An important tool in any business community is the ability to connect with the people you need and the people who need you. One excellent way of accomplishing this is through organized networking events.

Seasonz Events’ “Spring Thing Business Card Exchange” networking event, held at the Astis Restaurant on West Oakland Park Boulevard last week, achieved just that. It brought together a number of business professionals from various national and professional backgrounds to feature their companies and businesses in an exchange that was sure to bear fruit.

According to Seasonz Events’ managing partner Omahar Stephenson, his company is about “grassroots marketing”. He said they have been having these events to help people to move away from the cliques that are sometimes prevalent in the South Florida communities and to get people to conduct business with other professionals. He said business people “need to stay in South Florida and do more business.”

Though Seasonz Events started with hosting real estate companies, it has mushroomed into something wider and all encompassing, so that last week’s event saw people from healthcare, law, artists, real estate professionals, travel agents, sporting officials and other professionals exchanging business cards, making connections and doing business.

“It’s about businesses doing business and forming long-term relationships,” Stephenson said. He stressed the importance of conducting business outside of the comfort zone, which may include getting outside of our communities and getting into other markets.

The managing partner said the jost important thing about networking events is connectivity, adding that about 70 percent of the people who meet at his events meet a second time and about 30 percent are guaranteed to do business.