Also, your best networking opportunities at a conference are not at the sessions. Meals, happy hours, workshops, field trips, etc. are rich opportunities to meet people. I particularly enjoy the dine arounds at some conferences. And use Twitter to meet fellow conference goers as well.
Does anyone have any specific tips for conference networking at receptions, cash bars, wine hours, and that kind of thing? I've gotten much better at networking in general, but I hate these reception events passionately. There are always too many people in a small room, everyone's talking and I can't understand what the person next to me is saying, and I can't deal with the small groups that I'm not part of. I do great with the one-on-one networking after sessions or wandering book exhibits, but receptions are a nightmare.
I agree with Larry that workshops (especially), field trips, and meals (if with a small group) are brilliant opportunities for meeting people (OP: sign up for a workshop at your next meeting!), but I don't even try at receptions. In my experience, they're extremely noisy and most people just want to unwind with their buds while tossing back a few. Work's over. Plus, they're hungry and angling for the free food or in a line up at the bar. I've had the good fortune to link up with a key person in the association at one of their meetings, and he once took me around a double reception room with over 500 people to introduce me to his colleagues and pals, but that was exceptional. This year, I was early to the reception and scored one of the few tables in the ballroom with another person, so we chatted with the folks who came and sat down with us, before it became too noisy to hold a conversation with people beside me. But I don't think of that as networking, because who wants to work and collect business cards while they're scarfing down food and unwinding? Maybe if it's a small, quiet affair, you can chat people up and find out who they are, but I think the quieter settings that Larry suggests and that you prefer are better.
The reason I suggested our OP start with meeting people s/he's seated with at the panel sessions is to get into the habit of introducing him/herself to strangers and exchanging info. Networking is a habit like anything else, and the more you practice it, the less big a deal it becomes. There's something about sitting next to someone that does tend to break the ice a bit with strangers. That personal boundary has been reduced somewhat. From there, it's not such a big leap to turn your body slightly, make eye contact, and throw out an opener about the talk. That can lead to simply having someone to walk to the reception with, or that person inviting you to join their group of pals in conversation. It can be very daunting on the other hand, once the panel has broken up, to wander around the room in solitary fashion, trying to connect with someone who's already in conversation, in a group of people you don't know.
