Katherine Melton-Scott is the founder of Lemon & Dine – a new business that promotes a different style of networking based around food, events and good company.
We spoke to Katherine about the power of food, why you should network with an open mind, and her top tips for making a great impression…
What’s your professional background?
Good question… and I’m not entirely surely I can give you an easy answer. I trained as a chef when I was young, then studied business, specialised in marketing and have worked across a variety of sectors including leisure, academia, hospitality, catering, and IT in over nine locations across the UK. At the moment I have an IT company and property company that I co-own with my business partner, and Lemon & Dine is my own venture. Variety, I believe, is the key to great experience and I love to learn new things and visit new places – I’ve been lucky to do both in my career. I am keen to work in Europe more from this point forward…and maybe somewhere with a little more sunshine!
Where did you get the idea for Lemon & Dine?
It’s been in my head for a number of years but the timing was not quite right. The catalyst occurred while temporally living in Zurich – I knew no one, but was convinced there must be more people like me who wanted to get out there and make the most of the city. So I decided to set up a dinner club, purely for fun. We ended up meeting for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, and I loved the cultural diversity, variety of age ranges and experience. At our last event we had 14 nationalities at one table and the party went on all day! What struck me was the fact that the people all had busy lives, were successful in their careers but all wanted to fast track building their social and professional networks in a relaxed non-pressured environment. The whole experience got me thinking that maybe I needed to do something positive for other people using my past experience.
What kind of networking events do you offer?
Our vision is to create a community of people who are likeminded, intelligent and accomplished, and who want to share their experience and expertise with each other. I prefer to call it network building, as our objective is to build people’s social and professional networks. It is a proven known fact that the degree of success in your professional life is correlated to having a strong professional and social network. Traditional networking is limited, and our approach is to create a variety of events to facilitate a mixture of personal development, skill sharing, socialising and fun. We have some exciting events planned for 2011 but I can’t talk about them just now as we are still finalising plans – but we have partnered up with some great venues including MacDonald Hotels, Gleneagles and The Scotsman Hotel.
What types of people come along the events?
Ambitious, confident, sociable and intelligent! They are usually looking for something a bit more substantial than pushing business cards or making polite conversation, and in my experience are all genuinely nice people.
When is the next one?
We had our soft launch at the Scotsman Hotel recently, and that was designed to be just like one of our drinks party events. It was great to see people getting to know each other and I hear that some good business was done too. I believe that socialising without any agenda is the best way to build networks, and so we have decided to have regular after work drinks nights. We have teamed up with the Roxburghe Hotel who provide us with a dedicated private bar which is exclusively ours and we are keeping the numbers restricted to ensure our hosts get our guests and members circulated. You are guaranteed to meet one person you like! Our first event is on Friday 10th September, but you must book.
Why does food play an important part in the networking process?
A long time ago I trained in a commercial kitchen with a Southern Italian chef and that experience, combined with my upbringing in the Yorkshire Dales, has firmly placed food as a focal point in my life. Sharing food is a naturally social experience that people are comfortable with regardless of age, background or sex. It should be enjoyed, celebrated and restorative and bring joy! Interestingly, recent research is suggesting that people that spend most of their meals eating alone in front of the TV are far more prone to depression than those who share their food with friends or family. That’s food for thought!
Would you recommend networking to everyone?
I recommend building networks as opposed to networking. It is a subtle, but fundamental difference. Building networks is without agenda, takes longer and requires an open mind and a degree of effort but the benefits are more long term and go to a greater depth in my experience.
So what is the difference?
I think we have all suffered at the hands of the ‘professional networker’ who is talking ‘at’ you, and has a mental tick box approach to whether you are worth knowing. Building networks is a more open-minded, less focused approach to meeting people and requires more give than take. It is harder work, as some people are easier to get to know than others, but a small extra investment in time with people is much more rewarding in the longer term. It also requires you not to expect a ‘result’ instantly.
What are your top tips for making a great impression?
STOP, SHAKE, LOOK AND LISTEN
STOP and take a look at yourself – perceptions count, so make an effort with how you look.
SHAKE hands at the introduction stage – I am always amazed when people don’t do this as I do feel it establishes a connection. Maybe a bit old-fashioned, but I don’t think there is a suitable alternative that is globally recognised…yet!
LOOK interested – even if you not thrilled by the conversation. Everyone has something interesting about them and you just never know…
LISTEN – actually quite hard to do ‘properly’ but if you really listen to someone else you can learn a lot.
