20 Networking Games for a Company Annual Partner Showcase

How to play

1. 1

   Before doors open, give every partner rep a blank sticker and a marker.

2. 2

   Each rep writes 'Ask me about...' plus one specific, interesting topic — a recent project, an unusual customer, a product most people haven't heard of.

3. 3

   Reps wear the sticker where it's easy to read from a few steps away.

4. 4

   Employees are encouraged to walk the floor and open with whatever the sticker says instead of 'so, what do you do?'

5. 5

   Midway through, the host reminds the room to find a sticker they haven't asked about yet.

6. 6

   Optional: at the end, invite a few employees to share the most surprising answer they got.

How to play

1. 1

   Before the showcase, group employees into crews of 3–4 people from different departments. A colored dot on each name badge makes crews easy to find.

2. 2

   When the showcase opens, crews find each other and visit booths together.

3. 3

   At each booth, every crew member has to ask the partner one question — so nobody gets to hide behind the most talkative person.

4. 4

   Crews aim to visit a set number of booths (5–6 works well) before the time is up.

5. 5

   Encourage crews to split up for the last 10 minutes so everyone makes a few solo connections too.

6. 6

   Close by asking a couple of crews which partner surprised them the most.

How to play

1. 1

   Write every booth number on slips of paper — enough for each attendee — and put them in a bowl at the entrance.

2. 2

   As employees arrive, each one draws a slip.

3. 3

   Their first stop of the showcase has to be the booth on their slip, no trading allowed.

4. 4

   At that booth, they have one real conversation before exploring on their own.

5. 5

   For a second round later in the showcase, pass the bowl around again.

6. 6

   Make sure booths at the back of the venue have plenty of slips in the bowl.

How to play

1. 1

   Before the event, ask each partner for one fun fact about their company that isn't on their website or booth banner.

2. 2

   Tell the room at the start: there's a trivia round at the end, and the answers are only available by talking to the partners.

3. 3

   Employees visit booths and chat with partners — who share their fun fact during the conversation.

4. 4

   Near the end of the showcase, gather everyone for a quick 5–10 question trivia round.

5. 5

   Employees answer in small teams, pooling what they learned at different booths.

6. 6

   Reveal each answer and let the partner behind it say a sentence or two about it.

How to play

1. 1

   Give everyone one mission: at each booth, ask the partner for their favorite customer story.

2. 2

   Employees collect as many stories as they can during the showcase.

3. 3

   Encourage follow-up questions — what went wrong, what surprised them, what they'd do differently.

4. 4

   Near the end, the host asks a few employees to share the best story they heard in 30 seconds.

5. 5

   Let the partner behind the story add one line if they'd like.

6. 6

   Close by thanking the partners for sharing.

How to play

1. 1

   Print a passport for each employee with a spot for every partner booth.

2. 2

   Give each partner rep a unique stamp or sticker.

3. 3

   Employees visit booths and get their passport stamped after a conversation with the partner.

4. 4

   Set a minimum number of stamps to be entered into a prize draw.

5. 5

   Collect passports at the end and count them up.

6. 6

   Draw winners from the completed passports.

How to play

1. 1

   Split employees into small groups and assign each group a starting booth.

2. 2

   When the bell rings, each partner gives their group a 60-second demo or story — no slides.

3. 3

   Groups get one minute of questions after the demo.

4. 4

   The bell rings again and groups rotate to the next booth.

5. 5

   Run 5–8 rotations depending on your time.

6. 6

   Afterward, open the floor for free mingling so employees can go back to the booths they liked most.

How to play

1. 1

   Save this one for the end of the showcase.

2. 2

   Ask the room: 'Who learned something today that could help your team?'

3. 3

   Invite 4–6 volunteers to share in one sentence which partner it was and what they learned.

4. 4

   Ask the partner to raise a hand so everyone knows who to follow up with.

5. 5

   Keep each shoutout short — the energy comes from the pace.

6. 6

   Close with a thank-you to all the partners for being there.

