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NETWORKING FOR THE INTROVERT OR SHY PARTICIPANT: EASY DOES IT.
By Sanne Jolles In the last 18 months, the world of trade fairs, congresses and other business events has been shaken to its foundations. Organisers, exhibitors, venues and other stakeholders had to reinvent themselves. This resulted in temporary or permanent new business models, different starting points and a flood of blog posts, white papers and articles discussing tips and tricks to do things differently. We quickly became accustomed to terms such as hybrid, went all in on the "pivot" or the changeover, talked about the importance of data and looked at our target groups from a new angle. How could we continue to fascinate and facilitate them? And that's where something remarkable happened: in addition to the usual segmentations, attention was paid to visitors who had previously been underexposed: the introverted visitor and the shy visitor. Visitors who, it was soon said, would benefit the most from all online events and communities. Because the visitor who needed time for himself and did not want too many distractions was now suddenly given all the peace and quiet he needed. And someone who finds it difficult to participate in network meetings, did not have to worry about that now. Concealed behind the laptop, attending online events and gaining knowledge, without worrying about all those necessary conversations with extrovert and confident industry colleagues, or waiting with clammy hands for your turn during the introduction round. But is that really the case? If you look at it that way, of course it is. Introverts are quiet and thoughtful and get energy from being alone, whereas extroverts get energy from spontaneous conversations in company and are more focused on their surroundings.
And for someone who is shy, networking is really about working, not the net. We do it, but it takes a lot of energy. Let's just sit back and follow sessions and take notes. So online events and the online part of a hybrid meeting for the introverts from now on? I don't think so. But it is wise to check if you as an organiser offer enough options for all participants: facilitating a personal customer journey, also for the introvert and shy visitor. As an expert by experience (and a researcher in the meetings industry) I would like to share my observations on participation and networking during online and physical events. What works and what doesn't? For all stakeholders, the online communities and participant overviews are perfect. You can see well in advance who is participating. This makes it easy to see who you would like to contact, to think about the added value and to send out your message. Making contact in peace. Delightful! But also things like a chat during an online session are ideal. After all, establishing contact starts with an initial comment. Easy to participate in, low-threshold and immediately a nice overview of reactions and questions: so you can easily see what is going on and what you can add. Or not. Also nice are all the meetings in which talking and asking questions is flexible: for example, by raising your hand. This way, you can calmly get an idea of a conversation or discussion and make a well-considered contribution. Written down on a piece of paper, if necessary.
