The following is a list of networking events in Northwest Arkansas that will be happening in 2018. Events are added and updated weekly as new information becomes available, so check back often! (For a list of B2B networking groups that meet regularly in and around Northwest Arkansas visit our B2B Networking Groups page. And if we've missed any events (or you spot one that needs a correction), shoot us an email via our contact form!
Cost: Free
Learn how to create, release, and test minimum delightful experiences. Participants will gain hands-on experience rapid prototyping in a safe environment.
Join the NWA chapter of Green Drinks for a happy hour of networking, socializing, and earth-friendly discussion, now hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust! This month's featured conservation partner is Illinois River Watershed Partnership.
Green Drinks is a casual social group made up of individuals who are passionate about, or employed in environmental fields as well as sustainability, outdoor and conservation enthusiasts. The Green Drinks movement began in the UK in 1989 and is now active in more than 600 cities worldwide.
Young professionals meet-up series called 'After 5', brought to you by leisurelist. Come alone or come with friends and meet like-minded young professionals. The first two rounds are on us (for the first 50 people, 21+), so all you need to do is register for your free ticket and show up!
Free with Chamber Membership
Chamber Membership Required
Complimentary snacks and drinks, door prizes, and networking with other members of the Fayetteville Chamber.
Cost: $10.00
Avg. Attendance 100 - 150
This unique, Christ-centered event brings together (literally) hundreds of professionals from all over Northwest Arkansas (and beyond) for 'connection, equipping, and fellowship'. The Summit also brings in some pretty impressive business and civic leaders from around the country to share insights you just can't get anywhere else. Plus, lunch is top class, and the door prizes are probably the best in the area! The speaker for this event will be Kim Eskew, CEO of Harps Food Stores.
Members: $0 | Non-Members: $30
Avg. Attendance 15 - 45
Human Resources Professionals days are filled with awkward and uncomfortable situations. It's human nature to turn and run in the other direction when we encounter these situations. Whether it is having a hard conversation or calling someone on their behavior, this is hard stuff and takes a mind shift and PRACTICE to get good at. This session is designed to provide the tools to not only deal with "awkwardville" but grow from it.
Free with Chamber Membership
Chamber Membership Required
Caffeinate is a monthly networking event for members and guests. You can count on making some valuable connections, delicious food, great coffee, and door prizes.
$10.00
Por La Tarde is an English/Spanish speaking networking event created by Expansion NWArk. Hear from special guest speaker Sary Caraballo Pacheco, CO-Founder & CEO of ASK Leadership Team.
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Members: $25 | Non-Members: $35
The Teacher of the Year Luncheon offers local businesses and organizations the opportunity to thank and celebrate our Teacher of the Year winners, and show support for the Bentonville Schools. It also provides a time of fun and networking with the teachers and other community members.
Cost: Free
Do you have a prototype or a solution? Need to get funders, partners, or customers onboard? Learn key storytelling techniques in a low-risk, highly interactive speed-pitching session.
Members: $10 | Non-Members: $25
Stay tuned for more details!
Free with Chamber Membership
This informal event being put on by the Bentonville Chamber will allow you to showcase your company, meet with other members of the business community and network in a casual atmosphere. Refreshments and food will be provided.
Cost: $11.42
Come out to the 29th Annual Home Show and explore over 100 vendors. See the industries newest trends for remodeling and building the home of your dreams!
The Four No-Fail Ways To Screw Up Your Startup @Fuel is a presentation designed for Sci-Tech startups looking to avoid the common growing pains that plague so many companies.
Members: $10 | Non-Members: $25
Stay tuned for more details!
$0 - $99
Techstars Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, Techstars Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos and presentations. Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams hear talks by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurs. The weekend is centered around action, innovation, and education. Whether you are looking for feedback on an idea, a co-founder, specific skill sets, or a team to help you execute, Techstars Startup Weekends are the perfect environment in which to test your idea and take the first steps towards launching your own startup.
Cost: $20.00 - $40.00
Avg. Attendance 40 - 60
Rogers-Lowell Chamber Membership Required
Here's how it works: six networkers sit at a table and each gets two minutes to pitch their products and services. Then, we rotate to two other tables, doing this each time. That means at least 18 participants will know you exist by the end of this thing! The structure of this event makes it great for those new to networking – just memorize a 2 minute pitch and you're all set. (Also, the free lunch is actually pretty good!)
Attend an Open Call for Shark Tank! You will be given the opportunity to do a 1-minute pitch of your business/product/idea to a member of the Casting Team -- just like you would as if you were on the show.
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Limited Seating
Business executives share their vision in the intimate setting of 21c's Main Gallery. Questions may be submitted anonymously in advance.
Cost: $10.00 - $100.00
NWA TechFest is a for-geeks-by-geeks technology conference held each spring in Northwest Arkansas that brings the tech community together to learn from and interact with one another, as well as promote gender diversity in STEM, economic development opportunities for corporations, and education programs for students and teachers. Proceeds from each conference go to assist STEM-related initiatives in the Northwest Arkansas community. (The first 200 attendees to arrive will receive a free NWA TechFest t-shirt!)
