Walking into a room full of hundreds of people can be, well, intimidating. It is our natural inclination to retreat from uncomfortable situations where we feel out of place or self-conscious, but it is in these situations that we have the most potential to grow. In order to ease the anxiety of large conferences, offer your guests fun and engaging ways to get them excited about your mission. It is important to have an environment that is conducive to communication and relationship building.
Here are a few creative activities to grab your attendees’ attention right from the beginning and provide them with networking opportunities:
Solve the Puzzle
As an initial ice breaker, give each member a piece of a jigsaw puzzle as they walk in. Their task is to find the table with their puzzle and collaborate with others to complete it. Not only does this activity promote teamwork, but it could also serve as a promotional opportunity with teams assembling a puzzle to reveal your next convention location or the password needed to enter a VIP reception.
Find the Clues
To pique the interest of your attendees, give them each a clue that on its own, means nothing. However, with the coordination of other guests, can help them solve the riddle. Whoever uncovers the riddle first receives a prize for their efforts. This exercise can effectively show the importance of collaboration and is a fantastic way to get your guests engaged in your event.
Play Catch
Another way to help your guests introduce themselves is to put them into groups and provide each group with a beach ball. Write a different question on each section of the ball and have the guests throw the ball around the circle. Wherever their pointer finger of their dominant hand lands is the question they must answer. Examples could include personal questions such as, “Where did you go to college?” or “Where did you grow up?” The questions could also be more relevant to your event, such as, “Who is your biggest career inspiration?” or “Why did you choose this event?” This is a great tactic to enable your guests an opportunity to conversate and learn more about each other.
GIF & Meme Game
A fun way to get your attendees up and talking is to incorporate an interactive game into your event. Challenge your guests to find a meme or GIF that would apply to different statements, and then have them walk around the room to compare with the other guests. Examples of prompts could be “Your face when you woke up this morning” or “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” This game is a great way to create an interesting and lively environment for your event!
Start Incorporating Ice Breakers at Networking Events!
To learn more about how to break the ice and start networking at events more effectively, get in touch with us today!
You can also reach us by filling out the form below, giving us a call at 202-783-0300, emailing us at Contact@LAIEvents.com, or live chatting with a member of our team.