A Simple Formula to 10x Your 2026 Networking Events and Welcome Receptions
Everyone wants to meet new people at events, but not everyone does…
Everyone wants to meet new people at events, but not everyone does…
I’m surprised how often event attendees consistently complain that they didn’t make “meaningful connections” at their most recent event.
Some say they’ve been mobbed by networking sharks; others say they don't feel welcome or included at the event.
Event planners are constantly looking for new ways to help their guests create “meaningful connections” and build “worthwhile relationships.”
Here is a simple formula - leveraging basic influence principles and psychology - that will ensure your guests meet new people and have interesting, memorable conversations throughout your event.
1) Understand that people operate according to fixed and rigid patterns.
We do the same thing at every event. We talk about the same things. We even talk to the same people. We do this because humans gravitate toward the similar and the familiar. This is why networking events are dull and frustrating.
2) Create a Pattern Interrupt
We must do something that interrupts the pattern and creates a new one. If you do this with forced networking and organized meet-and-greet, about 50% of humans will fight because they don't like being forced. If you attract and engage them with something fun, they feel like they're choosing to engage, so the experience feels natural.
3) Install a new pattern.
You must do something during the event that makes it “okay” for people to engage with people they don't know.
3) Create Equal Business Stature
People love to compare status and rank themselves among each other; unfortunately people of unequal business status often have difficulty talking openly and honestly. You create some kind of experience where everyone is equal.
This is how we leverage the magic and mind-reading to do this at cocktail receptions and networking events:
When I approach the group, by saying, “Hi, I’m Mike, Bob from Company X asked me to entertain you for a few minutes…”.
This enters their existing pattern - it’s Company X’s event, so they decide what happens - and moves them from their “Small Talk” pattern to a new “Watching A Show” pattern.
The “Watching a Show” pattern has different rules. Because of the laughs, applause, and reactions, people outside the group feel comfortable joining, so they can watch as well. I encourage this by waving these people in.
The magic amazes everyone equally. Everyone has their own perspective on what they saw me do, but nobody knows how it works. This creates equal business stature among the group, so everyone feels comfortable and welcome talking.
The magic is now a shared experience among everyone in that group. Later, they will recognize each other, remember the magic, and feel comfortable speaking with each other because they “know” the other person.
It’s a very simple, very direct process, but it creates a completely different level of connection among the people in the group.
In business, conversations are how we get everything done: prospecting, selling, revenue generation, referral generation...
This process gives your guests more conversations (and better quality conversations), so they can comfortably accomplish their business goals at your event.
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