We know that content is key, but the meaningful connections that attendees walk away with are the ultimate key to your event’s success. Of attendees polled at Bizzabo’s (Almost) In-Person conference, 41% of attendees reported that networking is the in-person aspect most difficult to adapt to virtual events.
While we agree this is a significant challenge, impactful virtual networking is possible. With technologies evolving to cater to the virtual experience, we’re sharing five tools and strategies to foster networking at your next virtual event!
Dedicate networking time for small groups: Group networking in the virtual space is uncharted territory and makes implementing a thoughtful networking strategy even more critical than with an in-person event. From roundtable discussions to happy hours, here are some ideas to consider when planning your next virtual networking activity.
Size + Format: Keep groups to no more than 20 attendees to get the most value out of this time. Create multiple sessions to accommodate more guests and use different themes focused on specific topics or industries. Have a speaker facilitate the discussion and provide attendees with speaking prompts beforehand to enhance the conversation.
Housekeeping + How-To: Kick-off your networking session with general housekeeping. Encourage everyone to participate! Remind attendees to be kind and that inappropriate language will not be tolerated. To avoid attendees talking over one another, request attendees “raise their hand” to speak and the moderator can unmute them.
Technology + Groups: Choose the right technology. There is an abundance of virtual platforms to choose from. Zoom provides the option to break your meeting into smaller groups. Meeting hosts can pre-assign attendees to breakout rooms or split groups automatically at any time with the ability to switch between sessions.
Create opportunities to casually connect: Slack is a great option when creating a centralized virtual space to share updates and make connections. Create different channels based on various themes such as #intros #codeofcontact or #meet_a_professional to make Slack your central hub for content. As an event organizer, Slack allows you to answer questions and keep a pulse on attendee feedback while allowing guests to further the conversation post-session and even post-event!
cred Tip: Embed Donut into your Slack workspace to introduce attendees via private message post-event.
Break the ice with Icebreaker: Your virtual roundtable has begun and with one click, attendees breakout for short one-on-one curated conversations. A video platform designed to bring people together, Icebreaker makes networking easy, offering dozens of discussion questions based on the topic of your choice. Whether your group is meeting for the first or 1,000th time, Icebreaker does the heavy lifting and matches attendees 1:1 for multiple rounds of short interactive discussions.
Invite attendees to schedule 1:1 meetings with Brella: Known as the world’s leading event networking platform, Brella is a huge player specializing in intent-based 1:1 attendee matching powered by AI. Attendees just need to download the app, state their interests and event goals, and Brella’s AI will suggest other attendees that may be beneficial to meeting based on aligned interests. Using Brella’s curated list of attendee suggestions, you can reach out to schedule 1:1 meetings or casually chat throughout the event.
Take full advantage of social media: From Twitter to LinkedIn, encourage attendees to take full advantage of their social media platforms. This not only fuels the buzz of your virtual event but is also an outlet to foster connections between attendees while boosting brand presence.
Hashtags: Create a hashtag and promote it! Ensure visibility throughout the event and have your emcee mention the hashtag during session transitions.
Profiles: Ask attendees to share their LinkedIn profiles via communication channels like Slack or event app chats. You can also request attendees to include their LinkedIn accounts in their event attendee profiles.
Social Cards: Start engaging attendees early and ask your guest speakers to kick-off the conversation beforehand. Simplify the process and send speakers branded social media cards to post on their LinkedIn or Twitter profiles.
Personalize the networking experience: Get creative and find ways to enhance this networking time! Send a gift to participants, like a bottle of wine or a gift card—UberEats or BevMo are great options. Or, give back to the community by providing an option to donate that amount to a restaurant or organization. If your networking activity is based on an activity such as a cooking class or paint night, send supplies beforehand to ensure everyone can participate.
Interested in bringing more networking opportunities to your next virtual or in-person event? Get in touch!
