The problem with a lot of networking events is that they make the guests do all the work.
They’re the ones expected to engage and keep the energy up.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Last night, I hosted a blind wine challenge for 70-80 people on a rooftop in London.
One tasting table. Six places.
The format was simple: guests had to rank wines from least expensive to most expensive, tasting blind. We had Jam Shed vs Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2010, and Casillero del Diablo Chardonnay vs Meursault 2018.
And it worked even better than I hoped - there was a queue for the table all evening.
People who initially stood back and said, "This isn't really my thing" were back for a second round later in the night.
Senior leaders became surprisingly competitive.
Colleagues compared notes, debated their answers and helped each other improve their scores.
I ended up leaving an hour later than planned because nobody wanted the game to stop.
The wine mattered, yes. But not for the reason you might think.
The challenge gave people a shared problem to solve.
And when you give a room something to engage with together, conversation happens naturally.
For professional services firms, that's where the value of an event is created.
If you want to do something a bit different for your next event, feel free to drop me a message!
Elizabeth Hawthornthwaite
