Stay cool and get connected at our IRL networking event

Beat the summer heat and join us this July for our next IRL Networking event in partnership with Affinity! Register now for a chance to connect with emerging creatives, industry professionals and get stuck into a range of creative activities.

Networking is a term that can make many of us shudder: bad jokes, name badges, awkward conversation. But it doesn’t have to be this way...

On Thursday 17 July we’re back with the team at Affinity (part of Canva) to bring you our next IRL Networking event! Hosted at Canva’s offices in London, you can expect:

What’s happening on the night?

🎤 Tips and tricks

If you’re new to networking, fear not. In this interactive presentation, we’ll share some top tips on how to make the most of your networking efforts – both during and after the event.

💬 Speed networking sessions
You’ll have the chance to chat 1-1 with at least three creative industry professionals in our structured, speed networking sessions.

🎨 Get hands-on with Affinity (all night)

Ready to unleash your inner creativity? Experiment with Affinity at our iPad station and try your hand at everything from illustration, design or photo editing.

✍️ Creative station (all night)
Grab some pens, pencils or stickers and get creative with our playful worksheets to express your interests and skills. Then hang yours up and see what others have shared – who knows, you might just find your next collaborator!

🤩 Plus!

You won’t be leaving empty-handed... all attendees will get a free universal license for Affinity, a free virtual onboarding session, plus lots of other goodies on the night.

When and where will it be happening?

⏰ When?
Thursday 17 July, from 6pm to 10pm BST.
Please note there is limited capacity, so make sure you register your interest ASAP.

📍 Where?
The event will take place at the Canva offices, 33 Hoxton Square, London N1 6PB.
The nearest underground stations are Hoxton; Old Street Station and Shoreditch High Street Station.

The space is located on the ground floor. You can let us know about any access requirements in the registration form, but for any additional questions please email us at [email protected].

Who will be there?

This event is open to emerging creatives from any creative discipline – no previous experience or portfolio necessary.

This includes:

Also joining us on the night will be creatives from our Company Partners, keep an eye out as we’ll be revealing our full lineup soon!

FAQs

🎟️ How do we select attendees for our IRL Networking events?
Due to high demand and limited capacity, spaces are allocated through a lottery system. However, we do prioritise folks who have previously registered their interest, but haven’t attended an IRL Networking event with us before.

Those invited to attend will receive an email at least a week before the event to confirm their place. If you don’t get a spot this time, we’d love for you to register again next time. Just let us know on the form that you’ve applied before, and we’ll be sure to prioritise your application.

👋 I’ve attended an IRL Networking event before, can I still register?
Yes of course – but please note that you will be automatically added to our waitlist. We love seeing familiar faces, but our goal is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to attend, especially those who haven’t yet had the chance.

📍 I live outside of London, can I still register?
Absolutely! We welcome registrants from across the UK, but please note that we are unfortunately unable to cover any travel costs.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we’ll be sure to do what we can to help. We appreciate your understanding and can’t wait to see you – whether this time or at a future event!

Find out more about Affinity

Launched in 2014, Affinity is an award-winning suite of professional studio-grade apps, meticulously designed for creatives by creatives, that has become a widely sought-after solution for everything from professional editorial layouts to precise, powerful photo editing and complex graphic and vector design.

In 2024, Canva, the free online visual communication and collaboration platform, trusted by over 200 million users every month, acquired Affinity as they set their sights on empowering every kind of designer, including professional creatives.

Together, Canva and Affinity are now on a mission to empower every kind of team and organisation to achieve their goals around the world. You can find out more about all things Affinity here.