Hello! Do you work in PR / marketing / design / digital or something equally marcommy? Want to meet new clients, employers, suppliers or like-minded drinking buddies? Us too.

Whether you’re freelance or in-house, big brand or small startup, we’d love you to come to the Pollen networking event: a night of mingling, drinking & sharing ideas.

We’re Bloodybigspider, a small design & copywriting agency in Whitechapel, and we were hunting for a networking event that didn’t feel too formal or structured. There weren’t many around, so we started our own.

It’s taking place downstairs at The Finery pub, near Oxford Circus tube, and entry’s FREE so you’ve got nothing to lose! Not enough of an incentive? Alright, here’s why you should come:

• No guest speakers or presentations to sit through, just a roomful of industry folk swapping stories and business cards over a drink (although Steve might say a few words after a beer or two)

• Speaking of booze, we’re popping some cash behind the bar, but once it’s gone it’s gone so get there early and take advantage of our hospitality

• We reckon everyone will get something great out of the evening. Whether it’s bagging new business, talking yourself into the job of your dreams or adding a few numbers to your ’90s Rolodex (or iPhone contacts, whatever), we hope you won’t leave empty-handed.

So bring friends, colleagues, your boss (unless you’re job hunting..) and spread the word. The more the merrier – but just be sure to register so we know you’re coming. There’s limited space and we don’t want to turn anyone away.

#Pollen2016

Got a question? We’ve got the answer, probably:

Who can I contact with questions?

Drop me an email on stephen@bloodybigspider.com

Is my registration/ticket transferrable? 

If you can’t come and want to send somebody in your place, that’s fine! But as it’s so easy to sign up, they might as well put themselves on the list – registration will be open until ten minutes before the event.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

Nah, we’ll have a fancy guestlist system (clipboard and pen) on the night so just give us your name and in you go.

This sounds like a good event but I *hate* talking to strangers and bigging myself up.

Hey, we know how hard it is to walk up to someone new and say hi. But guess what? Everybody at Pollen will be there for the same reason: to meet people. If you approach someone and they roll their eyes and walk off, they’re at the wrong event so they lose. We’ll have a little (optional) activity to help get the ball rolling if you need it, plus you can drop us an email beforehand and we’ll put you in touch with an attendee we think you should meet, so you’ve already got somebody to look out for when you arrive. You can also chat to other attendees in advance using #Pollen2016 on Twitter. And if you end up frozen in the middle of the room too terrified to talk to anyone, just shout ‘STEVE!’ and he’ll rescue you.

Bloodybigwhat and why? 

Stephen Holmes is creative director of Bloodybigspider, a design agency that’s been going for about 11 years. Building the agency up from nothing (starting from his bedroom), Steve’s been to a heck of a lot of networking events and thinks he knows what makes a good one. Siobhan O’Brien Holmes is (as you might have guessed from the surname) Steve’s wife and Bloodybigspider copywriter. You’ll also meet our designer Laura Callaghan (she’ll be on the door saying hello when you arrive) and designer Lauren Forrester who has been appointed official Pollen photographer for the night. The Bloodybigspider crew love meeting new people (particularly over a pint or house white) so really it’s an excuse for a fun evening where they might get to forge some new friendships and working relationships.

Of course the point of the event is for you to get something out of it too, and hearing your success stories after the event is what will really make the night worthwhile for us.