Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

JCI or BNI membership

Options
  • 02-10-2012 9:14pm
    #1
    Ron09
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 13 ✭


    Thinking about joining a local JCI group or a BNI group. Like the idea of networking and both organisations sound good. Has anyone experience of either? Would you recommend joining??
    Tagged:


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    RUDOLF289
    Registered Users Posts: 794 ✭✭✭RUDOLF289


    Ron09 wrote: »
    Thinking about joining a local JCI group or a BNI group. Like the idea of networking and both organisations sound good. Has anyone experience of either? Would you recommend joining??

    Hello Ron09,

    I am a member of BNI in the Cork City Chapter, which is one of the oldest and most successful chapters in Ireland. My experience has been very positive. BNI has a well thought out concept. It takes some getting used to and some of the obligations in BNI may sound and feel like pressure. However, if you can embrace the concept (and they do provide excellent training), the rewards will be significant. In the process you will actually end up making long terms friends. So based on my experience, I would say go for BNI.


  • Options
    #3
    mneylon
    Registered Users Posts: 7,739 ✭✭✭mneylon


    I think a lot will depend on what sector you're in

    From my experience with BNI in Carlow I could see that the accountants / solicitors and architects did well out of it

    We didn't and it was a total waste of time and money for us

    Blog | Tweets



  • Options
    #4
    HellFireClub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,912 ✭✭✭HellFireClub


    I attended a BNI meeting as a guest within the last 12 months. I had previously attended a BNI meeting in another part of the country back around 2007. I couldn't help but notice that the annual membership fee of 600 Euro hadn't changed, notwithstanding us now being in our 4th year of this recession. My margins are squeezed down to the bone, everything has been cut and I think it's just not good enough in these times to be looking for 600 Euro a year membership in the boom times, and then to be still looking for the same membership fee 4 years into an unprecedented recession.

    There might be value in it at 200-300 Euro membership a year, it might even be worth trying for that price, but at 600 quid a year, not a chance, given that it might not even work for your particular business and it could be 600 Euro down the drain. In fact, if you look at the total costs, 10 Euro a week to attend, (ok, I wouldn't have a problem finding that!), but when you add (10 * 52) = 520 Euro, on top of what I would consider to be a prohibitive cost of 600 Euro a year (EX VAT by the way!), I wouldn't bother with it.

    If they snapped out of it and got real with the pricing, 4 years into a recession, then maybe...


  • Options
    #5
    SQ2
    Registered Users Posts: 789 ✭✭✭SQ2


    Plenty of free networking around, have a look on linked in, or keep an eye out for #smecommunity on twitter. See if your local chamber of commerce has networking also. BNI doesn't work for everyone.


Advertisement