Haveo · Networking for introverts

How to meet people at a conference

Skip a session to keep talking to someone. The hallway is where a conference actually happens — the talks are online within a month, the conversations are not. Arrange one specific coffee before you travel so the trip has a guaranteed outcome.

Arrange one thing in advance

One person, one coffee, booked before you get on the plane. It takes the pressure off every other interaction because the trip already worked.

The message is easy: "I see you are speaking at [conference] — I would like to ask you about [thing]. Any chance of twenty minutes while we are both there?"

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Use the schedule as a conversation tool

"Are you going to the [topic] session?" is the easiest opener at a conference and it is always available.

Sitting next to someone in a session gives you a shared subject the moment it ends. That is the cheapest introduction in the building.

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Go to the small sessions

Workshops and roundtables with a dozen people produce more contacts than any evening reception, because you are doing something together rather than performing conversation.

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The queue and the coffee table

Everyone in a queue has time and no one to talk to. It is the single highest-yield place at the whole event and it costs nothing.

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Write the note before the next session

Name and one detail, into your phone, between sessions. By day three you will have met thirty people and remember four of them without this.

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Rehearse it before you walk in.

Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad.

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Common questions

Should I go to the speaker's talk before approaching them?
Yes, and reference something specific from it. It is the difference between a fan and a colleague, and it takes one sentence.
What if I do not know anyone at all?
Arrive early on day one. The first morning is the only time nobody has formed groups yet, and it is much easier than day two.
Is the evening event worth it?
One of them. They are largely interchangeable and going to all of them is how the last day disappears.
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