New event, you don't know anybody. Who are you supposed to talk to? What are you supposed to talk about? How long will you talk about the weather and Elon Musk before you hit on a more interesting topic?
You hit the nail on the head when you said "we are not looking to meet more people online. we want to meet people offline". Even though I was impressed by your attempt at "plotting" the UT community on an interests based grid, it didn't meet my need. I organize small group offline events (20-40 pax) and a tool like this could make connecting easier. It applies to pretty much any networking situation. A feature I would find useful is to include an ask or two - e.g. "Looking for a Bkk based personal stylist"
We did something similar for my company, but based on LinkedIn connections. We had people hit a button beforehand that allowed us to import their connections, then when they arrived at the event we gave them personal list of the 5 people at the event they have the most and least network overlap with.
People loved seeing this and many took it as a scavenger hunt challenge to meet everyone on the lists. Interestingly, most of the conversations were among the people who were LEAST connected with each other. It was an icebreaker that allowed people to get outside of their comfort zones. And meeting people you're least connected with ends up bringing the most value.
Happy to share more about the tech, calculations and process some time if it would help!
I don't have a comment but rather a meta-comment on receiving this "article" in my inbox. I love UT and look forward weekly to the articles (just subscribed to premium last month!)
So I was a bit disappointed when I got to the end of this one and realized it was not a proper piece but merely more of a promotion (with just a splash of peeking behind the curtain, in typical UT fashion).
Which is fine, love to see what else Tomas has going on and absolutely do not fault you for sending it, but I think a short message at the top of this (+ I presume there may be future ones) email stating that it isn't really a full UT post, would have removed this disappointment - which I think was as simple as a mismatch of expectations and reality.
Keep on analyzin', and looking forward to the good stuff later this week.
Tomas, your suggestion is excellent. I agree with the pricing structure and support your response to Alan Ortiz, emphasizing that the decision to utilize it and design responses based on your interest in each situation is yours. With this in place, we're all set for the Field test. Please let us know how we can assist.
Just food for thought ... Some of the results seem very LinkedIn-ish, i.e., job titles, job roles, etc. with a focus on similarity as others have already commented.
But if I'm looking for inspiration, to meet someone new, different, etc., then I don't need similarities. I have a ton of work-related acquaintances already who are just like me, but I also probably don't want the total opposite of me either. Having nothing in common or opposing views on life can be a non-starter
It might be interesting to classify interests as career and non-career. Then group people by one career interest and one non-career (so we have something) but then randomize the other attributes. I'm thinking of a Venn diagram with a meaningful intersection, but far from a complete overlap, if that makes sense.
I've had one conversation with someone in my circle of 10 that you identified. We were very similar except that he's in the UK while I'm in the US and we are at opposite ends of our careers. It was those differences that interested me the most
(and in reply to your earlier comment, I am notorious for just talking to randos in a bar. But honestly, those are pretty hit or miss.)
I really like this idea however I wonder how a tool like this will be co-opted at networking events by biz dev solicitors trying to sell you something. This is one of the reasons I don't like going to most networking events, too many people handing out irrelevant businesss cards offering a service (I don't fault them for trying to make a living) rather than having a conversation or connecting on a mutual interest. I think a big part of a good offline event is about inviting the right people which most organizers fail to do.
Hmmm my visceral reaction is that distills people not by “who thy are” but “what they have done/achieved”. Are we accelerating the isolation of people into even more limited “elite groups” (just couldn’t quickly come up with another descriptor) here? Is this a tool for the socially awkward who have to use their brand or trophies to make conversation with a stranger. I like the idea just wonder about the basis selected. Some of my best social engagements have been with people from all walks of life. Not trying to be too critical just reacting and having my first shot of caffeine. Think on!
There’s a product on the market called Swapcard with many of these functionalities - the Centre for Effective Altruism has been using it for their EA Global conference series since at least 2021!
