5 Keys to Successful Conference Socialization & Networking

Throughout the year, I’m often asked to come in and produce professional networking and social activities for conferences. I’ve done them for virtually every industry and audience imaginable, from tech companies to marine biologists. Regardless of the function or attendees, people generally want the same thing at these events: human interaction. That’s why they’ve paid the registration fee, bought the plane ticket, and committed to multiple days away from home to attend. They want to engage with like-minded people in their field!

Including a social or networking activity in a conference shouldn’t be overlooked. However, planners should also bear in mind how valuable their attendees’ time is. It’s really critical to ensure these portions of the agenda are not just dialed-in fluff, but will actually be of value to registrants.

Here are 5 tips for making sure the professional networking and socialization session at YOUR conference is a hit!

Make the Activity Engaging

So often the temptation is there to simply section of a portion of the hotel bar, throw down the corporate credit card and label it a “happy hour” on the agenda. This is nice, people appreciate a chance to unwind. However, it’s not much of a networking opportunity. To make it a truly valuable use of your attendees’ time, plan an activity that actually engages your group. I don’t necessarily mean cheesy team-building activities or icebreaker games, so much as something – ANYTHING – that’s engaging, that encourages conversation and mingling. You want people walking out feeling like they’ve actually connected with folks, not just a swag bag and a fistful of random business cards.

Click here for a case study in engaging conference entertainment.

Schedule Networking Events Around Food & Drink

To me this would seem like a no-brainer, however having been hired by so many conferences over the years, I can tell you it’s not. Food and drink helps foster social interaction. This is a basic fact, one that shouldn’t be overlooked when scheduling. I understand it’s not easy when you’re looking at the agenda and see an hour to fill between 10:30 – 11:30am, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right time to mingle. Trust me, your attendees will feel much more relaxed and have an easier time breaking into natural conversations with one another if there’s food and drinks around.

Here are some more thoughts I have on serving food and beverage at corporate events.

Hire a Reputable Vendor

Whichever vendor is hired reflects not only on the conference, but on the planner. As such, you want to make sure that if you bring in a professional entertainer, activity, etc. for your social/networking session, that they be reputable. Bad vendors create bad experiences, which leave bad tastes in attendees’ mouths. The temptation is likely there to hire someone local and be done with it, but is that a gamble you want to take with your registrants? If your event is important and so is your audience, it doesn’t seem worth it!

Try to Get as Many People to Attend as Possible*

I say this one with an asterisk, because I’ve got a caveat (see below). But generally speaking, you want to have your conference social/networking experience be as well-attended as you can. The more people who are there, the more opportunities your participants will have to converse and connect. Mind you, I’m not saying pack the space to the gills; there’s nothing fun about being in sessions all day, then fighting your way to a bar that’s 10 people deep. But try to schedule your event at a time when the most people are likely to go, in a venue that’s readily accessibly to the meeting space. Also, make the activity fun – and let people know what it is!

Here’s another professional networking case study, where TrivWorks engaged 300 people aboard a chartered yacht!

Create Exclusive/Niche Social Opportunities

The goal here is to get people to mix and mingle with like-minded conference attendees. As such, it makes sense that you want to put people who have the most in common in a room with one another. Offering special/exclusive social and networking sessions for distinct segments of your audience will help do that. Not only will the people in these sessions have more in common than the general attendance, but a smaller audience will make it easier to foster informal discussion. Also, while you want your event to be inclusive, by slapping the word “exclusive” on the event you’re making people feel special – which will encourage them to go.

Conclusion

The professional networking and social segments of conferences are a highlight for attendees, who crave interpersonal interaction, want to meet new people and perhaps reconnect with others. To make the most of this unique opportunity, it’s essential that you put some thought into the event, to try and make it as worthwhile and enjoyable as possible. If done properly, it may just be the one part of your overall function which people are still talking about long after it’s over!

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like “Case Studies: Using Trivia as a Networking Event Activity.”