If you are looking for a fun and affordable way to spread the word about your business here in Northwest Arkansas, then bookmark this page today! Doc4 created this list of recurring networking groups in our region to help you find the best places to meet great contacts. For even more networking opportunities, check out our massive list of every B2B networking event in NWA. And if we've missed any events (or you spot one that needs a correction), shoot us an email at hello@doc4design.com.
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 5 - 15
This adorable little networking group is organized by Rick McLeod (with Farmers Insurance) and is attended mostly by folks working in and around downtown Rogers. This group is fairly small so you may not meet a ton of new connections, but the upshot is that you get plenty of time to really get to know everyone in the group. Plus there are free doughnuts (courtesy of Rick)!
Cost: Free
The Gig Community Coffee Socials are a monthly in-person gathering hosted by The Gig Community. Get together to bond over the unique triumphs and woes that being a gig worker bring. 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, you're welcome to join!
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 5 - 10
Super fun and lighthearted little group of networkers hosted by Philip Knight of Bankers Capital Funding. The core of this group has been meeting for years (decades?) and is mostly bankers/lenders of various kinds, but the event is 100% open to all. The group meets in the back of the restaurant, to the left of the bar – look for a couple of tables pushed together with a group of people laughing way too loud for 4:30 on a Tuesday...
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 15 - 30
Rogers-Lowell Chamber Membership Required
This is the Rogers-Lowell Chamber's monthly morning networking event and it is free to attend with a Chamber membership. The event is pretty a relaxed, 'drop-in' style event, hosted by a different sponsor each month.
Cost: Free
The Northwest Arkansas Developers Group is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the promotion, education, and adoption of technologies to develop applications and websites. NWADG strives to provide an environment for professionals to network in Northwest Arkansas to foster the free exchange of ideas and information. Monthly meetings generally include a presentation on the latest emerging technologies aimed at providing you practical skills you can apply immediately.
Cost: Free
Someone will let you in at the corner of Center and East
This is a laid back community of WordPress users and developers that meet once monthly to swap tips and tricks, share client horror stories, and have a few laughs. Great for getting WordPress questions answered and meeting new folks. Start time as well as the location changes occasionally, so check the Meetup page for the latest details before heading out!
Cost: Free
The goal of the Northwest Arkansas CocoaHeads group is to foster a local community of Cocoa developers in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas, Eastern Oklahoma, and Southwest Missouri. All are welcome, regardless of degree of experience or interest. All that's required is curiosity and one free night a month!
Cost: Free
Grow your network with dynamic business leaders in NE Benton County! Each month people from Pea Ridge, Bella Vista, Bentonville, and Rogers gather to build relationships and collaborate.
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 20 - 30
Central Referral Connection is a free weekly networking event for all Northwest Arkansas businesses, held at Golden Corral each Wednesday. It is open to both Chamber members and non-members. If your business wants to connect with business professionals in Northwest Arkansas, sponsoring this networking group is an ideal way to reach this audience.
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 5 - 15
Chamber Membership NOT Required
This is a relatively small group that has been meeting together for a long time. It is hosted by the nice folks at the Greater Bentonville Chamber, however, you don't have to be a Chamber member to attend. This group does not meet the 2nd Thursday of each month, so as not to conflict with the Bentonville Chamber's 'Caffeinate' event (formerly known as Morning Business Blast).
Cost: $2.00
Avg. Attendance 70 - 90
Chamber Membership Required
This is Northwest Arkansas' most heavily attended morning networking event, often with 75+ attendees – sometimes 100 or more! With so many networkers, it's almost impossible to not meet somebody new. Plus, with such a big group, the sponsors really pull out all the stops when it comes to door prizes and free giveaways, so make sure you get your business card in the hat!
Be sure to visit the Chamber's website often for updates as the following info may change frequently!
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 40 - 50
There are two great 'CRN' groups on Friday mornings – one in Fayetteville and the other in Rogers. This Fayetteville version is the biggest free and non-Chamber affiliated networking group in NWA, so you can meet a ton of folks at once, no strings attached. You can usually find Doc4 at the Rogers group since it is closer to home, but every once in a while we'll make the trek down to Fayetteville to say hello!
Cost: Free
Avg. Attendance 5 - 15
Business networking group that gathers to casually network around 8:15 and then round robin networking begins at 8:30. Free and open to any reputable business person and unaffiliated with any chamber of commerce and run by volunteers. Bring your business cards and your 60-second commercial!
Weekly networking and (no cost) sales training. Bold Networking says they do things a bit different than the other networking organizations – check out the link below to read more about what sets them apart.
Unclear if Chamber Membership is Required
Join the Bentonville Chamber team in enjoying Bentonville's amazing outdoor resources to recharge and reward yourself after a hard week of work. Build relationships, have open discussions about needs and opportunities in the community, economy, and your business. Meet at the Chamber offices at 11:30 a.m. every Friday and ride for an hour or so around the OZ Trails and connectors.
Cost: Free
Siloam Chamber Membership Required
You know the drill: coffee, networking, and door prizes... This event is held at a different Siloam Chamber member's location on the first Friday of each month so check the Siloam Chamber's website for locations.
Cost: $100.00 (Annually)
Membership Required
Masterminds of Biz is a professional networking group that offers business representatives the opportunity to grow through networking with other local businesses, thus building a sales team to extend their outreach through relationships. The 'MOB' Chapters form 'Industry Exclusive Groups', eliminating your competition for referrals within each group. Each group meets once per week where referrals are passed (and tracked!).
Cost: One-time ~$200 fee + ~$500/year
Membership Required
With over 240,000 members in 8,500-plus chapters worldwide, BNI is the world’s leading referral organization. The mission of BNI is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive, and professional referral marketing program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals. BNI is built on a set of guiding principles which form the foundation on which members interact, conduct themselves and fulfill their goals. There are 10 chapters in Northwest Arkansas (as of Summer 2019) so click the link below to find a chapter that's right for you!
Cost: Free
A get together with other Python enthusiasts and discuss Python in business, academia, and the web! Open to developers of all experience levels in all fields, from student web developers and veteran SciPy fanatics to those simply interested in learning more about programming with Python. Like most developer groups, the location and times can change pretty frequently, so be sure to check the Meetup page for the latest!
Cost: Free
This group is for anyone interested in the JavaScript programming language – all skill levels are welcome! The purpose of this group is to teach each other about new JavaScript technologies and meet other Northwest Arkansas developers. For the majority of meetups, we will follow a conference-style approach, where someone in the community will volunteer to present for 20-40 minutes on a particular topic. The remainder of the time will be reserved for socializing (and eating!).