We’ve just been to this morning’s inaugural meeting of Liverpool’s chapter of the CreativeCoffee Club.

This informal and chatty event was part of a wider, global network of meetings. Its aims are to introduce creative ways of working and thinking and to provide a place for business people, academics, teachers, public sector workers and managers to network, exchange ideas and discuss how to foster creativity and innovation.

This morning’s event was attended by people from a wide range of sectors: business; academic; music; art; tourism and game design, to name but a few. We talked about a broad range of subjects, including the growth of social networking phenomena such as blogs and Facebook, how these are influencing modern business and how creative approaches can reap rewards not available through more structured working methods.

CreativeCoffee Club is not like normal networking events, where business cards are furiously exchanged and everyone is looking for the next deal. Here it was more about the informal exchange of ideas, discussion around pertinent topics and meeting new people.

That may sound a bit touchy-feely, but we came away convinced that this programme of events (they will be held monthly, from now on probably) represented a real opportunity for local businesses. By getting together with a group of interesting people from different disciplines and talking around a variety of topics, new ideas and approaches are born that could have far-reaching influences on future ways of working.

These events are not just for those in the ‘creative’ industries (although they are most welcome). We feel anyone who’s looking to broaden their horizons when it comes to the people they meet and the opportunities they want to take would do well to attend.

You can find out more about CreativeCoffee Club on their website.

Facebookers can join their group to be kept up with what’s happening. We will, of course, let you know when the next event is taking place.

You never know, this first meeting may in the future be like the Sex Pistol’s Screen On The Green gig, with everybody claiming to have been there! Don’t miss out on the next one…