Had the WORST networking event of my career last Thursday

I went to that downtown Edmonton mixer at Mercer Tavern and nobody would talk to anyone outside their own little group. I stood by the appetizer table for 45 minutes before I just left, and I counted 12 people glued to their phones the whole time. Has anyone else had luck with a DIFFERENT venue in Edmonton that actually gets people mingling?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elliot14d ago

Mercer Tavern has that problem every time, try the Backyard on Whyte Avenue instead, they do a speed networking thing for the first hour that breaks the ice way better than standing near spring rolls. Downtown Edmonton mixers are cliquey unless the organizer works the room and physically introduces people, so check if the host is active or just collects tickets at the door. Small venues like Block 1912 or the common upstairs at O'Byrne's force people to share tables and actually talk since there's nowhere to hide.

jesse_green5514d ago

Did you see that article in the Edmonton Business Journal last week about how open-floor plan venues actually make people less social? @the_elliot is right that forcing people to share tables does way more good than those wide open rooms.