Networking is a vital skill in today’s professional world. It’s not just about exchanging business cards; it’s about making meaningful connections and building relationships. Networking games provide a fun and engaging way to break the ice, foster collaboration, and strengthen bonds with colleagues and clients alike. Aside from the event content itself, networking is one of the top reasons people attend events of any kind. Whether it’s a sales-focused, in-house corporate event, an education event, or a big trade show, networking is a core activity that almost every attendee finds valuable.
Whether you’re at a conference, team-building event, or casual meetup, here are some top networking games that can boost your connections and enhance your networking experience:
Tips for Choosing Networking Games
There are so many options for networking activities and icebreaker games, but you likely only have time for one or two. And you want to make sure you choose games that work for the group you have. Use these quick tips as a guide to help you choose the right games for any particular audience.
Simple: Choose games with simple rules that are easy to explain and understand. It shouldn’t take longer than 30 seconds to 1 minute to explain any game.
Interactive: Icebreaker activities shouldn’t require people to spend lots of time thinking of what to do or say. The focus should be squarely on interaction.
Appropriate for the purpose: Icebreakers are supposed to help people feel more at ease with one another. Don’t pick games that might make attendees feel uncomfortable or on the spot, it’s counterproductive to icebreaking to ask participants to talk about their most embarrassing failures or their deepest fears, for instance. Those kinds of games may be appropriate for team-building exercises, but not necessarily for event networking.
Appropriate for the group: Some games ask people to share minor details of their personal lives or might involve joining hands or similar kinds of touching. These games can be suitable for a group of people who are somewhat familiar but aren’t necessarily right for a group of complete strangers.
Top Networking Games for Professionals
Networking is a vital skill in today’s professional world. It’s not just about exchanging business cards; it’s about making meaningful connections and building relationships. Networking games provide a fun and engaging way to break the ice, foster collaboration, and strengthen bonds with colleagues and clients alike. Whether you’re at a conference, team-building event, or casual meetup, here are some top networking games that can boost your connections and enhance your networking experience:
1. Human Bingo
Another networking game you can try at your next conference or event is human bingo. To offer a human bingo game, you’ll need to create bingo cards. These are typically a 5×5 matrix. Fill the boxes with things that are relevant to your unique industry and audience. If it’s a marketing conference, you could fill it with things like:
- Works in digital marketing
- Specializes in SEO
- Manages client paid social campaigns
- Has worked in the industry for 5+ years
- My company is currently hiring
- Is searching for a mentee
You can also add in less industry-focused statements if you want to make it a little more laid-back. Here are some ideas for those types of statements:
- Has traveled to another country this year
- Has a dog
- Is watching the same TV show as you
- Has seen your favorite artist in concert
2. Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts are a great way to get people moving. And who doesn’t love some good, old-fashioned (and friendly) competition? There are a number of organizations and corporations that plan event-wide and city-wide scavenger hunts, designed specially to bring your attendees together in a way that promotes teamwork.
With challenges like visiting sponsor booths, posting photos with a conference hashtag, answering questions about keynote speakers, and finding attendees who share the same interests, scavenger hunts can be an extremely effective tool in increasing attendee and exhibitor engagement.
With scavenger hunt technology, event planners can work with experts to create a program that uses QR codes and photos to increase interaction between attendees. Whether your goal is to increase brand awareness, engage your attendees in a unique way, or simply offer a fun activity for your event-goers, scavenger hunts are a unique networking game for your conference, annual convention, or large-scale corporate event.
How does something like a conference scavenger hunt work? It’s easy! Your participants will download a scavenger hunt app via a link you send out. They can then see an entire list of different challenges relating to the event. For each challenge that they complete, they earn points, which eventually add up towards a prize. Challenges could include things like:
- Visit 3 sponsor booths that seem most interesting to you
- Answer a multiple-choice question about the keynote speaker
- Share a team photo on social media with the hashtag [insert conference hashtag]
- Find someone who has the same job title as you
- Refer a friend (coworker) who should attend this event next year
3. Roundtables
We aren’t talking about random roundtables. This is an article about better networking after all. We’re talking targeted roundtables. Targeted roundtables are group networking, but with a strategy. Decide how you want to categorize your attendees, including job title, geographical location, and interests within the industry, you name it, and break people up accordingly. While this might sound like a lot of manual manipulation on your end, it’s really not. And here’s why. There is a technology that already exists that can create strategic seating assignments for you! And it’s all at the touch of a button.
At the event, we recommend you use prompts to help guide the conversations. These can be a mix of professional and more personal questions. It could include questions like: What is the main reason you are attending this event? What’s the biggest challenge you face at work right now? What to hope to take away from this event? Which session are you most excited about? Do you have other coworkers attending the event with you or are you by yourself? Have you been to this city before? What do you like to do outside of work? What’s your favorite place to travel to?
