Doha in Qatar and Abu Dhabi in the UAE ranked lowest in the study. Despite being known for business and entrepreneurship, the research found these cities have a lack of accessible networking events and facilities, significantly impacting their rankings.

Give networking a go

Solopress’ research found there are 13,000 and 7,000 monthly Google searches for “professional networking” and “business networking” respectively in the UK, showing a demand for networking opportunities.

Although it may be intimidating, putting yourself out there and networking can bring a wealth of benefits and opportunities to your business. It can help develop your social and communication skills in a professional setting, make connections with key figures in your industry, and even master your ‘elevator pitch’ should you bump into a potential investor.

As part of the study, Cameron MacArthur, CEO and founder of AI Insurance, shared his top tips for effective networking:

1. Be outgoing – proactively greet and converse with unfamiliar colleagues
2. Check in – regularly check in to strengthen existing relationships
3. Show gratitude – deepen impact with handwritten thank you notes
4. Get specific about your problems – request help with specific issues, not vague networking
5. Actually listen – listen attentively, remember names, and follow up on conversations

Other articles that may be of interest:

• ‘Support squads’ proven to boost small business owners’ bottom line–
• Networking holds key to growth for small businesses

Kirstie Pickering - business journalist

Kirstie is a freelance journalist writing in the tech, startup and business spaces for publications including Sifted, TNW, UKTN, The Business Magazine and Maddyness UK. She also works closely with agencies such as CEW Communications to develop content for their startup and scaleup clients.