Speed networking

[5] Credit for applying speed dating concepts to the corporate world has been attributed to Tom Jaffee, a founder of a speed-dating network.

To facilitate movement of participants, the chairs in the room are often organized in two circles or facing rows of desks.

In Round Robin speed networking, a participant would meet an average of 10 contacts during an hour-long event.

Prior to coming to the event, participants fill out a questionnaire listing their business background (job title and industry) and whom they wish to meet (suppliers, customers or vendors).

[11] Speed mentoring sessions are typically "a series of short, focused conversations about specific questions.

[15] At the 2007 National AIA Convention (San Antonio, TX), Kim and Waldrep co-presented a session entitled Speed Mentoring: Developing You, an Emerging Professional and over 100 attendees participated - representing the spectrum of interns to senior leadership.

After a brief overview of mentorship and the available resources, this interactive session required attendees to participate in a live demonstration of the program.

A bell was rung at which time the two facing individuals traded business cards, introduced themselves and shared what they were looking for in a mentoring relationship.

The session was a success and was subsequently repeated at two National AIA Conventions (Boston and San Francisco).

Speed networking facilitates the meeting of individuals who may not have had the opportunity to exchange information without a structured environment.

It rids the awkward "exit" by having time limits – no need to find a way to bow out of a conversation gracefully – and therefore increases the number of potential new meets.

However, there are also risks for attendees, and these relate to an unfortunate perception that a business relationship can also be speed-tracked, as well as a misconception that quantity is of prime importance.

[citation needed] Other principles of good networking, such as an attitude of giving, not pushing, business cards or marketing material at people, for example, still stand.

It adds value to organizations whose structure is innate to business mingling, like alumni associations and chambers of commerce.

Group-based speed networking, for example, provides the opportunity to meet a maximum number of people with less stress on the participant or repetition of one's personal information.