Beyond Small Talk: How to Network with Purpose

Hosted by Creative Edinburgh, Creative Circles runs every month.

This event is a free, casual monthly meetup for creatives, techies, makers, students, freelance folk and everyone in between who is interested in discovering more about what's happening in Edinburgh. Take a break from work, share ideas and advice, make new connections, and find your next collaborator.

Creative Circles is a free event which is open to anyone to attend.

June's Conversation - Beyond Small Talk: How to Network with Purpose

Networking can often feel challenging or daunting, but it shouldn’t stop you from building meaningful connections. For Creative Circles in June, we are excited to be working in partnership with The Melting Pot. Their CEO, Helen Denny, will be our guest speaker. Drawing on over 20 years of experience building communities and connections, Helen will share what she's learned about what makes networking really work - and what gets in the way.

Helen will share:

• Why networking matters and how to identify your personal "why"
• The four networking archetypes (and which one to aim for)
• Simple, practical techniques to have better conversations
• Why the follow-up is just as important as the event itself

This is a judgement-free space - wherever you’re starting from you’ll find support here.

This event will be held at The Melting Pot, in The Commons Space (ground floor).

About Our Speaker

Helen Denny

Helen Denny is an entrepreneurial and empathetic leader with 20+ years' experience across sectors, and CEO of The Melting Pot, Scotland's Centre for Social Innovation, since 2021.

Based in Edinburgh, Helen leads one of Scotland's most distinctive social enterprises: a coworking community, social innovation incubator, and national network builder all in one. Under her leadership, The Melting Pot has grown its reach significantly, most notably through Connected Hubs Scotland, a national alliance of 30+ independent coworking hubs spanning urban, rural, and island communities.

Helen is a passionate advocate for the power of human connection in building thriving economies and communities. She knows first-hand that the best networks are not just professional contact lists; they are ecosystems of trust, mutual support, and shared purpose. Through programmes like Good Ideas, Enterprise in Place, and the Bridging Communities series, she has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs, innovators, and community changemakers find their people and grow their ideas.

Before joining The Melting Pot, Helen ran her own social business, Not9to5, supporting individuals and organisations to navigate the changing world of work. She has been a member of The Melting Pot's own coworking community since 2016, and brings a deeply personal understanding of what it means to build a career through community.

How are we making sure this event is accessible?

If you have any access requirements, please let us know during registration or contact us directly, and we will do our very best to help. Unfortunately, there won't be a BSL interpreter present at the event.

Getting to The Melting Pot - The Commons Space

The Melting Pot is situated in the heart of Edinburgh city which means there are several ways you can reach the venue. It is a 3-minute walk from Waverley Train Station and a 5-minute walk from the closest bus stop on Waterloo Place. The main entrance is located on the ground floor where The Commons space is located. If you require wheelchair access to the ground floor, please let the Creative Edinburgh team know in advance so wheelchair ramps can be placed at the main entrance on the day. An accessible toilet is available on ground floor level.

Read more about the accessibility of the venue here.

About Creative Edinburgh

Creative Edinburgh is a registered Scottish Charity (SC052838) committed to helping creatives thrive. Through events, career support and advocacy, we bring together and help grow the city’s creative community, providing a space for creation, collaboration and connection at every stage of your career. Creative Edinburgh is supported by Creative Scotland as a recipient of Multi-Year Funding (MYF).

Code of Conduct

Creative Edinburgh is committed to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone. Across all our activities and channels we ask participants to respect the Code of Conduct.

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