IndieFolio Blog

Top Networking Events that Indian freelancers Shouldn’t Overlook

Freelancers don’t have the luxury that those with a stable job possess, of having enough work to be occupied everyday. When not working, freelancers are always on the hunt for new projects. This is why networking is one of the most important tasks for a freelancer.

While posting online on freelance websites and referrals will get you some work, we can’t stress enough on how important networking and collaborating is for a freelancer. The best way to land new business and sustain being your own boss is through word of mouth and building personal relationships. Networking gets you jobs. Make sure people know you are a freelancer and that you’re available. The benefits of networking will start adding up quickly.

Not only will networking get you new gigs, meeting other freelancers at networking events also widens your circle. You may meet other freelancers who you may be keen to collaborate with or may in handy if there’s a project which requires a skill set which you do not yet possess. Networking events are also a great way to improve oneself. Many events feature talks and discussions centered around ideas that are relevant to today’s freelancers and participating in the same can lead to fresh ideas entering your mind.

While there are too many events taking place for us to even list all those which are happening in any one particular week, here are some of the biggest events in India for creative professionals:

 

The Advertising Club Events

The Advertising Club (Formerly Advertising Club Bombay) is a dynamic platform for professionals and students from the Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication fraternity to gain from each other’s expertise. Founded in 1954, it has become a catalyst in developing the industry by organising seminars, workshops and events enabling professionals and students to interact.

It is the organizer of the some of the pre-eminent events of the industry like – ABBYs, EFFIEs, EMVIEs and the annual Ad Review. It also hosts the M.Ad QUIZ, Screening of Cannes and Clio awards and conducts various educational workshops. These are some great events for you to meet and greet with the industries finest professionals. Learn more about The Advertising Club Membership here.

 

CII Design Excellence Awards

The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, playing a proactive role in India’s development process. The CII firmly believe that good design can help our nation solve problems and help take our nation forward. In its endeavour to establish design as a tool for national competitiveness, CII initiated the “CII Design Excellence Awards” in 2011. As the awards have grown year on year they have become a must visit for all designers and freelancers.

Click here to learn more about the CII Design Excellence Awards and how to apply for the same.

 

The Coalition

The Coalition brings together India’s creative community over a weekend unlike any other in the region. With 300 industry leaders and innovators from across 13 creative streams (including music, content creation, food, and fashion) and a growing number of aspiring creative entrepreneurs and professionals in attendance, The Coalition has become a place for people to learn from and interact with some of the brightest creative minds from across the world and has helped take their businesses and ideas forward.

Follow them on their facebook and twitter pages to learn more about when the next edition will be held.

 

Creative Mornings

Started by illustrator-designer Tina Roth Eisenberg in NYC, CreativeMornings is a monthly community series that is spread in 177 cities across the world. At each of these meetups, there is a face-to-face interaction of like-minded or even dissimilar creatives in a city, to help get to know each other better, to network, to inspire each other and to celebrate the creative community.

It is a fully volunteer-run project, and although the event is free to all, you must register online for it. The event usually happens on a Friday, The registrations open up a week in advance, and the news is usually up on the Facebook page. Here are the pages for Mumbai and Bengaluru.

 

Design Fabric Festival

Held for the first time in 2018, Design Fabric Festival was India’s first multi-discipliniary design festival.
The festival took place over three days and featured some of the biggest International and Indian artists & designers from across the design community. Along with an engaging series of talks from industry leaders, there were numerous artist-led workshops, exhibits, panel discussions, networking events and parties held across the city which were open to all.Their aim is to raise the standards of the fast growing Indian design industry to the global standard whilst developing a diverse but close-knit community of students, professionals and enthusiasts from across different disciplines of art and design. Follow them here to be updated about their next edition.

 

DesignUp

DesignUp is India’s go-to conference for design-in-tech and design-for-tech. It sits happily at the intersection of design, tech and business – embracing areas such as UI & UX, interaction design, user research and design thinking. DesignUp is focused on startups and enterprises – seeking to see how they leverage on design as a competency. It has featured a wide variety of speakers and continues to be strong in building community connects.

They have plenty of events planned across the year. Follow them here to be updated on the same.

 

Goafest

Goafest has been at the center of celebrating transformational brand stories and fostering the media and entertainment industry’s growth for decades. An initiative of the AAAI and The Advertising Club, Goafest has grown to become India’s only South Asian advertising festival. A three day fiesta replete with awards, talks, masterclasses and a whole lot of networking.

Follow Goafest here to stay updated on their next edition.

Kyoorius Designyatra

Kyoorius is a not-for-profit organisation that celebrates all aspects of creative communication and marketing. Since 2006, they have provided a platform to empower and sustain the creative industry in India, and secure its rightful place in shaping the growth of the country. Designyatra is one of the foremost international design conferences, drawing together creative minds from all over the world. It has been attended by over 16500 delegates from across Asia and has featured some of the biggest names in global creative and communications industry.

Follow them on their website or on twitter to stay updated about the next Designyatra.

 

IndieFolio Events

IndieFolio, the largest online market-network for creative professionals also hosts lots of events, workshops and contests all over India. With four different event formats such as masterclasses, collaborations, portfolio days and creator conversations; there is going to be something for everyone.
With events having taken place all over the country you’re never going to be too far away from an IndieFolio event. You can follow them here or visit their events page itself to learn more about upcoming events.

One last thing…

When it comes to offline networking, while it is natural to attend events that are in line with your interests as a freelancer you also want to go to events where your ideal clients are hanging out. That means if you’re a writer for digital marketing companies, you want to be going to marketing events. Or if you’re a graphic designer specializing in branding, you want to be visiting events for new start ups who may be in need of your skills.
Lastly, the above is not an exhaustive list of all events happening in India. There are plenty of events taking place all over the country where you may just find your next client, or a like-minded freelancer that you create your next big project with. Stay keyed on Facebook, check your local newspapers and keep refreshing on websites such as MeetUp for updates on events near you.
Keep exploring and don’t stop networking, you never know what you may find!