How do we make sure people don’t just come in talk to no one and leave? I was hosting an mixer and wanted to avoid a room full of people nursing their drinks and appetizers off on their own. The goal of a mixer is for people to mix and mingle after all. It defeated the purpose if they didn’t get to know any new people. So we made it a game. “Here are some questions to ask people. Fill out this sheet with their answers and drop it in the box to enter for a prize.” The room was a buzz. Even if they didn’t want to talk to new people before, that fear/dread was outweighed by their desire to win a prize.
I don’t have a great conclusion on this one, just a couple ideas. Networking is incredibly useful for growth and developing partnership, but it can feel overwhelming. It can also be fun under the right circumstances. You can and should design your events with your desired outcomes in mind. If you want people to connect and talk to each other, you can make it easier and more desirable to do so.
That is all for now. We might come back to consider these points more later.
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A Wren Says 
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