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
Coffee+E is a bi monthly morning networking event. The event gives entrepreneurs, creatives, inventors, and innovators a time to establish relationships and engage in some creative collisions. The guest speaker for this event will be Blake Puryear from Engine Ecommerce.
Cost: Free
Be inspired by real Intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs – hear their stories and learn how they got started, the challenges they faced and what made them who they are today. Featuring Brooke Spenser, Corporate Strategy (Walmart) and Kevin Oden, Emerging Tech (Walmart).
Cost: Free
Join the Woman-Run group – a resource for women entrepreneurs and inventors – to hear from Kourtney Barrett, founder of JUNK Brands.
Cost $20.00 (Free for Students)
Arkansas Attorney General, Leslie Rutledge and Former Colorado Attorney General, Cynthia Coffman will speak, with opening remarks by NWACC President, Dr. Evelyn E. Jorgenson and welcome message by Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman.
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.
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 300
The IdeaFame Live Contest, brought to you by Startup Junkie, is an event created to promote startups & new ideas, and to increase "creative collisions" in emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems. Come pitch your new business, product, service, or solution for a chance to win BIG! This event is open for anyone to attend! Bring your co-founders, friends, family, fiancé – anyone! (Attendees vote for the $1000 People’s Choice Prize.)
The competition is open to entrepreneurs, innovators, and dreamers who want to share their idea for a chance to win $1,000! You have 60 seconds to pitch your idea, no more. No slides. No notes. Only one contestant can speak per pitch.
Cost: Free
Be inspired by real Intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs – hear their stories and learn how they got started, the challenges they faced and what made them who they are today. Featuring Erin Tilley, Human-centered Designer (Tyson).
Membership + Registration Required
Join WIN for a fun come and go after hours event! Food and drinks provided. A perfect opportunity to connect with other business professionals in NWA.
$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.
Four representatives of local client/owners form a panel discussion in which topics like procurement, project management, sales, and capital improvement plans are discussed. Join SMPS Ozarks for lunch and get insight from decision makers in the industries that they pursue, as well as learn first-hand trends and practices that impact these companies and positions.
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 30
Fayetteville Chamber Membership Required
Complimentary breakfast, door prizes, and networking with members of the Fayetteville Chamber.
Cost: Free
Pecha Kucha is the Japanese word for chit-chat that describes a presentation style in which a speaker shares 20 slides on a topic of their choice for 20 seconds per slide. In simplest terms, a PK is like a party where the presentations are the game - fun, social, but often informative and interesting. Food + beverages provided. All are welcome.
Chamber Membership + WalStreet Membership Required
The Bentonville Chamber's WalStreet Speaker Series provides opportunities for Walmart and Sam’s Club executives to engage with front-line supplier employees. Clint Gill, SVP / GMM Grocery at Sam's Club, will be the speaker for this event.
$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.
This informal event being put on by both the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber and the Bentonville Chamber to 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: Free
This month, leisurlist After 5 is hosting the Springdale Bike to Work after party at Black Apple Crossing! BikeNWA will be hosting e-bike demos during the party, and as always, the first drink is on leisurlist for the first 100 people! Come alone or come with friends and hang out with us to meet like-minded yopros along the way! All you need to do is register for your free ticket, show up and make friends – it's that easy!
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
Membership Required; Please RSVP
All Chamber members, volunteers, committee members, board members and special friends are invited to the Chamber Picnic. Each year, Chamber members provide hours of community service, give discounts on goods needed for Chamber programs and donate everything from snacks to door prizes for Chamber events. The Chamber staff would like to show its gratitude for all of these little things (and big things, too) and express appreciation to the Chamber’s friends and family. Come enjoy some delicious food and have some fun with your Chamber staff!
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.
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!
The Business After Hours business-building networking event keeps growing in popularity, with close to 100 business networkers attending on average at each event. One of the main reasons is that you get to mix and mingle with other Northwest Arkansas business professionals and find out what other businesses have to offer. This event is Presented by Chambers Bank and Cherokee Casino & Hotel and Hosted by House of Webster and Indigo Sky Casino at the Rogers Experimental House. It's a fun way to make new contacts, generate business leads, and find new vendors!