Kyle Kellums of KUAF will facilitate an interview with Hosseini to discuss his life in writing and newest book "Sea Prayer," an illustrated book on the refugee crisis.
$15.00
This event is held each year in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer.
Members: $45 | Non-Members: $55
This celebration offers well-deserved recognition to small businesses for their achievements and contributions to our community by offering the opportunity to showcase their company, share their story and be rewarded for their efforts.
This is the largest and longest running job fair in Arkansas. This event is FREE to job seekers. Attendees are encouraged to bring their resumes to hand out to potential employers. And this is a perfect opportunities for employers to search for the right employees and get a head start on hiring needs for the year.
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 30
Fayetteville Chamber Membership Required
Complimentary breakfast, door prizes, and networking with members of the Fayetteville Chamber.
$120 for Team of 4
Compete and drink for charity! This signature sell out Miniature Golf Tournament promises to be the best one yet! Stay tuned for some new additions and surprises to be announced early 2019. Each team enjoys free beer, snacks, music and the chance to win prizes. The highlight of the night is the putt-off contest for the opportunity to win the coveted Mini-Masters Green Jacket. Proceeds benefit Open Avenues as they work to help people with disabilities right here in Northwest Arkansas by offering job and life skills training, onsite employment, job placement services and transportation.
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Cost: Team - $800.00 | Single - $200.00
Registration Required
This four-person scramble tournament is a fun way for Chamber members to come together, compete for prizes and network with other players. It’s a great way to treat yourself, reward company employees and say thank you to special clients on the golf course.
Players can test their skills in the hole-in-one, longest drive, closest-to-the-pin and putting contests. Prizes will be awarded for top finishing teams and individual contest winners. Each golfer will receive two complimentary adult beverage tickets, snacks, and non alcoholic beverages. Breakfast will be served for the morning golfers. Lunch will be provided to every golfer.
Members: $30 | Non-Members: $40
34 new people are moving to NWA each day, with Bentonville being one of the fastest growing cities. Investing in quality of life is vital to the growth of our community, there is no shortage of things to do in northwest Arkansas; where nature meets art, meets music, meets food, meets education; so on. These intersections are what make the region so unique. During this lunchtime discussion, you will hear from business representatives about the growth of Bentonville's education scene and how it impacts your business.
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Members: $30 | Non-Members: $40
34 new people are moving to NWA each day, with Bentonville being one of the fastest growing cities. Investing in quality of life is vital to the growth of our community, there is no shortage of things to do in northwest Arkansas; where nature meets art, meets music, meets food, meets education; so on. These intersections are what make the region so unique. (The topic for discussion is currently TBD - check back for updates!)
The event that celebrates local teachers who are making a big difference in the world. Teachers give our children so much and use their classrooms as the first steps in educating the next generation of workforce that will keep our businesses and our community thriving well into the future. Though we can never thank them enough, this event is an opportunity to let them know how much we appreciate all that they do.
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
$65 - $149
Avg. Attendance 1,500
The NWA Business Women's Conference is the premier women's conference in the region. Known for its outstanding keynote speakers and networking opportunities, more than 1,500 of northwest Arkansas' most accomplished business women attend the conference each year.
Cost: $100.00 - $150.00
Great developers aren’t just found in the Valley, or Seattle, or New York. They’re right here in Arkansas, in the heart of America. In the middle of “nowhere.” The name, Nowhere Developers, is our way of tipping our hats to all the incredible developer talent in our region. For this reason, our mission is to provide a platform for industry professionals to engage in top-notch, pure-tech events in the state of Arkansas.
The Nowhere Developers Conference will star local, regional, and national speakers that will talk about the state of technology, software engineering, machine learning, and our region’s technology ecosystem. The conference will feature various expert-led sessions tailored to our attendees technological interests. Local food will be provided to foster community and attendee interaction. Additionally, attendees can look forward to networking, appetizers, and drinks at the afterparty.
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Cost: TBD
Avg. Attendance 1,000
The Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit brings together small businesses, entrepreneurs, C-level executives, retail and suppliers, technology, academia and communication and social media professionals to celebrate technology, innovation and the power of digital in shaping our future. Forward-thinking and practitioner-driven general session speakers and high value breakout sessions deliver ways to effectively collaborate on innovative solutions to common business challenges and learn how technology is powering change and leveling the playing field.
Members: $30 | Non-Members: $40
34 new people are moving to NWA each day, with Bentonville being one of the fastest growing cities. Investing in quality of life is vital to the growth of our community, there is no shortage of things to do in northwest Arkansas; where nature meets art, meets music, meets food, meets education; so on. These intersections are what make the region so unique. During this lunchtime discussion, you will hear from business representatives about the growth of Bentonville's entreprenurial scene and how it impacts your business.
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!
Cost: Free
Gig Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. We like to get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. Our events are open to any 1099/contract worker in the 4-county Northwest Arkansas area! Even if you earn just a bit of income from self-employment/contract work, we want you to join us!