Summer networking in Hampshire: keeping in touch

Summer is when a lot of business diaries go quiet. Schools break up, people take a fortnight away, and some organisers take a break. It is tempting to let networking slide until September.

You don't have to stop altogether, and there is a reasonable case from the research for not stopping. This piece sets out what is known about how business connections form, what kinds of event suit the summer, and how to plan the rest of the year from a quieter diary.

Why a little, often, works

The most useful research on networking is about weak ties: people you know a little, not close friends. A 2022 study in Science analysed experiments on LinkedIn's connection suggestions covering more than 20 million people over five years. It found that moderately weak ties did the most for job moves, more than strong ones and more than the very weakest.

That was about jobs on one platform, not small business in Hampshire, but the lesson carries over. A weak tie is someone who knows roughly what you do and remembers you. That kind of tie fades if you disappear for months, and is kept alive by seeing someone now and then. A summer gap is not a disaster. A summer gap followed by a busy autumn when you have to start again with everyone is the thing to avoid.

There is a second reason. Fewer people now see colleagues every day. The ONS found that 28% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working between January and March 2025, splitting their time between home and a workplace. For them, and for the many people who run a business alone, events are where much of the casual contact happens.

Regular groups

Some groups meet every week of the year. The BNI chapters in our listings, for example, are described as weekly meetings. Others take a break in August. Check with the group before you go: the listing shows the next date, and if there isn't one, the group may be on a break.

If you have been meaning to try a group as a visitor, a quieter month can be a gentler way in. Our guide to how a networking chapter works explains what happens at one, and choosing a networking group helps you decide whether a regular group suits you.

Walks and other outdoor formats

Summer suits the formats that get you outside. A netwalk, where people walk and talk in small groups, is easier for many people than standing with a coffee cup, and there is some evidence that walking helps with the kind of thinking a good conversation needs.

In 2014, Stanford researchers Marily Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz ran a series of experiments on walking and creative thinking. Published in a psychology journal, the work used a test of thinking up alternative uses for everyday objects. Stanford's write-up reported that creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when people were walking. The same study found walkers did mildly worse on a focused, single-answer word task. So a walk is good for ideas and open conversation, not for going through a contract.

Hampshire has a lot of ground for it. The South Downs National Park came into being on 31 March 2010 and has over 3,300 km of footpaths, bridleways and byways. The New Forest National Park Authority was established in 2005. Several organisers run walks in towns and countryside, including Hampshire Business Networking in Winchester, Freelance Mum, whose walks welcome children, and Flo's Circle. Our guide to netwalking explains how they work.

Other active formats have appeared too: Pinnacle Performance combines a coached workout with networking, and Padel Partners Networking pairs a short networking session with beginner padel.

Online, for the weeks you're away

If you are away or juggling childcare, an online meeting keeps you in touch without a journey. The FSB runs monthly online networking for Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, open to members and non-members, and ONLE runs online groups for several Hampshire towns. The online page lists what is on.

Use the gap to plan the autumn

A quiet afternoon in August is a good time to look ahead and see which expos, conferences and awards evenings are already listed for the autumn:

• Pick the few that matter. One regular group and one bigger event a month is plenty for most people.
• Put them in the diary now. Block the dates before client work fills them.
• Follow up with the people you met in the spring. A short message keeps a weak tie from fading.

The events page, expos, conferences and awards pages show what is listed further ahead.

What this means if you're going to events

• Keep one thing going. A regular group, a monthly walk or an online meeting is enough.
• Try something different. Summer is a good time to test a format you haven't tried.
• Check before you go. Groups break at different times, and the listing is the place to check.
• Plan, don't panic. Use the quiet weeks to choose your autumn, not to fill every slot.

See what's on near you on this week, find a walk, or browse by town.