I attended the first speed networking event in Seattle this week and was pretty impressed. Take the speed dating concept and apply it to professionals. Before the event, I ranked my areas of interest, and they matched me up with 10 other professionals. Overall I was impressed. The people I met were professional, polished and knew why they were there. Most were actively looking to expand their professional networks and get new ideas. I know that I walked away with one or two new ideas, so it was worthwhile.
Check out Speednetworking for an event near you.
