Virtual vs In Person What Actually Worked for Kent Businesses in 2025

Virtual vs In-Person: What Actually Worked for Kent Businesses in 2025?

Remember 2020 when we all thought Zoom networking was temporary? When we told ourselves “as soon as things get back to normal, we’ll all be back in person”?

Well, what happened next turned out to be interesting.

In-person networking came roaring back. The breakfast meetings were packed. The evening socials were buzzing. Canterbury, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells – all the usual spots were full of business owners shaking hands and swapping business cards again.

But here’s the thing. Virtual networking didn’t disappear. Not even close.

Some Kent business owners spent 2025 doing most of their networking online. Others ditched virtual completely and went back to face-to-face only. And plenty did a mix of both.

So what actually worked? Let’s look at what happened on the ground last year.

The Case for In-Person Networking

In-person networking has made a massive comeback, and there were solid reasons why.

Real Connections Happened Faster

You could read someone’s body language. You could have a proper conversation without worrying about WiFi cutting out. You could actually remember people because you’d shaken their hand and looked them in the eye.

There was something about being in the same room that sped up relationship building. A 10-minute chat over coffee at a Maidstone breakfast meeting beat three Zoom calls for actually getting to know someone.

You Couldn’t Hide Behind Your Screen

Virtual events made it easy to be passive. Camera off. Lurking in the chat. Half paying attention while checking emails.

In-person? You were there. You were present. You had to engage. And that was actually a good thing because engagement was what led to opportunities.

The Serendipity Factor

Some of the best networking happened in the margins. The person you chatted to in the queue for coffee. The conversation that started because you were both looking for the toilets. The table you ended up sitting at by accident.

You didn’t get that on Zoom. Everyone stayed in their little boxes. There was no wandering. No accidental connections.

It Was More Memorable

Think about the networking events from last year. Which ones do you remember clearly? Probably the in-person ones, right?

There was something about physical presence that made people stick in your memory. You remembered where you were standing. What they looked like. The vibe of the conversation.

Virtual events all blurred into one after a while. Same screen. Same format. Hard to distinguish one from another.

The Case for Virtual Networking

But virtual networking still had genuine advantages throughout 2025 that shouldn’t be ignored.

Zero Travel Time

This was massive. A breakfast meeting in Canterbury meant leaving your house at 6:45am and getting back at 9:30am. That was nearly three hours out of your day.

A virtual breakfast meeting? You rolled out of bed at 7:55am, joined the Zoom at 8am, and you were done by 9am. Back at your desk with a coffee, ready to work.

For busy business owners, that time saving was huge. You could network more frequently because you weren’t losing half a day to travel.

Access to Different People

In-person networking in Kent tended to attract people from Kent. Made sense.

But virtual networking opened things up. You could join a marketing meetup with people from across the UK. Connect with specialists in your industry who weren’t local. Build relationships with people you’d never meet at a Canterbury breakfast club.

Geographic limitations disappeared. That mattered for some businesses more than others, but it was definitely an advantage.

Lower Pressure for Introverts

Not everyone found in-person networking easy. Walking into a room full of strangers was genuinely stressful for lots of people.

Virtual events were less intimidating. You could join from your own home. You didn’t have to work the room. You could take breaks without it being obvious. The pressure was lower.

Some business owners who struggled with in-person networking found their groove with virtual events in 2025. They were more comfortable, more confident, and actually networked more effectively than they ever did face-to-face.

It Was Cheaper

Most virtual networking events were free or very cheap. No travel costs. No parking fees. No £25 for a bacon sandwich and coffee.

If you were just starting out or watching your budget carefully, virtual networking gave you access to opportunities without the financial barrier.

What Actually Worked in 2025

Right, so both had advantages. But what did Kent business owners actually do? What delivered results?

The Hybrid Approach

Most successful networkers didn’t do one or the other exclusively. They mixed it up.

Regular in-person events for the relationships that mattered most. Virtual events for wider connections, learning, or when time was tight.

A typical month looked like: two in-person events (maybe a breakfast meeting and an evening social) plus two or three virtual events (industry meetups, webinars, online networking sessions).

This gave people the depth of in-person connection plus the breadth and convenience of virtual. Best of both worlds.

In-Person for Building, Virtual for Maintaining

Here’s a pattern that worked well. People used in-person events to meet new people and build initial relationships. Then used virtual check-ins to maintain those relationships.

Meet someone at a Tunbridge Wells networking event. Have a great chat. Connect on LinkedIn. Then a month later, catch up on a quick Zoom coffee.

The in-person meeting established the connection. The virtual follow-up kept it alive without either of you having to travel.

Industry Mattered

Some industries went back to almost entirely in-person. Construction, hospitality, trades – these sectors were networking face-to-face again.

Other industries, particularly tech and creative services, kept a lot of virtual networking in their mix. It suited their working style and their client base.

The businesses that thought about their industry and where their ideal clients were made better decisions. If clients were all back at in-person events, that’s where they needed to be. If clients were still comfortable with virtual, it made sense to keep doing it.

Event Quality Over Format

Here’s what became clear in 2025. A good virtual event beat a rubbish in-person one.

Format mattered less than quality. Was the event well organized? Were the right people there? Was there a proper follow-up system?

A well-run virtual networking session with engaged participants and good structure delivered better results than a chaotic in-person event where nobody talked to each other.

The smart business owners chose based on whether the event was actually good at helping people connect, not just the format.

The Downsides of Each

Let’s be honest about what didn’t work.

Virtual Fatigue Was Real

By 2025, we were all a bit tired of staring at screens. Zoom fatigue was still a thing. Back-to-back virtual meetings were exhausting in a different way to back-to-back in-person meetings.

If you did too much virtual networking, you burned out on it. The novelty had worn off. The enthusiasm had faded. Variety was needed.

In-Person Required More Commitment

You could bail on a virtual event at the last minute with barely any consequences. You couldn’t really do that with in-person.

In-person networking required more planning, more commitment, and more energy. That was good in some ways (kept people engaged) but it also meant people did it less frequently.

What the Data Showed

Looking back at 2025, the businesses that grew through networking were the ones that were flexible.

They tried both formats. They didn’t rigidly stick to one approach. They used in-person when deep relationships mattered. They used virtual when convenience or reach was the priority.

The businesses that struggled were often the ones who went all-in on one format and ignored the other. Either they were “virtual only” and missed out on the stronger connections that came from face-to-face. Or they were “in-person only” and missed opportunities to connect with people outside their immediate area.

What to Take Into 2026

Based on what worked in 2025, here’s what makes sense going forward:

Don’t choose sides. Both formats work. Use both where they make sense.

Track your results. Pay attention to which events led to actual opportunities last year. Do more of what worked.

Be strategic. Use in-person for your core networking where deep relationships matter. Use virtual for topping up or accessing wider networks.

Quality over quantity. One good in-person event beats three mediocre virtual ones. One valuable virtual connection beats five forgettable in-person chats.

The Bottom Line

2025 proved there’s no universal right answer. Virtual and in-person networking both worked. They just worked differently.

The businesses that did well at networking last year weren’t the ones rigidly sticking to “virtual only” or “in-person only.” They were the ones being flexible, trying both, and using whichever format helped them build the relationships they needed.

That’s probably the approach worth taking into 2026 as well.

Looking for both virtual and in-person networking opportunities in Kent? Our local networking events calendar shows you what’s coming up, whether it’s online or face-to-face, so you can plan your networking around what works for you.

Author: Kent Business Events