Would you still go to a networking event if only 1 or 2 people showed up? 🦥
"Only one person signed up for our event, so should we cancel it or postpone it?" - This is something that I (Jessie) know Mei and I have considered for ourselves.
Well, my answer is, you always CAN do that because you were expecting more people.
However, what if the next time you do this, or you postpone the event, and STILL only one person shows up? Then what happens?
I just feel that sometimes, when we host an event, whether it's our first time or we've been doing it for a while, if we don't have a full list of people, it feels like maybe we've failed. And we think we have to cancel it altogether.
But I just wanted to share that even if one person shows up, that's ONE person who wants to come to your event. And that's one person you get to show up for. I think that's equally important. And often, we forget that, right?
Mei and I have been hosting Slow Networking 🦥 for Introverts events for over a year now. And in the past, we've had sold-out events where only one or two people actually showed up.
You just can't predict that. Because life happens, you know? And sure, we could've cancelled or postponed. But if we've already booked the café, and someone has made the effort to come, why can't we still have the event for that person and just do things differently?
There are always ways to adapt the activities. And I also think it's a chance to REALLY get to know someone. Maybe they want to know more about how we got started, or maybe they just want to connect. There's still so much we can do!
Of course, there are things we can reflect on and improve for next time, whether that's how we're marketing the event or getting more visibility.
But I don't think having a small turnout automatically means the event was a failure. And I think this applies to people ATTENDING events, too.
Sometimes we see that only a few people are going, and we start wondering whether it's even worth showing up. Especially if we're already feeling anxious about going alone!
But here's something I've been thinking about.
What if that ONE person turns out to be the best connection you've made all year? You wouldn't know unless you showed up, right?
And I think sometimes we forget that you don't necessarily need a room full of people to have a meaningful conversation.
In fact, when there are fewer people, you might actually get more time to get to know each other.
It's like when you get a bag of M&M's. How do you know which colours you're going to get? Can you control it and say, "Hey, I want all orange ones"? I don't even know if there are orange M&M's. 😂
Anyway, the idea is that you can't always control how things turn out. But you CAN decide what you do with what's in front of you.
And for Mei and me, that means continuing to show up for the people who show up for us. Even if it's just one person. 💜
And if you're someone who's been thinking about attending an event but hesitating because it might be a small group, maybe this is your little encouragement to give it a try.
You never know who you'll meet or what that one conversation could turn into.
And speaking of showing up, Mei and I are hosting another Slow Networking 🦥 for Introverts event in North York this Thursday!
We keep our gatherings small and guided, so you don't have to worry about figuring out who to approach or what to say. We provide conversation prompts and activities to help people get to know each other beyond just what they do for work.
We'll also have a group brainstorming session where you can bring a challenge or question and hear different perspectives from the group.
If that sounds like your kind of event, we'd love for you to join us! 💜
https://luma.com/oc471t5d
Oh, this is a paid event $25, and we have a bring a friend discount!
And I'm curious!
Would you still attend an event if you knew only one or two other people were going? Or would you rather wait for a bigger group?