How Long Should Your Speed Networking Session Last?

Are you thinking about producing your own speed networking event but not sure how long the event should last, how long each round should be, or how many rounds that event should have? No worries! You’re not alone.

We put together a quick overview to help guide you through the process of planning your next speed networking event.

Event Length:

We recommend that an event lasts between 60-90 minutes. Naturally, this is contingent upon a few different factors but the majority of our events fall within this range. If the event lasts less than 60-minutes, participants are often pushed for time and you aren’t able to dive into conversations beyond 2-3 minutes.

On the flip side, if the event lasts beyond 90-minutes, participants tend to suffer from “networking fatigue” (a term have coined). It’s tough to be on your A-game for 90+ minutes!

Round Times:

The length of each round is truly dependent on the goals of your event and the type of event you are putting together. To give you a frame of reference, we’ve broken down the types of events by round times recommendations.

4-5 Minutes: This timing is ideal for Buyer/Seller events or any type of event where participants can quickly determine if there will be synergies (or not).

6-8 Minutes: Peer-to-Peer/General Networking/Student Alumni events typically fall within this time frame. In these types of events, participants have more to discuss and enjoy having a few extra minutes to dive further into conversations.

8-10 Minutes: Events with higher-level participants (Presidents, CEO’s, Executives, etc.) tend to fall within this range. The conversational topics typically require deeper discussion, as the challenges/opportunities are complex.

# of Rounds:

The # of rounds at an event is commonly a byproduct of the event length and round time but also varies with the event objectives, as well as the number of attendees. Typical events range from 5-12 rounds of meetings.

If you’re interested in producing a targeted speed networking event—where attendees can pre-select the types of people they’re interested in meeting—reach out to us. We also assist with marketing, room-set up, event facilitation, and more!