The Power Of Conversation & Why Zoom Doesn't Work For Networking

During the pandemic, I really missed attending the conferences about Conversational AI. I entered the "scene" in 2018, and went to Berling twice for two amazing, super energetic, Chatbot Summits (see an overview of upcoming conferences here).

The power of conversation

Although every conference has multiple awesome speakers, I always enjoy the networking between, after, or during the sessions the most! Nothing beats one-to-one conversations or talking in a small group of, let's say a maximum of seven people.

So why is that?

1. The power of conversation: you can talk about exactly what you want, and go into as much detail as you please. Conversation is the most natural and powerful way of communicating and that's exactly the reason why bots are taking over the world (no, don't worry, not literally ??). When somebody is talking on stage, you can only consume the offered content, and perhaps ask a question at the end.
2. In a big group introverts might not say a lot. Often there's one or two people who like talking, and the others ask a question or only listen. BTW check out the survey I did on LinkedIn about being an extrovert or introvert, the result will surprise you!

That's why I started looking for an application that could mimic IRL networking online. A virtual space that allows multiple conversations to be held simultaneously. I stumbled upon Spatial Chat pretty quickly, and hosted the first "Botrepreneurs Online Networking Event" on December 15th, 2021!

The virtual networking space

Last September the 12th session was held, and this is what one of earlier events looked like:

The event is named "Bits & Bots" now! Wouter Sligter and I revamped the networking area a bit, and chose these "topics area's":

• Conversation Design
• Voice
• ChatGPT/LLMs/RAG
• Midjourney/DALL.E/Runway/Sora (content creation tools)
• Jobs
• And of course the "Small Talk Bar"

You can drag your avatar around, and only when you are close enough to someone you can have a conversation. There's group chat & private chat, and if you're tired of having serious conversations: head over to the "Small Talk Bar"!

Many attendees have found a new project, job, employee, or partnership via Bits & Bots! Don't miss this opportunity to network, learn, and grow with the #Botrepreneurs community!

Costs

A ticket only costs €14 (excl. VAT) and first-time joiners can get a free ticket with this coupon code:

FREE-FIRST-TICKET-BITS-AND-BOTS

Selling tickets globally can be challenging due to different currency values. To make the networking events accessible, we have created discount codes tailored for different regions and students:

?? 50%-OFF-BITS-BOTS-AFRICA

?? 50%-OFF-BITS-BOTS-ASIA

?? 50%-OFF-BITS-BOTS-LATAM

?? 50%-OFF-BITS-BOTS-STUDENTS

GET YOUR TICKET for the upcoming event on Wednesday, Oct. 23 and/or SAVE THE DATE!

Sponsorship opportunities

There are several sponsoring opportunities, please send me a message on WhatsApp or LinkedIn for more information!

PS 1: Do you prefer good old in-real-life networking? Check out Beers & Bots and hopefully, we will see each other next month in Amsterdam!

PS 2: Looking for a place where you can always network and discuss things with peers? Join the Botrepreneurs WhatsApp Community via https://chat.whatsapp.com/CXAnEyOSXpsI4XWtJtxeJB!