The knowledge economy is fast being replaced with the networked economy. If we want job security or a meteoric career, building effective networks is one of the best ways of getting them. With so much to gain, then, what better place to hone these skills than at the CIPD conference in Harrogate?

But making the most of this breeding ground of ideas and connections isn’t always easy. If you’re like me, you probably hate the very idea of networking. Yet there’s no denying it’s good for us. A senior partner at a former management consulting firm was head of learning and development at a retail firm within two weeks of the former collapsing, simply through effective networking. Research even suggests it improves our health and well-being and can make us more intelligent by connecting us to a wealth of information and stimuli.