| Option | Good for | Falls short when |
|---|---|---|
| Prompted name tags | Any size. Cheap and easy. | People don’t read them, or the prompt is too clever. |
| Give and get board | Groups with real needs to trade. | The room is big and few people read the board. |
| Small groups with a question | Up to 60 or so, with a confident host. | People came to mingle and feel herded. |
| Speed networking | When everyone should meet a lot of people quickly. | Most pairs have no reason to meet. It needs a lot of hosting. |
| Host-led introductions | Small rooms with a well-connected host. | The room outgrows what one host knows. |
| Matching with a phone | Rooms of 30 or more where needs differ. | Guests can’t or won’t use an app. |
1. Prompted name tags
Swap “Job title, Company” for “Ask me about ___”. It gives people something to ask without having to think of anything. Print the tag in large type, and make the prompt specific. “Ask me about the worst client I ever had” beats “Ask me about my passion”.
2. A give and get board
Put up two big sheets: “I need” and “I can help with”. Guests write on sticky notes with their name. Put it where people wait, like near the bar. It works best when you, the host, read it too, and walk people over.
3. Small groups with a question
Ask everyone to find three people they don’t know, then give them one real question for ten minutes. “What’s the most useful thing you learned this year?” is better than “Share a fun fact”. Do this once, early on, and leave the rest of the evening alone.
4. Speed networking
Two lines, a timer and a bell. It’s efficient, it guarantees a certain number of conversations, and it needs enough hosting to keep things moving. Most of the pairings will be random, so people spend time with someone they had no reason to meet.
5. Host-led introductions
The best method there is, in the hands of someone who knows everyone. It’s also the method that breaks first. You can’t remember the needs of eighty people, or be in two places at once.
6. Matching with a phone
This is what we make, so take it with that in mind. Flare does what a well-connected host would do, for the whole room at once. Guests scan a code at the door and say what they need and what they can offer. Two phones light up in the same color, and those two people find each other.
Nobody has to play a game, and nobody has to approach a stranger at random. It costs a one-time fee of up to $299.99, depending on your event’s size, and it asks every guest to have an iPhone and install an app. If much of your crowd is on Android, one of the other five will suit you better.
How to choose
For under about 30 people, a good host and name tags are probably enough. For bigger rooms, combine something quick at the door with a way to point people to each other. Whatever you pick, tell guests what’s going to happen when they arrive. Surprises are what make icebreakers awful.