Alternatives to Open Networking

Most event agendas have the same line: '6:00 to 6:45, open networking.'

Give people drinks and time, and let them meet each other.

For some crowds, that's all you need. For others, it leaves half the room on their phones by the wall.

Here's when open networking works, who it's for, where it falls short, and what to add.

No rules, no supplies, no host on a mic. You open the doors and it runs itself.

If you came to meet a specific speaker or company, you can go straight to them.

A great chat can go 20 minutes. A dull one can end politely after 2.

Some guests don't want a game or a format. Open time feels grown-up and low-pressure.

For regulars, open networking is how they reconnect with people they see every month.

• Established communities where most guests already know a few people.
• Confident, experienced networkers.
• Small, casual groups of under 30.
• After-work drinks where the goal is to unwind, not meet 10 new people.
• Events where guests come to meet one specific person, like a speaker.

Walking up to a group you don't know feels like interrupting.

So most people don't. They wait for someone to come to them.

People who arrive together stand together. Circles form in the first 5 minutes and stay that way.

Regulars catch up with each other. New guests stand alone and often don't come back.

Members talk to members. Sponsors talk to sponsors. Students talk to students.

'So what do you do?' Every conversation starts the same way and ends quickly.

The more people there are, the easier it is to hide in your own group.

The goal is to keep what people like about open networking, and fix the first move.

Ask a few friendly regulars to be connectors. Their job is to spot people standing alone and introduce them.

It works well in small rooms. In big rooms, there are never enough connectors.

Lots of new faces? See this conference first-timers reception icebreaker.

Add a line to every name tag, like 'Ask me about my last trip.'

It gives people a better opener, but they still have to make the first move.

Start with a 5-minute warm-up like This or That. Call out two options and point to two sides of the room.

Guests walk to a side and chat with whoever is there.

Need more ideas that take no prep? Here are no-prep ways to get people talking at a networking mixer.

Give every guest a reason to approach someone new, without taking away the freedom.

Jam Bingo gives everyone a built-in excuse to walk up to a stranger.

It hands each guest a conversation starter, so 'Hi, can I join your circle?' becomes 'I'm looking for someone who has lived in another country.'

And it makes mingling a game, so first-timers have something to do from minute one.

Guests still choose who to talk to and how long to chat. They just have a reason to start. See how Jam Bingo works!

Want it to stay casual? See this informal networking game.

• Small group of regulars: keep it open. Maybe add a name tag prompt.
• Lots of first-timers: connectors plus a short opening game.
• Mixed groups like members and sponsors: a game with prompts that point people across groups.
• 100+ guests: a self-paced game for the first 20 to 30 minutes, then open time.

• 0 to 10 minutes: guests arrive, grab a drink and scan the QR code at the door.
• 10 to 30 minutes: everyone plays. The host shares a quick leaderboard update halfway.
• 30 to 40 minutes: open networking with the new people they just met.
• 40 to 45 minutes: shout out the top 3 and move into your program.

Want to take the awkward out of it? See this networking game to get people talking.