Isn't it great when you make an unexpected, instant connection with someone? It might purely be based on physical attraction, it could be sharing a sudden smile with someone at a funny situation or you might hit it off with a stranger after exchanging only a few words.
When it happens you feel that surge of joy, it lifts your mood and keeps it buoyant. For a while, life has just got a whole lot better!
In a world, which is increasingly driven by technology, it's refreshing that these connections aren't instigated by technology and apps, which promise to match you with people you'll 'definitely' get along with. Instead good old-fashioned Mother Nature has played a role and worked her magic.
My job as an Introducer is designed to give Mother Nature a helping hand and encourage people to connect with each other, face to face, in real time, whether it's at a corporate event, private party or social gathering.
Sadly, I've witnessed too many events where connections just aren't happening, let alone instant ones. Instead people are just standing around, looking down at their phones or looking into space bored and listless, waiting. Waiting for someone to come and say hello. Waiting for someone they are with to say something interesting. Waiting for someone they are with to stop talking so they can slip away.
So how can event organizers inject their event with buzzy chat and energy, where their guests are socialising with each other and increasing the chance of finding that unforgettable instant connection with another human-being? Events where guests want to stay.
Here are my top tips for anyone organizing an event this summer:
Welcoming people to your event should feel like welcoming them into your home. Think about what makes a home so conducive with talking, good times and relaxation. Think about creating seating areas to encourage conversation and background music not too loud so you can hear yourself think and talk!
Look out for people who come alone. Catch them at the start of the event, ask them what they hope to get out of the occasion, is there anyone in particular they'd like to meet.
Don't be afraid to tell guests what you'd like them to do, ask them to mingle, talk and get involved. Task them with introducing themselves to one person they previously didn't know.
Some people find a crowded room intimating and overwhelming. Try and make some 1 to 1 introductions until your guests feel comfortable in their surroundings.
Fill your event with women! Women have an inherent nature as socialisers. For centuries woman have invited others to their homes, organising the food especially, and, crucially, the guests. It was never an app that made matches for our daughters, it was the mothers - getting together to do so. Queen Charlotte's Ball, designed to introduce debutantes at court and thereby to introduce them to suitable young men for marriage, was notably Queen Charlotte's Ball, not King George's Ball.
Finally, enjoy your event. If you're relaxed then your guests will relax and you never know instant connections may be made all around the room.