Be the croissant: Seven tips for seizing and benefiting from small networking moments at conferences

It’s late at night and you’re flying to a big scientific meeting across the country. Knowing you would be out of the office for at least one day, you stayed late several days last week to get work done. In fact, you’re still thinking about a project and wondering how you’ll meet the deadline.

The last thing on your mind is networking.

In an ideal scenario, you’d have thought through a strategic networking plan before going to the conference, but even without such a plan, you know you can take advantage of all the small networking moments bound to occur throughout the day. One possibility is schmoozing with fellow attendees at breakout sessions.

Does this sound familiar? Trouble is, like many of us, you don’t really know many people at the conference, and you don’t enjoy mingling in the hallway during the breaks, so you go directly to the next breakout-session room five, or even 10 minutes before the session begins.

In the breakout room, you choose a seat as far apart as possible from everyone else—preferably the aisle seat in the last row. Once settled, you whip out your phone to check work emails and scroll through social media posts. As the room fills, a few people sit near you, perhaps just one seat over. The room is less than half full and almost completely silent, yet you and almost everyone else are focused on your smartphones.

Even if you’re not the most gregarious person, you can take advantage of these small networking moments that are right in front of you.

After all, the people around you chose the same session as you, so you are likely to have something in common with them. And it’s a much better opportunity for making a great connection than say, a random encounter in line at the hotel lobby Starbucks.

But you need to act fast to seize the networking moment. Here are seven tips for taking advantage of these small networking moments at conferences.

1. Don’t Sit Down Right Away

Put your belongings on a chair, and while standing, turn to the person sitting closest to you and say, “Good morning,” or “Hi, my name is…” Ask if they’ve met the person sitting closest to them, who will likely look up from their phone and join the conversation you’ve just started.

2. Ask Relevant Questions

“What drew you to this session?” is a good generic question, but you can get more specific. Think about why you selected this session and turn that into a question. For example, you might ask: “I’d like to learn the latest techniques for [the topic], what has been your experience with [fill in the blank]?”

3. Meet the Presenter

Now that the room is starting to fill up, the presenter has likely finished finagling their PowerPoint presentation and is waiting expectantly at the front of the room. This is a great opportunity for you to quickly chat with them before they speak. Say something about what you are looking forward to hearing about in their presentation.

Pro tip: Plan to send a follow-up note to the presenter that says it was great meeting them, and then thank them for their talk.

4. Say One Thing

If you tend to be shy about speaking in large crowds, focus your energy on one impactful statement or question. You might say something like: “A few minutes ago, we were talking about [topic] and I wanted to add that in my experience [blank] happens if you [blank]. I’d love to hear from others in the room how we might approach this differently in the future.”

Then, even if the conversation doesn’t touch on your question, linger after the session, and make eye contact with attendees as they leave the room. Someone may stop to chat with you about your point, and you can then exit the room together.

5. Work the Line

At the end of a conference session, a few people will form a line to speak to the presenter. These are people who have also selected a session you are interested in and enjoyed it enough to stay later. It’s a great opportunity for you to meet someone with shared interests. Stand off to the side of the end of the line and ask an open-ended question about the presentation. Something like: “Those were really great examples. Have you found a similar outcome when you tried it at your organization?” There’s a good chance you’ll soon be in a conversation with a few of the people who had been waiting quietly in line.

6. Leave in Pairs

As you transition to the next session, or maybe a break or a luncheon, rather than enter that space by yourself, accompany someone you’ve just been chatting with or who you met earlier. Then you won’t have to navigate that coffee break on your own, and you might be introduced to your new friend’s colleagues or be invited to join them for lunch.

7. Be the Croissant

Quite a bit of any conference experience takes place outside of breakout sessions, so you’ll need to know how to navigate the vibrant chaos of the hallway and crowded receptions. It’s hard, though, when everyone seems to be in tight networking circles. I call these shoulder-to-shoulder huddles “bagels,” and they are nearly impossible to break into.

Now imagine you’re one of the people standing in a typical networking bagel or even with just one other person. If you took a small step back with one foot and turned your torso slightly to that side, you’d create an opening that would make it easier for someone else to join your group’s conversation.

That’s the croissant we’re looking for.

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Networking was likely a top driver for attending your next SPIE conference. Make sure your body language matches your intentions. See this tip in action in Robbie Samuels’ TEDx talk, “Hate networking? Stop bageling and be the croissant!”—www.robbiesamuels.com/TEDx.   

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Robbie Samuels is recognized as a networking expert by NPR, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Lifehacker, and Inc.

He is the author of Croissants vs. Bagels: Strategic, Effective, and Inclusive Networking at Conferences, and Small List, Big Results: Launch a Successful Offer No Matter the Size of Your Email List.

Download more of his in-person conference networking tips at www.robbiesamuels.com/tips. Connect at www.linkedin.com/in/RobbieSamuels.