Chamber Membership + WalStreet Membership Required
The Bentonville Chamber's WalStreet Speaker Series provides opportunities for Walmart and Sam’s Club executives to engage with front-line supplier employees. Monique Picou, SVP Flow & Fashion Supply Chain at Walmart US, will be the featured speaker for this event.
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!
The Business After Hours business-building networking event keeps growing in popularity, with close to 100 business networkers attending on average at each event. One of the main reasons is that you get to mix and mingle with other Northwest Arkansas business professionals and find out what other businesses have to offer. It's a fun way to make new contacts, generate business leads, and find new vendors!
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!)
Tables: $80.00 Members | $110.00 Non-Members; Individual cost has not been posted
Check back soon for more details!
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.
The Business After Hours business-building networking event keeps growing in popularity, with close to 100 business networkers attending on average at each event. One of the main reasons is that you get to mix and mingle with other Northwest Arkansas business professionals and find out what other businesses have to offer. It's a fun way to make new contacts, generate business leads, and find new vendors!
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: 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: $30.00 - $40.00
Avg. Attendance 40 - 60
Rogers-Lowell Chamber Membership Required
This may be the best networking bang for your networking buck! Six business representatives sit at a table and each participant at the table has two minutes to promote their products and services. Then, we rotate to two other tables and rinse and repeat, which means you get to network with at least 18 participants. That's a lot of networking! So be sure to bring plenty of business cards, brochures, product samples, and promo items to hand out.
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.
Chamber Membership + WalStreet Membership Required
The Bentonville Chamber's WalStreet Speaker Series provides opportunities for Walmart and Sam’s Club executives to engage with front-line supplier employees. Steve Breen, SVP Merchandising at Walmart, will be the speaker for this event.
Team Cost: $350.00 Members | $450 Non-Members
Registration Required
This is a fun opportunity to engage with others in the community, promote your business and encourage economic development of the area through networking. This event is open to both Main Street, WalStreet and non Chamber members. In addition to golf, there are also various sponsorship packages available offering you the opportunity to promote exposure for your brand in a relaxed environment.
$20.00
Avg. Attendance 150 - 300
GiveCamp is a weekend-long event where technology professionals and creatives including designers, developers, database administrators, marketers, content creators, and web strategists donate their time to provide technology solutions for non-profit organizations. We have volunteers who come to Northwest Arkansas from all over the state to make a major difference for the weekend!
Cost: Team - $400.00
Rogers-Lowell Chamber Membership Required
Back for its third year, this popular event offers members a unique and fun opportunity to network with other business professionals and conduct business on the range at Gunsmoke Sporting Clays in Garfield. Sponsors may invite special customers/clients to join them as a gesture of thanks or reward employees with a day of team building. Shooters receive continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, ammo, goodie bags and beverages. Experienced and novice shooters alike are welcome!
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!
Free with Chamber Membership
Membership Required; Registration Not Required
This month's Business After Hours features "Networking with a Purpose," a nonprofit showcase hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders and the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. This event is set up so you can meet and network with contacts from a variety of local nonprofit organizations. You'll find out how you can volunteer and contribute, learn what services are provided by nonprofits, and discover what products and services these organizations need.
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: $30.00 - $40.00
Avg. Attendance 40 - 60
Rogers-Lowell Chamber Membership Required
This may be the best networking bang for your networking buck! Six business representatives sit at a table and each participant at the table has two minutes to promote their products and services. Then, we rotate to two other tables and rinse and repeat, which means you get to network with at least 18 participants. That's a lot of networking! So be sure to bring plenty of business cards, brochures, product samples, and promo items to hand out.
This informal event being put on by both the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber and the Bentonville Chamber to 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.
Chamber Membership + WalStreet Membership Required
The Bentonville Chamber's WalStreet Speaker Series provides opportunities for Walmart and Sam’s Club executives to engage with front-line supplier employees. Simon Belsham, President at Jet.com, will be the speaker for this event.
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!
The Business After Hours business-building networking event keeps growing in popularity, with close to 100 business networkers attending on average at each event. One of the main reasons is that you get to mix and mingle with other Northwest Arkansas business professionals and find out what other businesses have to offer. It's a fun way to make new contacts, generate business leads, and find new vendors!