I have a dilemma when it comes to networking with others in my industry. I work in San Francisco, and live in downtown San Jose. I desperately want to take advantage of the great tech-industry events taking place in the Bay Area, but the ones held in San Jose occur after work (I ride CalTrain daily and don’t arrive home until around 7 or so), and the ones held in San Francisco let out too late for me to get home at a decent hour. On top of that, is the anxiety of attending events solo. My colleagues live in various areas of the Bay, including San Francisco, Redwood City, San Rafael, Hayward… and I don’t know many people industry-types in the South Bay. I’ve considered the Tweetups or various Meet-ups, but even the ones focused on “networking” are filled with cliques. Call me shy, but an event full of groups of people who already know one another intimidates me.

I propose an industry-focused series of “speed-networking” events. Similar to speed dating, these events would be between 30 minutes to 1 hour and target those looking to meet people in tech marketing, communication, social media, and public relations. Think of it as, “2-5 minutes per table, then move to the left.” This sort of format would crush the anxiety of going to a new event, as well as create the potential for lasting relationships.

Would you attend or help me organize a 30-1 hour speed-event? Have you attended an event like this in your area? Please comment below, @reply or message me with feedback.