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How to Get Attendees to Network (and Enjoy it)

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Regardless of if an event has an alternate intended purpose, any gathering of a group of people can present the opportunity for them to network.

Why is Networking Important?

Despite its sometimes dreadful connotation, the working world is fueled by networking. Personal connections can lead to meaningful business and career opportunities.

Additionally, attendees like to feel like they are getting something out of the event. Whether they’re taking time out of their work day or their weekend, knowing the event will serve a purpose motivates them to attend.

There are many reasons people attend an event, but more often than not, people attend to see and be seen. Knowing they will have the opportunity for invaluable face time with certain people can make the event worthwhile, and subsequently more enjoyable.

Making Time to Network

If time isn’t set aside for networking, attendees will naturally make their own time, potentially in the middle of your program. It’s important to understand your audience and their needs. If networking is necessary, incorporate it either before or after the programmatic portion of the event.

Atmosphere

provide seating for network opportunities

The event space shouldn’t be too big or too small. You don’t want the area to be so crowded that people can’t move or see a person on the other side of the room, and you don’t want the area to be so large that it creates an awkward cavern feeling. An ideal space will create an intimacy and warmth that helps initiate conversation.

The room layout can also help stimulate conversation with lounge areas and soft seating. Add drape or string curtain to give more structure to the lounge space.

Additional Elements for Fostering Good Opportunities to Network

The bare minimum for a networking event is a room and people. If we’re getting technical – it’s just people. However, there are plenty of additional elements that allow networking to be more enjoyable and even more productive for attendees.

  • Entertainment: A silent room can be awkward. Whether it’s piped in or live, music can give background noise that alleviates the silence and adjusts the mood in the room. With that being said, the music should be peppy, but not too loud that it overpowers the conversation. Sometimes music with lyrics can cause guests to lose focus. If an event is featuring a live band or form of entertainment, it is best to schedule networking times around the act to avoid distraction.
  • Activities: Activities can serve as icebreakers and conversation starters. Lighthearted and easy-to-start activities can be anything from an oversized game of chess to a virtual reality booth. Games or activities should be easy to start and stop. Activities can even serve a dual purpose as décor, such as a coloring wall or ice graffiti sculpture.
  • Technology: Tech elements can be used to enhance the cool factor of an event, and cool things = conversation starters. As a bonus, incorporating technology can also help track attendance and ROI. We used Swarmworks technology that matched attendees based on a set of pre-answered questions about their interests and experiences. Attendees were able to see their “match” on a digital projection map of the room.
  • Food & Beverage: Food and beverage elements allow guests to have something else to spark a conversation other than the weather. Wine or beer tastings, a rolling mixology cart, and spice making, are some easy-to-participate elements that can give guests something to talk about.

Venue Selection: Important AV Factors

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Venue Selection: Important AV FactorsMost venues will have an in-house Audio Visual provider. This can be a great support, but also present challenges. Here are some insights to consider when choosing your venue:

  • Rigging- Venues that allow you to hang objects from specified rigging points usually charge a fee per point. Your AV needs will dictate how many points you require. Some venues will specify that you use their in house AV Company to rig or at least supervise. They will charge for either of these services.
  • Power- Power is not always included. This is especially true in convention centers and hotel properties. The power will be charged based on your usage during the event and setup. You will also want to make sure that the venue has all the power capabilities you require and that additional generators won’t be required.
  • Entrances and Freight Elevators- Load in specs should be carefully considered with an extensive décor or AV setup. Large pieces of truss or stage sets will need to fit in the entrances or elevators. Check with your venue to secure the freight elevator if they have one.
  • Trucks- If you have a large AV setup your crew is going to arrive in a large truck possibly multiple trucks or even a semi truck. You will want to check that they will fit in the dock. If you are in an urban venue or venue with limited parking you will want to research ahead of time where these trucks can be stored or parked. Negotiating a parking rate in advance can save you money on larger vehicles. 
  • Union and Labor- Venues have the option to be a union or a non-union facility. A union facility will have additional rules and regulations that must be followed for your event. You will want to ask the facility for their policies and procedures to see how this will affect your event budget. A union facility will have specific labor rates, break times, call minimums and overtime charges. Even if you bring in your own AV or operators, you will still have to use the union labor.

Thinking Inside the Box

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A client came to us this year wanting to shake up their corporate awards program. They were looking for ways to refresh the typical “grip and grin” photo ops and long company descriptions being read as the company representative slowly makes his or her way to the stage. It was time for a new look! Enter TCG Events. Ready to shake things up and add new and engaging elements, we were ready to pull out all the stops.

Then came the challenge: no budget increase.

The current budget was stretched to the max and managed to the penny. Giving this event an overhaul was going to be a stroke of creative genius, not a bought solution.

After hours of looking at the event backwards and forwards, inside and out, and forcing ourselves to think outside the box, we found our solution.  It was time to think inside the box.  Instead of taking down all the parameters, we put up the parameters. There were only so many elements that we could play with that were not cost prohibitive: room orientation, staging (provided at no charge by the facility) and program flow. By narrowing down our options it became clear that the answer was in the staging. Rather than creating the typical rectangular stage in the front of the room we would use the stage decks to create a runway in the middle of the room with seating tables on either side of the runway. With energetic runway music pumping in the background, alternating MCEEs called the (58) award winners to the stage. To quicken the pace, company descriptions were read as the winners walked the runway. At the end of the runway they received their award and had an opportunity to strike a pose at the step and repeat.

No typical square stage, no time lost in getting on and off the stage, no awkward grip and grins – just a high energy program that was loads of fun.

Next time you find yourself in such a predicament, try thinking inside the box for a change.

Inspiration From the Culinary Industry: Recreating the Alinea Dessert Experience at Events

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As a creative bunch, some of our fabulous ideas are often outlandish without a concrete method of execution. This is where our vendors, who are all connoisseurs in their own areas, come into play.  One such idea was inspired by Alinea Restaurant in Chicago.

We recently did an event where one of the client’s main goals was to increase opportunities for networking and interaction throughout the evening. We had been dying to replicate the famous chocolate dessert created at the esteemed Chicago based restaurant, Alinea, and saw this as the perfect opportunity. However, doing it for an event of 450 people was a serious undertaking. The dessert at Alinea begins with a silicon tablecloth; the chefs then create a stunning almost Picasso like artistic creation, transforming dots into squares with gel, a chocolate & honey explosion created with freeze dried blueberries scattered on the cloth. It’s almost impossible to describe, so check out the video online!

For our recreation, we were working with an amazing caterer who at first was unsure they could pull it off. Eventually, our encouragement pushed them to take on the challenge.

Not surprisingly, the caterer exceeded our expectations as well as our client’s. They went with a chocolate and cherries theme that included nitrogen poached cherry mousse, Belgian chocolate pate, crispy macaroons, and cherry vodka foam. It provided an opportunity for the guests to interact with each other as well as with the chefs creating the dessert and everyone had a ball! It tasted and looked amazing as you can see in the picture above.