Before you read on, here's something about me you should know 🙂 Honestly, it was the first networking party I attended that was business focused. I'm not an extrovert, though I sometimes muster up the courage for business interactions. I've never worked on SaaS(especially multi-purpose website builder) customer acquisition before. My goals and plans ✅ To hear the challenges of people who are running communities. At least 3 people → Conclusions, failures → I was aiming too high. I should have set a goal of talking to 3 people as a start. What I've achieved ✨ Connected with 1 person on LinkedIn What I learnt ✍️ Check if it's a seated or standing party. This can make a difference in the depth of conversation you can have. If it's a standing party, taking a standing table automatically gives you points for talking to others. (I find it hard to approach others, but it's much easier to respond when someone talks to me.) What some people do at networking events wasn’t what I expected. It would have helped to have a topic prepared for each person, but I was too nervous to do that. I should have taken pictures of the nametags of people I wanted to remember; just hearing their names wasn’t enough. Damn champagne! When I was in a conversation with someone else and another person spoke to me, I didn't handle it well. I should have asked the person I was talking to to excuse me and asked the new person to wait a moment. If you're not an extrovert like me, you need to find a place to rest and recharge and consciously take time to relax. It will help you avoid running away from the party. If you're attending a party in your area, learn a few tidbits of information for visitors. It can help keep conversations interesting. Special places to eat, hot spots around town, etc. Going to get a drink might not mean he wants to end the conversation with me.