Networking
Challenge:
How do you instantly jump-start networking at your event?
Solution:
By immediately and quite visually sharing information about each attendee upon arrival so they can easily find people with whom they share things in common or people that have interests and hobbies that intrigue them.
For this particular event, when attendees registered, they were asked to share their four favorite things and they were told that this information would be shared. Many assumed this would be displayed in a small font on their name badge. Wrong!
We utilized a company that creates personalized canvas totes to provide a personalized conference bag for every attendee. This company was used to selling these totes retail (on their website, Instagram, and Facebook) and had never done them for more than thirty people at once.
Through careful design of the registration question (phrasing, response examples and character limitations), and with meticulous review of the responses to catch any typos or errors, list organization, and enforced deadlines, we were able to provide a clean list to the retailer who did a phenomenal job of both printing and organizing the bags.
Registration was conducted in an outdoor setting with lounge seating, food and beverage, snacks, gift bar and entertainment — all intended to encourage people to stay a while and network.
Result:
The bags were a great success and people were comparing their favorite things, not only during the arrivals lounge all afternoon, but throughout the conference. These personalized bags provided visual cues and made it easy to start up a conversation with others, leading to more connections made. This was an event where people proudly carried their conference bag. Added bonus? They never got their bags mixed up with someone else’s!
Networking
Challenge:
How do you make first-timers feel comfortable and connected to others on Day 1 of your event?
Solution:
By conducting your First-Timer Orientation as a variation of, or play on “speed dating.”
We invited all the first-timers to attend a fun orientation networking event immediately prior to the opening general session. We also invited top company leadership as well as industry partners and fellow customers who consistently attended this conference. This allowed the first-timers to meet, not just other first-timers (who were also unfamiliar with the event), but also people who were long-time, loyal attendees. An additional bonus was that first-timers were meeting people who both loved the event and knew how to navigate it for the best possible experience.
Following a brief welcome and event recommendations by the company president, the networking began. The room was set up with small tables with 4 people to each table. The emcee explained the rules, which were also printed and placed on each of the tables. The rules? Five minutes for each person to introduce themselves following a specific format (name, where they live, organization they work for, title, what they wanted to get out of the conference, and their answer to a specific non-business funny or thoughtful question). Once those five minutes were up, they had one minute to move to another table. The key rule? They couldn’t sit with anyone they had sat with before. Sounds easy enough, right? Yes, until you get to round four or five where everyone is now running back and forth across the room trying to find tables where they haven’t already been seated with anyone.
Immediate Result?
It’s energetic, fun and instantly gets people out of their comfort zone . And now they know someone they can join during the opening session.
Ongoing Result?
Over the course of the conference, whether it be during a coffee break, a meal or in a session, they will recognize and remember people from their funny answers or personal stories.
