How to run a speed networking event

1. Decide what the event is for

Speed networking is not one thing. A room of founders and investors needs a different setup from a room of job seekers and employers, or from a community mixer. Decide the goal first, because it sets the participant list, the pairing and the follow-up.

• Two sides, such as founders and investors, or mentors and mentees. Everyone meets people from the other side.
• One mixed group, such as a community mixer. Everyone can meet anyone, and the aim is to widen people's circle.
• Write the goal in one sentence on the registration page, so participants arrive with the right expectation.

2. Invite the right mix

The quality of the meetings depends on who is in the room. A few of the wrong participants cost every other participant a meeting.

• Ask for a role, a company or field, and what the participant is looking for. Use the answers to pair people, not only to fill the list.
• Keep the sides balanced. If one side is much larger, plan extra breaks or a second session for them.
• Expect some no-shows. Send a reminder the day before and keep a waitlist.
• Ask for a work email and a link to a profile, so participants can find each other afterwards.

3. Choose short rounds

Networking conversations need less warm-up than a first date, and participants usually want more meetings. Rounds of three to five minutes work well.

• Three minutes is enough for a pitch and one question, and keeps the event moving.
• Five minutes suits conversations that need to go deeper, such as mentoring.
• Add a short move between rounds, and a break after about half an hour. People need a pause to write things down.
• A cap of eight to ten meetings is enough. After that the names blur.

4. Pair people on purpose

Random pairing wastes meetings. A good pairing puts people together who have a reason to talk, and avoids repeating the same two people.

• Pair by role, field or what each participant is looking for.
• Never repeat a pairing in the same event.
• Check the pairing before the first round, and change it if two people obviously should not meet.
• Plan a mingling round at the end, so people can talk again to someone they liked.

5. Give participants something to say

Even in a room of professionals, the first thirty seconds are the hardest. A small prompt removes the stall.

• Ask each participant to prepare one sentence: who they are and what they are looking for.
• Put one question for each round on the room display or the phones, so nobody has to invent an opener.
• A light game, such as a bingo card with squares like 'someone who has changed careers', gets people talking to participants outside their planned meetings.

6. Make follow-up easy

The event is only worth it if the meetings lead to something. Do not rely on business cards.

• Let participants say privately which meetings they want to continue.
• Share contact details only when both sides have said yes. This keeps the room relaxed and the contact wanted.
• Let participants keep a private note per meeting while it is fresh.
• Send the results within a day. After a week the interest has cooled.

7. Measure what happened

A sponsor, a board or a boss will ask whether the event worked. Decide before the event what you will count.

• Number of meetings held and number of mutual follow-ups.
• The share of participants with at least one mutual follow-up.
• A short question after the event: did you meet someone useful?
• Keep the numbers and compare them with your next event.

What to decide now

• The goal of the event, in one sentence.
• Which sides meet, and how many participants on each side.
• Round length: three, four or five minutes.
• What you ask participants when they register, and how you pair on it.
• What you will count afterwards.

Run it with Mingleround

Mingleround handles registration, check-in, pairings, the timer, private answers and the release of matches. Read more on the networking events page, or see the pricing. The first event of a new organization is free.