REAL NETWORKING AT A VIRTUAL EVENT

One of my favourite quotes, ESPECIALLY during this pandemic period, comes from the British writer, Viviane Greene, who said, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass … It’s about learning to dance in the rain”.

Of course, ACTUALLY dancing in the rain is probably not advisable at the moment. We live in a world where, if you so much as sneeze in public, people look at you as though you are the worst person who has ever lived. So it’s best to avoid all activities that may lead to even a sniffle.

But the point Ms Greene was trying to make was, I believe, that no matter how bad things get, you can always find a positive [just hopefully not on your COVID test results].

So, rather than bemoan the lack of work, the financial hardship, the disruption to life and (most upsettingly of all in my eyes) the demise of the hotel breakfast buffet, I like to think how great it is that, in a virtual sense, events are still being held.

And, whilst the general consensus is that virtual events do a fair job of delivering content, the consistent feedback I’m hearing is that it hasn’t been able to satisfy people’s desire to network with other.

And it makes perfect sense that virtual networking is so difficult. I mean, how are you supposed to connect with someone who’s not actually there? Especially when YOU’RE not actually there, either??!!

So, for this article I investigated how people might get better REAL networking from their VIRTUAL event experience.

The first thing I discovered is that, to get better results, BOTH the event organiser AND the event delegate must take some responsibility and do things a little differently.

I’ve split what I’ve learned into those two categories:

WHAT EVENT ORGANISERS CAN DO

There’s two main ways event organisers can help delegates network in a virtual setting:

a) BY BREAKING NETWORKING BARRIERS

b) BY CREATING NETWORKING SPACES

Let’s take a look at them both.

1. BREAKING NETWORKING BARRIERS

Even in the real-life conference world, people are often hesitant to approach strangers. So it’s no big surprise that they have the same problem online.

Fortunately there’s numerous simple ways to help. And they all involve the event organiser providing encouragement and opportunity to break down these barriers.

i) CREATE A CONNECTING CULTURE EARLY ON

By early on, I mean, from the moment a delegate registers. 

If, in the lead-up to the event, you connect with delegates via social media, you can ask their opinion about topics, events and speakers, or run quizzes or surveys or give them opportunities to ask questions, they quickly learn their role is more than simply “just tune in and listen”.

In addition, when a delegate is involved in such a conversation, they can identify other people with similar views, or issues … and feel more confident taking that first step to connect with them directly.

ii) PLAY MATCHMAKER

This can be done either in the lead-up to the conference, or at the event itself.

One method is to provide each delegate with a list of 6-10 other delegates that you belief it would benefit them to know. Naturally, each of the delegates you have on your list would also have you on their list. So now, if you were to connect with them (be it on social media or during the event in a breakout room) you are no longer a total stranger.

You could also create a conference buddy or conference mentor program, matching people up with the requirement that they ‘meet up’ two or three times during the conference, or introduce you to two of their new connections etc.

There are also apps like Hopin which, I believe, are similar to speed networking. In Hopin’s case, it randomly connects two participants into a live, one-on-one video chat where they have a set amount of time to talk and possibly add each other as “contacts” before time is up and they are both connected with other participants.

iii) MORE INTERESTING CONFERENCE PROFILES

Conference apps usually give you access to a delegate list. When you click on a delegate’s name, it will then show you a tiny bit of information about them. And I mean, TINY.

That is a great opportunity lost. If their profile revealed some other information about them (such as their interests, hobbies, sessions they’ll be attending etc) it gives people so many more reasons to feel comfortable breaking the ice with them.

For example, if they are registered to attend the same concurrent session as me, I could reach out and start a chat about that topic.

If I see they are into basketball, there’s a whole new way I could start a conversation with them.

And, if I see they are big fans of Married At First Sight, then I know I should probably give them a wide berth …

2. CREATING NETWORKING SPACES

The second way in which conference organisers can help the networking process is to create virtual spaces in which people can ‘gather’.

Here’s a run-through of some, from the simple to the more fancy.

i) THE CHAT FEED

Naturally, this is a good starting point for much delegate involvement.

