With the Covid-19 pandemic leaving negative effects both from business and mental health perspectives, there are many local organisations out there ready to help, with Women in Business (WIB) NI being one of them.
WIB is Northern Ireland's largest and fastest growing business support network for women.
Its head of membership, Clare Gallagher told Sync NI that “networking and events are what we do best” and although these occasions are often very social affairs, the WIB group has “rolled with the punches and been able to get up and running virtually.”
Clare continued: “Through the power of Zoom we’ve been able to record our webinars and upload them to our website. If someone can’t view it live it is always there for them to watch back at a later date. The feedback has been brilliant, and the transition has been really successful.
“We have a dedicated Covid-19 hub on our homepage for our members, and so many of them are female entrepreneurs with their own businesses so that helps keep them abreast of any news that might apply to them, especially those that have their own staff.
“We’ve been able to keep that updated with government info and any help schemes out there, and we have lots of health, wellbeing and mindfulness information for our members.”
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With over 4,000 members subscribed to Women in Business currently, they all receive weekly updates as to what WIB has been doing and many members including accountants and solicitors have also offered their expertise and advice during the lockdown.
As part of the organisation’s ‘Women in Industry’ online events, they are inviting women in tech to join them for a virtual networking morning on Wednesday 24 June from 10-11am to discuss various topics, connect and share experiences.
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Clare carried on: “Women in Tech is a networking opportunity for everyone. There are so many industries out there and some people just need a catch-up to see what everyone else is up to, and everyone is so eager to help each other out.
“You can ask relevant questions and chat about the current climate within the new working environment with like-minded people.
“We also have another similar upcoming webinar for Women in Energy on the 30 June.”
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The webinar aims to help keep industry professionals in touch, both professionally and personally, especially working mums or those living alone who are lacking social interaction presently.
Some wellbeing webinars the group has hosted so far include a cook-along with Suzie Lee Arbuthnot, the 2020 Winner of BBC One's Best Home Cook TV Programme, and ‘Working Well from Home’ with nutritional therapist Jane McClenaghan.
Social media guru Louise Brogan focussed on LinkedIn communication tips with her webinar, journalist Sarah Travers hosted one on resilience and marketing expert Niamh Taylor from Digital 24 also informed viewers how to adapt a business digitally – thus most themes are current and related to the Covid-19 situation.
Clare concluded: “Some of our members have been saying it’s an advantage that they’re able to hop online instead of having to drive somewhere.
“We have a fantastic, albeit small team that keeps all of our members interested, informed and engaged and there’s been a constant increase on our end, even with Covid-19.
“We are your friends in business.”
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Click here to register for the Women in Tech networking event on 24 June. It is free for Women in Business NI members, or £5 for non-members. You can find all upcoming and previous online events, as well as how to become a member on WIB NI’s website also.
