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YOU'VE HEARD OF eight-minute dating? Well, how about
eight-minute networking? That's right, the philosophy behind
speed dating is now making its way into the world of medical
meeting networking sessions.
Match Events Inc. recently launched NetworkingMatch, a
system to help professionals meet the right people at
conferences, trade shows, business meetings, charity events,
or social functions. Building on its experience of hosting
more than 3,000 singles events since 2001, the Boston-based
company is now helping business people efficiently meet one
another. The eight-minute networking format helps attendees
make the most of their time.
According to Tom Jaffee, CEO of Match Events. “The No. 1
objective of most meeting attendees is to establish business
contacts, and NetworkingMatch provides a great way to
accomplish that goal.”
A session typically lasts one to three hours. Participants
rotate through a series of short one-on-one meetings. Before
the meeting, attendees are asked to create a networking
profile to provide pertinent information about themselves to
other participants. Those who plan to participate in the
networking session are then asked to submit their meeting
requests, indicating whom they would like to meet one-on-one,
and whom they would prefer not to meet with (e.g.,
competitors).
During each short meeting, participants are encouraged to
quickly understand each other's needs and determine if a
follow-up meeting would be mutually beneficial. From that
point forward, cards are exchanged and a new (business)
relationship is born. Serious Fun
But don't be fooled. As lighthearted and fun as this
approach may seem, medical meeting planners see it as a
serious tool for improving outcomes for their conferences. IBC
USA Conferences used this tool at conferences for deep science
topics such as Antibody Production and Downstream Processing,
TIDES (for peptide and oligonucleotide work), and Drug
Delivery World. “One of the biggest challenges for our
attendees is to get quality one-to-one networking time,” says
Anna Allen, marketing director for IBC Conferences,
Westborough, Mass. “We promote this activity well in advance
and give people the chance to sign up for a specific time
slot. The response has been great. Through this
speed-networking opportunity, attendees can meet new people
and extend the reach of their networking efforts.”
Meeting planners are advised to plan well in advance to
make these sessions work. “Pick a time toward the beginning of
your event so that people are still in the ‘get to know you’
frame of mind. And be prepared with a Plan B if some of your
registered attendees don't show up,” cautions Allen. “A bit of
advance planning will go a long way toward making the event a
winner.”
Response from attendees has been very positive. They find
the format refreshing, and the results well worth the time
invested. “Many of our participants mentioned that they most
enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from companies they
weren't familiar with or hadn't had a chance to connect with
prior to the networking event,” says Allen.
Results are similar for eight-minute networking events in
the wider meeting industry too. Mary Beth Rebedeau, executive
director of the Society of Independent Show Organizers,
Chicago Ridge, Ill., says, “We used this innovative system
recently at a new conference and the energy and the buzz that
the system created were highly touted by the participants. It
was also delightful to watch. Finally, participants can make
the right connections in an organized way, which is key to the
success of any conference.”
You can find more information on eight-minute networking by
visiting http://www.networkingmatch.com/.
Jennifer Goodwin is president of The Goodwin
Group, a global medical communications consulting agency in
Arlington, Mass. You can contact her at goodwingroup@comcast.net.
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