A simple but effective way of turning your chat feed into something that really helps networking is to have your MC occasionally read out some of the comments or questions on the chat feed, then encourage others to write a comment or opinion in reply.

This helps delegates identify the people they may find it easier to start a conversation with, and the comment becomes the starting point of their exchange.

ii) GROUPS

Conversations can also be started up amongst people with similar interests by creating Private Facebook or LinkedIn Groups on those topic areas that is only open to attendees.

Several articles I read also mentioned that using a SLACK CHANNEL (https://slack.com/intl/en-au/) … Slack being a collaborative tool that I believe is popular amongst the young folk nowadays … was very effective.

And another popular tool is MeetUp (www.meetup.com). Being in my fifties, I haven’t tried these out as yet. I’ll just have to wait until my eldest child turns 15, then he can explain them to me.

iii) ROOMS

Many collaboration and video meeting apps allow you to set up breakout rooms in which conversation can be had, but one app that I really like the sound of (and the look of) is REMO (https://remo.co/conference/ ).

Remo actually shows you a whole bundle of cocktail tables (with a conversation topic). If there is a free space at one, you are free to click and join a live video chat.

If, however, you would like to stick with regular breakout rooms, have a facilitator in each (to keep the conversations flowing) and announce on your chat feed which topics are being discussed in which rooms at which times.

Rooms don’t only have to be for discussing topics. They can be for Yoga, for a quiz … for any activity you can find someone to run.

The important thing is, by attending a particular room, a delegate is already showing they have something in interest with the others in that room. And this will hopefully lead to some connecting.

iv) GAMES / ACTIVITIES ETC

Speaking of games … it could be worth looking at some sort of interactive activity (trivia, a hunt etc) as it encourages the culture of delegate participation.

WHAT EVENT DELEGATES CAN DO

So far I’ve listed a bundle of things that event organisers could do to help people network at virtual events.

However, virtual networking is a two-way street, and requires some level of commitment and effort from delegates.

Here are some of the steps you should consider taking:

i) TELL THE WORLD YOU’LL BE THERE

Of course, there’s no guarantee the world will care BUT there’s always’s a chance a few people, upon seeing on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or your own personal webpage that you are excited to have registered, will pay attention to both you and the event.

ii) COMPLETE YOUR PROFILE ON THE APP

As mentioned in Point 1 iii) above, the more you share, the greater the chance you will open a networking door.

iii) PLAN YOUR NETWORKING

Have you ever started up a conversation with someone you’d never normally have spoken to in the line at the coffee cart during a conference morning tea?

That sort of accidental networking isn’t likely to happen at a virtual conference, so you need to be a bit more proactive in your networking.

Write down some general goals (perhaps “introduce myself to five new people”) and definitely look through the delegate list to identify people you would most want to connect with.

iv) COMMENT IN FEEDS. ENTER ROOMS. PARTICIPATE!!

It seems obvious, but many of us fail to do it. You truly get out of networking what you are prepared to put into it. So be a presence.

And don’t be afraid to start by introducing yourself in the chat feed (just writing a quick hello, your name, your role and a “Looking forward to chatting”)

v) SAY IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Use the event hashtags to post comments, pics or screenshots. Other delegates who may see it will have extra reason to reach out to you.

vi) PARTICIPATE IN VIRTUAL GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

CONCLUSION

There is absolutely no doubt that it is MUCH easier to network at a live conference. But waiting for the next live conference is a lot like waiting for a storm to pass. Only much, much longer.

So, as Vivian Greene suggested, we need to learn to dance in the rain … take the steps necessary to make the most of what virtual conferencing can offer.

If you do, not only will you find yourself getting more bang for your conference buck, but you might get invitations to take part in podcast interviews, write a guest blog or even partner in a venture.

And, when you are finally able to meet in person, that connection will be even more meaningful.

Of course, failing all of that, there’s always the old-fashioned telephone, which can guarantee a high-quality one-on-one catch-up. I think I might end this article now, and give someone a call.

DARREN ISENBERG IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST-LOVED MC'S AND SPEAKERS ON POSITIVE INFLUENCE. CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE AT www.dipresents.com.au FOR HIS OTHER ARTICLES AND INFORMATION ON HIS PRESENTATION SKILLS COACHING