Group networking can be a lot less intimidating than one-on-one networking and help people feel more at ease. It’s also a networking format that focuses on collaboration. After some initial networking, you can also have each table compete in a teambuilding contest. The opportunities are endless.
4. Speed Networking
You’ve probably heard of speed dating, but have you heard of speed networking? It’s an accelerated way to maximize the number of new connections attendees can make in a short amount of time. It also takes the awkwardness out of having to approach random people. Each round has a set amount of time and attendees rotate accordingly at the end of each round. We recommend each round lasting 5-7 minutes. Enough time to get to know one another but not enough that it’s a waste of time if you don’t have anything in common.
And if you’re interested in increasing the quality of connections in addition to the quantity, consider using matching software to pair people together who share the same interests. It’s quite literally matchmaking for professionals. All you have to do is decide how you want to categorize your attendees. From there, the software will create a survey that attendees will fill out when registering for the event. They can rate how interested they are in meeting people from the categories anywhere from not at all interested to very interested.
When attendees arrive at the event, they’ll get their schedule, which includes background information, contact information, and starter questions for each of the people they’re scheduled to meet with. The fast-paced nature of speed networking events makes this session format engaging and efficient. In fact, the average 90-minute networking session with 100 participants usually generates around 300 new connections. But, a speed networking event of the same size will generate more than 1,000. That’s 333% more meaningful connections!
Matching technology also allows you to determine an event objective or goal. You can offer peer-to-peer events (probably the most popular), exhibitor/attendee events (to match potential buyers with sellers), and mentor/mentee events for those looking to building industry relationships.
5. Quick Fire Questions
This is a quick, easy-to-set-up networking game. Simply have your attendees find a partner (anyone in the room) and give them 1 minute to fire off questions. To make it easier, consider displaying sample questions on a screen in the area in case they run out of ideas.
This type of networking is also fast-paced, without any of the pressure to force a conversation or to keep it going longer than necessary. We often hear from participants that one of their biggest complaints about mix and mingle events is getting stuck talking to the wrong person. But with quick-fire questions, it is essentially just a fast-paced Q&A. After you’ve given enough time for each attendee to meet with 10-15 people, give them some time to seek out the people they want to learn more about.
Now that the room is warmed up and participants have a better idea about who to approach, they’ll feel much more confident.
6. People Organizer
This is a great way to group attendees together who have similar backgrounds and shared interests. To start, have your attendees stand in a big group together. And then have them organized into smaller groups based on specific criteria. For example, by position title, work history, job specialty, favorite sports team, etc.
Your attendees will be able to see exactly who they need to be approaching for further conversation. And it helps to give them a visual representation of the types of people who are attending the event.
7. Mix n’ Mingle
Mix n’ Mingle is an exciting way to enhance your team’s networking skills! This experience offers engaging activities that cultivate strong connections.
Mix n’ Mingle includes the following:
- a 90-minute session guided by a talented host
- thoughtfully designed icebreakers that start conversations
- creative exercises that foster strong bonds
- collaborative group challenges and discussions that promote teamwork
Best of all, we will bring all the necessary materials to your chosen venue. If you are looking for an experience that strengthens relationships, then consider Mix n’ Mingle!
8. Silent Disco
Depending on the demographics of your team, silent discos are fantastic networking event ideas for your guests. Attendees can begin and carry on the conversation without the interruption of loud music. You could start by hiring equipment such as headphones and selecting the ideal music for your guests. Another great idea is letting attendees dance to their choice of music. If participants want to engage in a conversation, then all they need to do is take off the headphones. Guests who want a longer conversation can leave the dance hall and sit in a lounge area.
9. Craft Projects
A cool craft project is a perfect activity that will foster attendees’ creativity and bonding. You can start by choosing a craft project that will interest your team. Then, get the essential supplies and set up different workstations in your space.
Examples:
- Shoe-decorating
- Jewelry creation
- Flag-making
- Paint and sip
To encourage conversation, you can divide attendees into teams of five to ten participants and let members work as a group.
10. Graffiti Walls
Graffiti Walls are great networking event ideas that let attendees showcase their creativity. For a hands-on option, you can opt for an in-venue graffiti painting activity. You can also check out digital graffiti walls for event spaces that cannot accommodate an actual wall. Once you set up your canvas, offer participants different paint colors and brushes and set the timer. For example, you could give participants up to 15 minutes to get creative and express themselves through drawings. After the painting session, let participants strike a pose next to the new creation.
Conclusion
Networking games are a powerful tool for professionals looking to enhance their networking skills and build meaningful relationships. These games not only break the ice but also foster collaboration, communication, and understanding among participants. Whether you’re attending a conference, hosting a team-building event, or simply networking with colleagues, incorporating these games can transform your networking experience from mundane to memorable. So, the next time you’re looking to boost your connections, consider trying one of these top networking games and watch your professional relationships flourish.
