Photograph: https://www.facebook.com/IntrepidBNI

An early start was well worth it this morning as Luxe3D attended BNI Intrepid Cardiff at Whitchurch Golf Club for the first time.

Starting at 6:45am and running until almost 9:00am, the meeting brought together more than 30 local business owners and professionals from a remarkably wide range of industries.

As a first-time visitor representing Luxe3D, I was also given the opportunity to introduce myself and explain what we do in 3D design and architectural visualisation. Each person in the room had a short opportunity to introduce their business, which made for a fast-paced and genuinely interesting way of discovering the expertise represented within the group.

What struck me most, however, was that the morning didn't feel like people simply turning up to sell to one another. There was a genuine sense of community, familiarity and support in the room.

This week's feature speaker: Michelle Barber

The feature presentation came from Michelle Barber of The Gray House Lettings & Property Management (www.thegrayhouse.co.uk), who was given an extended opportunity to talk about her business, the property market and the support she provides to landlords.

Michelle has more than 20 years of experience in residential lettings. And The Gray House is an independently owned Cardiff letting and property management business.

Her presentation was one of the highlights of the morning. It was natural, engaging and clearly delivered by someone with a genuine passion for what she does.

It was also particularly interesting from Luxe3D's perspective. Property sits very close to the world of architectural visualisation, and hearing directly from professionals working elsewhere in the property sector provides a different perspective on the challenges faced by landlords, agents and their clients.

And this week's Oscar goes to Phil Grunewald

Congratulations also went to Phil Grunewald of AVA Fire & Security, who picked up this week's BNI Intrepid Oscar for his memorable and (importantly) specific short business pitch.

One of the interesting lessons from the meeting was that a good introduction isn't about trying to explain absolutely everything your company can do in less than a minute.

It is about being clear, memorable and specific enough that everyone else in the room knows what to listen out for when they're speaking to their own customers and contacts.

Phil did exactly that. Congratulations Phil and enjoy the Oscar (until next week)!

More than business referrals

Another part of this week's meeting demonstrated something that became increasingly apparent throughout the morning: BNI Intrepid isn't solely about generating business.

To mark National Food Bank Day, the chapter collected donations in support of Taff-Ely Foodbank.

Taff-Ely Foodbank provides emergency food and support to people throughout the Taff-Ely area and operates seven centres across the community. (Taff-Ely Foodbank) Its latest published needs include essentials ranging from long-life milk and tinned vegetables to soup, fruit and meat. (Taff-Ely Foodbank)

Seeing the chapter use the strength of its network to support a local organisation was an important reminder that business networking can be about much more than referrals and growing our individual companies.

It's also about community, supporting others and using the collective strength of a network to make a positive difference where we can.

Small contributions become considerably more meaningful when a group comes together behind them.

Some great people and businesses

One of the biggest benefits of the morning was simply meeting people from industries that I would not ordinarily encounter during a typical working day.

A special thank you goes to Seamus Sullivan of Utility Warehouse, who was one of the first people to welcome me into the room and immediately made a first-time visitor feel at ease. Seamus has been a Utility Warehouse Partner for 16 years. (Utility Warehouse)

It was also a pleasure speaking with Chris McCarthy of TES Interiors. TES works in commercial and residential fit-out and refurbishment and is the company's Operations and Client Manager. (TES Interiors)

And there was a genuine small-world moment when I saw Jonathan Davies of Glenside Printing in the room. Jonathan and Glenside already have a connection with Luxe3D, having produced our business cards, so discovering that he had recently joined Intrepid was a very pleasant surprise. (LinkedIn)

I also had the opportunity to meet Ben Cooke from South Wales Safety, and we managed to exchange a few words about 3D visualisation towards the end of the meeting.

Connections we didn't quite manage to make

With more than 30 people in one room and a packed morning, it simply wasn't possible to have a proper conversation with everybody.

There were several businesses I would particularly have liked to learn more about.

Andy Mackinson of Seriously works in marketing, an area where there is potentially an interesting crossover with CGI, animation and visual content.

Daniel Harris of Focus Shift Films works in film and video production. Focus Shift is a BAFTA Cymru-nominated South Wales production company whose portfolio includes work with organisations including Cardiff City FC, Sport Wales and Motor Plus. (focusshiftfilms.com) The potential crossover between live-action filmmaking and CGI is an obvious and exciting one.

Siân Roberts of Expose Photography Wales brings more than ten years of professional photography experience and works with both families and businesses across South Wales. (Expose Photography).

and Adam Shephard of Trade Price Aluminium works in another sector closely connected with the built environment, supplying aluminium bifold doors, sliding doors, windows and roof lanterns to trade and public customers. (LinkedIn)

A very positive first BNI experience

I went into my first BNI meeting not entirely knowing what to expect.

I left almost two and a half hours later with an extremely positive impression.

Being able to introduce Luxe3D to a room containing professionals from construction, property, marketing, technology, photography, video production and many other sectors was valuable in itself. But the conversations around the meeting were arguably even more valuable.

For a business such as Luxe3D, relationships with architects, developers and interior designers will always be important. What BNI demonstrated this morning is that a valuable professional network can extend much further than the obvious connections.

Thank you to Michelle, Seamus, Chris, Stuart, Jonathan, Ben and everyone at BNI Intrepid for making a first-time visitor feel so welcome.

We look forward to building on the relationships made this morning, learning more about the businesses behind them and seeing where those connections may lead in the future.

For any local business owner who has considered visiting a networking group but hasn't yet taken the plunge, based on my experience this morning, BNI Intrepid Cardiff is certainly worth experiencing for yourself. Highly recommended.