This is a fantastic idea! The pricing model of $100 per event, and a dollar per person, seems reasonable for a “for profit“ event. This seems like it would also be very useful for community events, that are not for profit. Perhaps there could be another cost recovery structure for these types of not for profit events? Perhaps even a, “one dollar option per participant“ would be helpful for community based networking events, or even community fairs, markets, and other social events that are community based
You hit the nail on the head when you said "we are not looking to meet more people online. we want to meet people offline". Even though I was impressed by your attempt at "plotting" the UT community on an interests based grid, it didn't meet my need. I organize small group offline events (20-40 pax) and a tool like this could make connecting easier. It applies to pretty much any networking situation. A feature I would find useful is to include an ask or two - e.g. "Looking for a Bkk based personal stylist"
We did something similar for my company, but based on LinkedIn connections. We had people hit a button beforehand that allowed us to import their connections, then when they arrived at the event we gave them personal list of the 5 people at the event they have the most and least network overlap with.
People loved seeing this and many took it as a scavenger hunt challenge to meet everyone on the lists. Interestingly, most of the conversations were among the people who were LEAST connected with each other. It was an icebreaker that allowed people to get outside of their comfort zones. And meeting people you're least connected with ends up bringing the most value.
Happy to share more about the tech, calculations and process some time if it would help!
I don't have a comment but rather a meta-comment on receiving this "article" in my inbox. I love UT and look forward weekly to the articles (just subscribed to premium last month!)
So I was a bit disappointed when I got to the end of this one and realized it was not a proper piece but merely more of a promotion (with just a splash of peeking behind the curtain, in typical UT fashion).
Which is fine, love to see what else Tomas has going on and absolutely do not fault you for sending it, but I think a short message at the top of this (+ I presume there may be future ones) email stating that it isn't really a full UT post, would have removed this disappointment - which I think was as simple as a mismatch of expectations and reality.
Keep on analyzin', and looking forward to the good stuff later this week.
Tomas, your suggestion is excellent. I agree with the pricing structure and support your response to Alan Ortiz, emphasizing that the decision to utilize it and design responses based on your interest in each situation is yours. With this in place, we're all set for the Field test. Please let us know how we can assist.
Love the idea. Just shared with 2 event organisers I know.
Just food for thought ... Some of the results seem very LinkedIn-ish, i.e., job titles, job roles, etc. with a focus on similarity as others have already commented.
But if I'm looking for inspiration, to meet someone new, different, etc., then I don't need similarities. I have a ton of work-related acquaintances already who are just like me, but I also probably don't want the total opposite of me either. Having nothing in common or opposing views on life can be a non-starter
It might be interesting to classify interests as career and non-career. Then group people by one career interest and one non-career (so we have something) but then randomize the other attributes. I'm thinking of a Venn diagram with a meaningful intersection, but far from a complete overlap, if that makes sense.
I've had one conversation with someone in my circle of 10 that you identified. We were very similar except that he's in the UK while I'm in the US and we are at opposite ends of our careers. It was those differences that interested me the most
(and in reply to your earlier comment, I am notorious for just talking to randos in a bar. But honestly, those are pretty hit or miss.)
I really like this idea however I wonder how a tool like this will be co-opted at networking events by biz dev solicitors trying to sell you something. This is one of the reasons I don't like going to most networking events, too many people handing out irrelevant businesss cards offering a service (I don't fault them for trying to make a living) rather than having a conversation or connecting on a mutual interest. I think a big part of a good offline event is about inviting the right people which most organizers fail to do.
Why only meet people like me. I like to find the people who are different. Those who seem more isolated or alone and see who they are
Those that have no group attached
Hmmm my visceral reaction is that distills people not by “who thy are” but “what they have done/achieved”. Are we accelerating the isolation of people into even more limited “elite groups” (just couldn’t quickly come up with another descriptor) here? Is this a tool for the socially awkward who have to use their brand or trophies to make conversation with a stranger. I like the idea just wonder about the basis selected. Some of my best social engagements have been with people from all walks of life. Not trying to be too critical just reacting and having my first shot of caffeine. Think on!
There’s a product on the market called Swapcard with many of these functionalities - the Centre for Effective Altruism has been using it for their EA Global conference series since at least 2021!
This is a fantastic idea! The pricing model of $100 per event, and a dollar per person, seems reasonable for a “for profit“ event. This seems like it would also be very useful for community events, that are not for profit. Perhaps there could be another cost recovery structure for these types of not for profit events? Perhaps even a, “one dollar option per participant“ would be helpful for community based networking events, or even community fairs, markets, and other social events that are community based