Networking in Berlin: where business owners actually meet

If you run a business in Berlin, the problem with networking is too much choice rather than too little. Almost every evening there is a meetup, a business breakfast or a reception somewhere. The formats differ a lot, though: in cost, in commitment and in who you will meet there. This overview helps you find the right fit.

Chambers: IHK and Handwerkskammer

The Berlin Chamber of Commerce (IHK Berlin) and the Chamber of Crafts (Handwerkskammer Berlin) run sector committees, expert events and receptions. Registered businesses and craft firms are members anyway, and taking part usually costs nothing extra. Their strength is subject matter: skilled labour, funding programmes or business succession. Personal contacts tend to happen on the sidelines rather than in the programme itself. Most events are in German.

Associations and clubs

The VBKI (Association of Berlin Merchants and Industrialists) has brought business owners and executives together since the 19th century, with working groups and large receptions. The Wirtschaftsjunioren Berlin are aimed at entrepreneurs and executives up to the age of 40. On top of that there are trade associations and service clubs such as Rotary or Lions. What they share is a membership fee and an admission process that usually runs through recommendation. In return you get a stable community that grows over the years.

Referral groups such as BNI

BNI runs fixed groups that meet every week, usually early in the morning. Each industry is represented only once per group, and members deliberately pass business to each other. It is binding and comes with a noticeable annual fee, but it can pay off if what you want is a predictable sales channel. How BNI differs from other networks is explained in our comparison of Berlin networks.

Open formats: ÜBERSTUNDE, Meetup and coworking events

ÜBERSTUNDE hosts networking evenings that you attend with a ticket or a club membership. Meetup has groups for founders, freelancers and individual industries, many of them in English. Coworking spaces such as betahaus regularly hold open evenings. These formats are ideal for meeting many people in a short time. Who you will see again next time, however, is largely chance.

Business owners’ regulars’ tables and local networks

In between are groups that meet regularly but have no fees and no fixed agenda. The [Berliner Netzwerk](/) is one of them: since 2001 it has met once a month in the evening at changing restaurants across Berlin. Around the table are owners, managing directors and senior managers of small and mid-sized companies from crafts, consulting, retail and many other industries. There is no pitch round, membership is free, and guests are welcome to drop in without obligation. Most evenings are in German, several a year are in English. The advantage of these groups: you see the same faces again, and over time a first conversation turns into trust.

Which network suits you?

Three questions help you decide:

• Are you looking for business or for exchange? Fixed referral groups are built for predictable referrals. For exchange, advice and long-term contacts, regulars’ tables, clubs and associations fit better.
• How much time do you want to invest? One meeting a week is a different thing from one a month. Commitment brings closeness, but it costs calendar space.
• Do you want to keep meeting new people, or the same ones again? Open events bring breadth, fixed groups bring depth.

Many business owners in Berlin belong to two networks: one with a professional focus, at the chamber or in an association, and a mixed one where they meet people from completely different industries.

The best way: just go

No overview replaces an evening in person. Most networks let guests take part once or twice without obligation. Use that before you commit. How to prepare for a first meetup is covered in our guide Your first networking evening.

The Berliner Netzwerk’s upcoming dates are on the website. Guests are welcome.