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Four guests talking with coffee between sessions at Jordan Create

How to work a room when you know nobody

Two thousand people, one day, and a plan for the first ten minutes that makes the rest easy.

Jordan CreatePublished 2 min read

Key takeaways

4 things to know before you read.

  1. 01Decide before you arrive who you want to meet: three names, not thirty. The app's speaker and guest profiles make this a five-minute job.
  2. 02Open with the room, not with yourself. 'What did you think of that panel?' works every time; a pitch does not.
  3. 03Scan cards as you go and add one line about the conversation. A hundred scans with no notes is a list of strangers.
  4. 04Follow up within 48 hours while the day is still fresh, with the one thing you said you would send.

The most common message we got after Volume 2 was some version of: I loved it, I wish I had talked to more people. Two thousand guests in one venue is a lot of room to hide in. This is the short version of how the people who left with new work did it.

Before the day

Open the app, read the lineup and pick three people you would genuinely like to talk to: a speaker, a creator whose work you follow, a brand you want to work with. Three, not thirty. Then look at which sessions they are on and plan to be in that room. Being in the same audience is the easiest introduction there is.

The first ten minutes

  • Stand near the coffee, not the wall. People arrive there in a good mood and alone.
  • Ask about the room. 'Which session are you here for?' is a question anyone can answer and it tells you whether you have anything in common.
  • Do not pitch. Nobody remembers the person who led with their follower count. Everyone remembers the person who asked a good question.

During the sessions

Sit in the front half. The Q&A at the end is the one moment a speaker looks at the audience, and a good question from the front is an introduction you did not have to engineer. Workshops are better still: sixteen people in a room for an hour is a group that talks to each other afterwards.

Keep the people you meet

Scan a card the moment a conversation goes well, and write one line about it before you walk away: what they make, what you talked about, what you said you would send. The app keeps the list private to you. The note is the difference between a contact and a person.

I came for the panels and left with a client. She was sitting next to me and we argued about the second speaker.

A Volume 2 guest, in the feedback form

After

Send the follow-up within two days: a short message, the thing you promised, no essay. Most people never do this, which is why doing it works.

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Questions people ask

Is Jordan Create good for networking?
Yes. Volume 3 brings around two thousand creators, marketers, brands and platforms to one venue for a day, with workshops and a guest card system in the app designed for meeting people and keeping in touch.
How do I connect with people I meet at the event?
Every guest has a card in the Jordan Create app with a QR code. Scan someone's card to open their profile and save them to your private network, then message them later through the social links on their profile.
Can I meet the speakers?
Speakers are in the room all day, not just on stage. The Q&A after each session and the workshops are the most reliable ways to talk with them directly.

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