NETWORKING is important especially in the field of business, say events specialist Kim Beddoes.
She said the creation of her signature event Totolo Net Working was to give the opportunity to meet other people in business in a casual and interactive way.
She said the network was set up to attract young or young at heart people in business, from all industries.
She said TWE came about after she set up her Sports & Events Management business last year.
She said the SEM's core business was event management, equipment hire and wedding planning.
"Totolo Networking is a signature event managed by Sports & Events Management," she said.
"I run my company Sports & Events Management which I started in February last year.
"Networking is important for promoting my business, however as a small business, quite often you do not make it on to the invitation list of corporate cocktail parties.
"These two factors combined gave me the inspiration for Totolo Networking. Social networking through websites such as Facebook and My Space have huge memberships. As a result, I created a profile Fiji Bizz on Facebook and put a posting to say that once I had 300 "friends" I would create an actual event for people to "network in person" and not just online.
"The numbers exceeded this very quickly and continue to grow on a daily basis. The 450-plus mark was passed on Monday.
"The promotions for Totolo Networking have been done almost purely via Facebook and emails to see the power of online networking."
Ms Beddoes said the first Totolo Networking Event was held last week Thursday at Nadi Bay Hotel.
She said there was a good cross section of people from a variety of industries which was exactly what Totolo Networking hoped to achieve. She said from a business point of view and considering the hard times everyone was facing, Totolo Networking was not only enjoyable but it is also a great value for money at only $20 per person.