Methods and ideas for networking within a conference


1. Preparation or and planning for a conference
  • Pre-conference questionaires to find out networking interests/needs to inform design of content
  • Questionnaire: who I want to meet? Having a site and seating plan to show where someone can be found to facilitate a meeting
  • Identify common interests and links to a conference issue
  • Pre-conference info about participants/projects (in brief)
  • To send/hand out a list of participants of the conference before the start of the conference
  • Have „networking“ target/goals
  • Promote networking in advance with published material, with a shared mailing list of participants
  • Ask people to prepare topics to discuss in advance
  • Contact speakers and inform the target audience
  • Focus on not to many conference topics
  • Nominate cheerful individuals with good humour to be chairs and brief them
  • Consider press involvement


    • 2. At the start of a conference
  • Try to make a colourful choice/range of conference topics by speakers
  • Establish ground rules, trust, confidentiality
  • Collecting expectations at the beginning    Details
  • Name and organization on tables/places
  • Names on cloths
  • Time for getting to know people informally as well as in formal groups
  • Play games (f.e Ice-breakers, "Introduction" games), do role plays    Details
  • Have fun activities like virtual rafting, build a bridge
  • Find out a secret about each representative
  • introduction: tell me something about you, which ensures, that I will always remember you


    • 3. Organisation issues
  • Time for getting to know people informally as well as in formal groups
  • Long breaks (Organise shorter session of speakers for longer breaks for communication)
  • Mix people up
  • Split people up names on badges for table lay out - change through day
  • Small conferences – setting at the table
  • Have a facilitation with roving/moving microphones for questions and remarks
  • Thematic meetings during breaks
  • Pinboard for business cards and request
  • Call out requests
  • Play music at various stages during the conference
  • Break out rooms
  • Opportunity for meeting points
  • Unexpected additional events e.g. a stand-up comedian, African band, special food, dancing performance
  • Give people roles in chair, time feedback, note taker


    • 4. Methodes/techniques
  • „Marketplace“ with stalls to present projects/companies    Details
  • World cafe   Details
  • Small groups/interactive exercises that all can contribute to, e. g. Bus Stop    Details
  • "Basket of bees"    Details
  • Put business cards in bowl, people can win a price
  • To make people responsible for interlinking people    Details
  • "Regular's Table" for sharing informations   Details
  • Post-it-notes for „needs and offers“/expertise
  • Open space conference    Details
  • People Bingo   Details


    • 5. Post-conference activities
  • "After"-conference socialising
  • Create opportunities for networking after the conference    Details
  • Provide a media reception and press release after the conference
  • Post-Conference monitoring/evaluation of network achievements
  • Sending out information after conference (f. e. minutes, presentations, reports, mailing-lists, brochures, contact details, announcement of other related activities)


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