What's the best way to plan a speed networking session for your conference?

1 Set clear goals and expectations

Before you start planning the logistics of your speed networking session, you need to define the purpose and outcomes of the activity. What are the main objectives of your session? Who are your target participants and what are their interests and needs? How will you measure the success and feedback of your session? By setting clear goals and expectations, you can tailor your session to fit your conference theme, audience, and format, and communicate them effectively to your attendees and facilitators.

3 Prepare the venue and materials

Once you have chosen a format and duration for your speed networking session, you need to prepare the venue and materials accordingly. You need to ensure that you have enough space, seating, and equipment to accommodate your participants and facilitate their interactions. You may also need to provide some signage, name tags, timers, or sound systems to help with the organization and flow of the session. Additionally, you may want to prepare some icebreakers, prompts, or guidelines to help your participants start and maintain meaningful conversations. You can also create some handouts, cards, or online platforms to help your participants exchange contact information and follow up after the session.

4 Recruit and train facilitators

A speed networking session can be chaotic and confusing without proper guidance and supervision. Therefore, you need to recruit and train some facilitators who can help you run the session smoothly and effectively. Your facilitators should be familiar with the goals, format, and rules of your session, and be able to explain them clearly to your participants. They should also be able to monitor the time, signal the transitions, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise during the session. Moreover, your facilitators should be friendly, enthusiastic, and supportive, and encourage your participants to engage and network with each other.

6 Follow up and evaluate your session

After your speed networking session, you need to follow up and evaluate your session to ensure that you have achieved your goals and delivered a positive experience for your participants. You need to thank your participants and facilitators for their attendance and involvement, and provide them with some resources or opportunities to continue their networking and learning. You also need to solicit some feedback and suggestions from your participants and facilitators, and analyze them to measure the impact and satisfaction of your session. Furthermore, you need to use this feedback and data to improve and refine your future speed networking sessions, and make them more relevant, engaging, and effective for your conference attendees.