How to play

1. 1

   Set up a shared photo album or event hashtag before the showcase.

2. 2

   Encourage employees to snap a photo with the partner reps they talk to.

3. 3

   Display the photos on a screen near the refreshments as they come in.

4. 4

   Partners can share the photos afterward on their own channels.

5. 5

   Near the end, the host can highlight a few of the best photos.

6. 6

   Share the full album with partners and employees after the event.

How to play

1. 1

   Set up a row of seats for partner reps and a facing row for employees.

2. 2

   Each pair gets three minutes: the employee explains what their team works on, and the partner explains how they help companies like yours.

3. 3

   When the bell rings, employees move one seat down and meet the next partner.

4. 4

   Run five to eight rounds so every employee meets several partners.

5. 5

   Employees jot down one partner they want to follow up with before they leave the row.

How to play

1. 1

   Put up a large 'Problem Wall' near the entrance.

2. 2

   As employees arrive, they write one work problem they're trying to solve on a sticky note and add their name and department.

3. 3

   Partners browse the wall and 'claim' notes they think they can help with by adding their company name.

4. 4

   Partners then find the employee who wrote the note (or invite them to their booth) for a conversation.

5. 5

   Near the end, the host reads out a few problems that got solved or found a great lead.

How to play

1. 1

   Before the event, give each department a 'bounty' — a real question they want answered, like 'Which partner can speed up our onboarding?'

2. 2

   Teams split up and visit booths to find the partners who can answer their bounty.

3. 3

   Each team writes down the best answer and the partner who gave it.

4. 4

   Teams regroup near the end and share their answers with the room in one minute.

5. 5

   The host announces which partner answered the most bounties.

How to play

1. 1

   Flip the showcase for one block: departments set up small tables with a sign, and partner reps do the walking.

2. 2

   Partners visit department tables to learn what each team does and what's on their plate this year.

3. 3

   Each department prepares one question they'd love partners to answer.

4. 4

   Partners rotate every five to seven minutes.

5. 5

   Switch back to the normal booth setup afterwards — partners now know exactly who to talk to.

How to play

1. 1

   At each booth, the partner shares three statements about their company or product: two true, and one made-up 'feature'.

2. 2

   Visiting employees guess which feature is fake.

3. 3

   The partner reveals the answer and explains the two true statements.

4. 4

   Employees who guess correctly get a stamp, sticker, or raffle ticket.

5. 5

   Visit as many booths as possible during the networking block.

How to play

1. 1

   Ask each partner to host one table with a topic their company knows well — not a sales pitch, but a real conversation topic.

2. 2

   Employees choose a table that interests them for the first round.

3. 3

   Each round runs 10 minutes, then employees move to a new table.

4. 4

   Run two or three rounds.

5. 5

   Partners share one takeaway from their table with the whole room at the end.

How to play

1. 1

   Give every employee three tokens at check-in.

2. 2

   Employees can only drop a token in a partner's jar after a real conversation at that booth.

3. 3

   Partners can't ask for tokens — they have to earn them.

4. 4

   Count the jars at the end of the showcase.

5. 5

   Announce the People's Choice partner during the closing remarks.

How to play

1. 1

   Invite partners to give a 90-second pitch on stage — one partner at a time.

2. 2

   The pitch must answer one question: 'How would you make our employees' day easier?'

3. 3

   The host keeps strict time. When 90 seconds are up, the mic goes to the next partner.

4. 4

   Employees vote for their favorite pitch with a show of hands or a quick poll.

5. 5

   Employees then head to the booths of the pitches they liked most.

How to play

1. 1

   Write scenario cards based on real situations at your company, like 'A new hire's laptop hasn't arrived on day one' or 'The team needs a venue for 200 people next month'.

2. 2

   Hand each employee (or pair) one card.

3. 3

   Employees visit booths to find the partner who can best solve their scenario.

4. 4

   Once they've found a match, the partner writes their name on the card.

5. 5

   Collect the cards and share the most creative matches at the closing.