Don’t let your attendees wallow in stilted conversations – create networking activities and corporate icebreakers that foster real connections.

Explore these ideas for networking activities and games, which are great for engaging in-person and virtual event attendees.

Organise group networking activities

Organising big crowds into smaller groups for corporate icebreakers encourages high engagement and honest conversations. Break attendees up for these networking activities:

1. Shared storytelling

Storytelling is one of the most popular virtual networking strategies, thanks to the success of organizations like The Moth. Use questions such as “Tell us about a time you impressed your co-workers” and “How did your first job help you to get to where you are?” Ask attendees to prepare a quick story they can share with small groups or on stage.

2. Speed-networking

Like speed-dating, pair participants up for just two to three minutes at a time. Ask them to get to know each other, exchange contact info, and find a takeaway they’ll remember about the other person.

3. Poll the audience

If breaking into small groups isn’t feasible, try audience polls. Explore extensions that enable digital polling and interactivity that display real-time results on a screen.

4. Provide prompts

Use prompts to create a sentence-finishing game. Offer starters like: “The first album I ever bought was…” or “The best way for me to relax is…” Participants fill in the blanks.

5. Brainstorm goals

Icebreakers aren’t just about getting people over their initial shyness – they can also serve as productive kick-off sessions. Pair off participants to brainstorm what they would like to accomplish at the event.

6. Invent new words

Get attendees to think creatively with the “invent a new word” challenge. Hand out flashcards naming everyday objects – ocean, rainbow, star, tree, house – and have participants work together to think of new names. This will challenge preconceptions and bring people together in an unpredictable way.

7. Q&A prep

Pair off participants and have them come up with two or three questions to ask panellists or speakers, creating interactive Q&A sessions (simultaneously ensuring you have enough questions). Audience engagement significantly increases during sessions where they can present questions or provide input.

8. Paper telephone game

Social games always spark conversation. Give everyone a piece of paper and have them write a sentence or word before passing it on to the person next to them. The receiving person draws what’s written on the paper, folds the written part, and passes the drawing to the next person. Games like this get people thinking creatively and can prompt a few laughs, too.

Unstructured networking activities

Don’t let attendees discuss the weather during coffee breaks and cocktail hours. Instead, help them connect via these unstructured networking activities.

9. Unstructured time

Leave plenty of time for non-structured networking. Onsite luncheons, happy hours, and other “free time” are great opportunities to meet and greet. Virtual events let users hop into rooms with different purposes. Some event apps even let you add gamification elements and live forums to the mix.

10. Enable networking apps

Help event-goers tap into the cloud to determine who they want to connect with on the ground. Apps like Presdo Match let event attendees embed their LinkedIn profiles, making it easy for attendees to find out about each other. This can also be seamlessly integrated into virtual events, as the user ID is already connected to a cloud server, which can be coupled with check-in apps.

11. Competitive networking

Make networking activities competitive. Instruct attendees to collect business cards from every person they speak to at the event. After the gathering, the person with the most business cards receives a prize and recognition for their networking aplomb.

12. Connect attendees online

Custom event hashtags let attendees connect online before, during, and after your event. As well as building buzz around events, hashtags get your registered attendees excited and conversing.

13. Continue the connection

Don’t let the energy wane just because your event is over. Encourage participants to stay in touch with you and each other via your website, forums like Facebook or LinkedIn groups, other social media platforms, or your mailing list.

Networking games

Networking games promote teamwork and help attendees build meaningful connections. They also allow everyone to destress and relax.

14. Social café

Social café is a fun and simple game that helps players get to know each other. Attendees are divided into small groups of three or four individuals and given a problem to solve. You can also assign the groups different topics to discuss.

Topics can be industry related or apply to personal experiences. Give the groups around twenty minutes to discuss the issue before they form new groups. Coordinators can repeat this event activity until everyone has a chance to connect.

15. Networking scavenger hunt

Instead of searching for specific items, this networking game involves finding people. Event planners create a list of unique qualities and characteristics individuals typically have in the industry.

These characteristics might include someone holding a management position or someone with a specific number of years of experience. Hand the list out to players and have them hunt for the particular people that meet the criteria.

16. Business card collection contest

This event networking activity works best with large groups. The goal is for attendees to connect with as many people as possible by collecting business cards – the winner then gets a prize.

17. Two truths, one lie

Two truths and one lie is a simple and classic game. Each player writes down two truths about themselves and one lie. The goal is to discover which statements are factual and which one is false. Divide players into smaller groups or allow everyone to play together.

18. Quick-fire questions

Gather attendees in an area with a whiteboard to write down simple questions to ask each other. Questions can be industry related or about an individual’s role in their company. Some examples include asking:

  • What is your role in the company?
  • What industry are you working in?
  • What types of individuals are you hoping to network with?

Pair attendees up and keep switching until everyone has a chance to meet each other.

19. Switch sides if…

Start this game by organising attendees into two groups – one on the “yes” side and the other on the “no” side. The host reads off questions, and attendees shuffle over to the side of their answer.

Since players are moving from one group to another depending on the question, it’s a great way to break the ice and form connections.

Connect with Eventbrite for your next networking event

Networking activities help attendees create lasting connections. Games and other activities make it easier to break the ice, get to know each other, and learn about their industry.

Whether you’re looking for additional ideas for your next event or helpful tools, Eventbrite has what you need. See how Eventbrite can help you plan your networking activities.