Following up after a networking event

By the Editorial team. Reviewed October 2026.

Most of the value of a networking evening comes in the two days afterwards. People who follow up within that window are the ones who get a second meeting.

The same night

Before you sleep, go through the business cards or LINE contacts you collected and write one line on each: what the person does, what you talked about, and anything you said you would send. By the next afternoon most of those conversations will have blurred together.

Which channel to use

In Bangkok the answer is often LINE rather than email. Many Thai business people and a good share of foreign residents use it for work, and a short LINE message gets read faster than an email. If you swapped LinkedIn profiles instead, send a connection request with a note that mentions where you met. A request with no note is easy to ignore.

Use the channel the other person offered. If they handed you a card and did not add you on LINE, do not go looking for their LINE ID.

What to write

• Say where you met and one thing from the conversation, so they can place you.
• Send whatever you promised, such as an article, a contact or a price list, in that first message.
• If you want to meet again, suggest something specific: a coffee near their office, or the next event in the same series.

Keep it short. A follow-up that reads like a sales brochure is the most common reason people stop replying.

Thai business etiquette

A polite, slightly formal first message works well with Thai contacts, especially senior ones. Use their title and first name, for example Khun Somchai, rather than their surname. Do not push for a quick decision. Relationships are often built over several meetings before any business is discussed in detail.

When nobody replies

One gentle reminder after a week or two is fine. After that, let it go and say hello at the next event. Regular faces at the same chamber evenings or meetups tend to get to know each other over a few months, and that is often where the useful introductions come from.

Our guide to marketing and business meetups in Bangkok covers the types of event and how to prepare.