Why does an attendee attend an event? The top three reasons are: ONE: To learn about the latest happenings in the industry; TWO: To check out the latest tools and products and THREE: To develop a strong business network to bolster his or her business. This article focuses on the third key reason: Networking. It will look at how an event organization can help attendees and exhibitors achieve their goal to network and in the process build a loyal attendee and exhibitor database to promote future events.

Businesspersons, exhibitors and attendees attend industry events to network. They want to build connections with likeminded individuals and professionals working in related fields so as to receive relevant intelligence of every type. The information sought could be anything ranging from the latest happenings in the industry to assessing competitive companies' online marketing strategy. The purpose of developing a network is to be in the know i.e. building and nurturing a reliable source of information which could be of use to someone at some point or another. If you miss the opportunity to network, it could mean that you are opening yourself up to a possible loss of an informative link which could prove to be vital loss at a critical time.

Given the mindset of your potential attendees and exhibitors, you can earn loyalty and increase satisfaction by providing them with place to interact with each other. Introducing Meetup, a social networking website where you can setup an online group for free.

Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups, more than 2,000 groups. It is a place for people with like-minded interests can find each other, interact online and organize events to meet in real life. Meetup is an online social networking website offers two levels of interaction – online and real world. Online social networking sites are great, but nothing can compare with the advantages of meeting and connecting with someone in real life. Real life social networking has the power to make business deals a reality and to make online relationships more concrete in a matter of minutes.

By adding a Meetup link to your event registration page, you make it possible for attendees and exhibitors to interact with each other pre event. Enabling this free flowing interaction will help build connections and trust, which in turn will increase attendee satisfaction pre-event (and post event) and improve attendance numbers for future events. You also give them a place to keep the lines of communication open post event.

The Benefits

	Create a buzz about the event by giving attendees and exhibitors a place to interact.
	Accelerate the building relationship process by providing attendees and exhibitors a place to interact, share ideas, set up meetings etc. pre-event.
	Give your attendees and exhibitors a chance to meet likeminded individuals, discuss developing trends, rehash the advantages and disadvantages of existing practices and more.
	Provide attendees and exhibitors a place to maintain and strengthen relationships post event with a Meetup link
	Plus, setting up a Meetup group is quick and free of cost.

To summarize, Meetup is an excellent way to increase attendee satisfaction and build loyalty is by offering attendees more than a one off networking opportunity, an opportunity that extends beyond your event and lasts years after your curtains close. The simple act of adding a social networking option to your event registration page will enable attendees, exhibitors and clients to interact with each other pre and post event easily and increase satisfaction.