DeskLodge House has been home to The Rules of Engagement regular marketing meetup for a while now, so we thought we'd ask wonderful organiser Shonette Laffy to inspire you all with some knowledge!
"I've been running The Rules of Engagement for over seven years now, and in that time it's grown from a lunchtime chat in Small Bar between a handful of local marketers, to a bi-monthly event at Desklodge that regularly sells out.
We feature a range of talks on everything from how to make great TikTok videos, through to content design, email marketing and even the ethics around AI. The idea is to give everyone attending a little knowledge about a lot of topics, as you're often expected to be versed in all things digital when you're in marketing or running your own business, and there just aren't enough hours in the day to learn it all!
It’s been great to partner with Desklodge to host the events - we always get such great feedback on the venue and quirky interiors, plus the team couldn’t be more helpful with setup. They even offer some discounts to our members which is lush!
Here are a few things you can expect if you come along to one of our events…
1. Bitesize news from across the internet
I read all of the marketing newsletters so that you don't have to! At the start of every event I do a quickfire news segment, summarising the newest features on the top social media channels, the biggest developments in related tech, and some interesting stats from recent reports.
2. Local experts
We don't have big keynote speakers, instead we have local folks simply explaining a theme they know inside out. We do an annual group survey to find out the topics people most want to learn about (this year it was Facebook ads, AI, personal branding, TikTok and freelancing tips) and then go out to find Bristolians who know their stuff and want to share their knowledge. We try to keep talks >20mins to leave time for questions so that you can tailor some of the tips to your own challenges.
3. The Social Sin Bin
Probably the most popular segment of RoE, this is where we name and shame bad examples of marketing and social media etiquette. Messy tweets, awkward memes and just generally misguided content. The more it makes us cover our eyes with our hands, the better!
4. Stuff We Like
To balance out the karma, we also share some examples of great marketing, from the fun and silly to the inspiring - recent examples have included the Barbie campaign and brands jumping on the ‘Letting the Gen Z employee write our Marketing script’.
5. Tools of Engagement
We've got a lively group on Facebook who share recommendations for handy tools and resources, and I also keep an eye to what people are shouting about each month, whether it's an interesting podcast discussion, a new scheduling platform or a trend report from YouTube. This is often the the most photographed slide of the night!
6. Non-cringe networking
I'm often asked why we don't give out name tags or do an introduction bits at the start of the night, and the answer is that those are often the bits of an event I fear the most, so I'm not doing it here! We're a friendly bunch with over 50% regular attendees at every event, so if you come more than once you'll definitely recognise someone, and I'm always happy to make introductions if you're on your own or want to meet someone in particular. No cheesy icebreakers here!
7. Pizza!
As the events start at 6pm, it seems only fair to feed and water people, so we always order in a pile of Pizzarova and a selection of soft drinks. You won't be surprised to know that the promise of pizza makes people very prompt too 😉
Social Circle - networking events to connect business owners and creatives, with each event featuring a talk from a local inspiring business owner sharing their experiences, with networking before and after.
https://www.instagram.com/socialcircle.network
Bristol Creative Industries - weekly events for freelancers, small business owners and marketing professionals, including networking meetups, keynote talks and masterclasses.
https://bristolcreativeindustries.com/events/
Smart Cookies - quarterly meetup and regular events for people passionate about marketing, design and development. Organised by Techspark and local design agency Unfold.
https://www.meetup.com/smart-cookies-bristol/
Rebel Meetups - free meetups for local entrepreneurs, creators and freelancers doing something a bit different. https://www.meetup.com/bristol-meetups/
Enterprise Nation - small business meetups that are run but online and in person across the city on the last Thursday of the month (10am-12pm) covering a big range of topics on how to manage and grow your business. https://www.enterprisenation.com/find-something/bristol-small-business-networking-group/
Spark Social - as well as running Instagram training and workshops, the lovely Lou also hosts regular socials to meet fellow creators, freelancers and businesses.
Bristol Women in Business - monthly events covering a range of topics including recruitment, inclusivity, gender equality and more.
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