Small Business Month Mixer
A networking game for 100+ owners
Your chamber's Small Business Month mixer is one of the best chances all year for local owners to meet each other.
But a big room doesn't automatically mean big networking.
Here's a simple networking game that makes it easy and fun for 100+ business owners to meet beyond their usual circle.
Why Big Business Mixers Stall
Everyone talks to the same 3 people
Put 100+ business owners in one room...
...and everyone talks to the 3 people they already know.
- Long-time members catch up with each other near the bar.
- New members stand at the edges, holding a stack of business cards.
- Conversations stay on "So, what do you do?" and end there.
Nobody's doing anything wrong. There's just no reason to cross the room.
Your 20-Minute Networking Segment
Retailers, meet accountants
Picture it: you're running the 20-minute networking segment at your chamber's mixer.
You want retailers talking with accountants, restaurant owners talking with marketers, and new members meeting long-time members.
With 100+ people, you can't make those introductions yourself.
So you need something that does it for you.
Phone-Based Networking Bingo
Every prompt = a new contact
Jam Bingo makes networking easy and fun. It's a phone-based bingo game that sends people across the room.
Instead of a paper card full of squares, each attendee gets one prompt at a time on their phone.
- Attendees scan your event QR code. No app to download.
- They get a prompt, like "Find a business owner in a completely different industry."
- They find someone who fits it and have a real conversation.
- They scan that person's QR code to connect, and the next prompt unlocks.
Every match saves the other person's contact info.
So every completed prompt is a new business contact, not a signature on a card that ends up in the recycling bin.
Small Business Networking Prompts
Mix industries and members
Good prompts push owners toward people they wouldn't normally approach.
- Find a business owner in a completely different industry.
- Find someone who joined the chamber this year.
- Find someone who has been a member for 5+ years.
- Find someone who opened their business in the last two years.
- Find someone who could become a customer, supplier, or referral partner.
- Find someone who can recommend a local business you haven't tried.
- Find someone whose business is older than yours.
The new member and long-time member prompts are the most important ones. They pull both groups toward each other on purpose.
For more ideas, browse our networking bingo questions.
Run It in 20 Minutes
No printing, no awkward small talk
- Write your prompts. Start with the list above and add a few about your community.
- Create your Jam Bingo and add your prompts.
- Put the QR code on the main screen, at check-in, and on a few high-top tables.
- Announce it once: "Scan the code, find someone who fits your prompt, and scan their code to unlock the next one."
- Give it 20 minutes, then recognize whoever made the most new connections.
Tip: ask a few board members or ambassadors to start playing first. Everyone else joins in faster when they see familiar faces scanning codes.
Hosting a Small Business Month Mixer?
Help members meet beyond their circle
Create a Jam Bingo for your mixer and give every owner a reason to meet someone new.
Want to see what your attendees will see first? Try the demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's a good networking game for a Small Business Month mixer?
Pick something that works for 100+ people at once and sends owners across the room. A phone-based networking bingo like Jam Bingo works well: each attendee gets a prompt, finds someone who fits it, connects, and unlocks the next prompt.
How long should the networking segment be?
About 20 minutes works well for a mixer. That's enough time for each owner to make several new connections without taking over the whole evening.
How do I get new members to meet long-time members?
Write prompts that point people toward each other, like "Find someone who joined the chamber this year" and "Find someone who has been a member for 5+ years." The prompt does the introducing for you.
Do attendees get each other's contact info?
Yes. Every time two people scan each other's QR codes in Jam Bingo, the connection is saved, so each square becomes a new business contact they can follow up with.
Do attendees need to download an app?
No. Jam Bingo runs in the phone's browser. Attendees scan your QR code with their camera and they're playing. If a camera won't cooperate, they can type in a short code instead.
When is Small Business Month?
It depends on where you are. In Canada, Small Business Month is in October. In the US, National Small Business Week is usually in the spring, and many chambers celebrate small business throughout May. This networking game works for either.