Heres how to get more out of every networking event

Heres how to get mora out of every networking eventHeres how to get more out of every networking eventBuy tickets to a networking event. Get therbeie, buckled up for a cookie-cutter experience of going from one panel to the next. Only talk to other attendees during breaks and cocktail receptions, then rush to the next session.Instead of doing the saatkorn thing you always do, wed like to call your attention to a piece Humanyze CEO and co-founder andMIT Media Lab visiting scientist Ben Waber, PhDwrote for Quartz at Work about his approach to networking.Unimpressed by a Fortune 100 CEOs talk that he was looking forward to at a conference, he had a conversation with someone feeling the same way afterward - someone, as it turns out, who became a future client.Waber notes that the chance to connect with and be of service to others who are like-minded is the most crucial part of these events, as opposed to the content. Then he writes that at another conference, which was wasnt as long ago , he spent 12 hours going to talks all around the area, taking a small shuttle to each location. He decided to talk to a fellow rider every time.So the following day, he just rode around instead of going to talks - and met dozens of people, some of whom have helped his career.With Wabers example in mind, here are some strategies could help you stand out for all the right reasons when everyone is trying to make a name for themselves at conferences and networking events.Take a page out of Wabers bookYes, we know Youre most likely paying good money to learn from the featured panelists at conferences, but that doesnt mean there isnt room for more innovative approaches for getting what you want from the total experience.So do as Waber says he did, and have the guts to say no to talks, so you can spend more time getting to know other attendees instead.As you go to conferences, try to create these opportunities for yourself. Skip a speaker session and instead resolve to talk to one new pe rson every 15 minutes, Waber writes. Hang out by the coffee pot and strike up a conversation. While you cant be assured that every one of these conversations will be useful to you both, chances are itll be more valuable than going to a talk that youll forget in a few weeks.Reach out on social media beforehandI tried this once and it really worked in my favor.One summer, just before attending a conference for my four-summer internship program at CNBC through The Emma Bowen Foundation, I reached out via Twitter to speakers on the roster.While asking a question at the microphone during a panel with a CNBC media personality I reached out to, I introduced myself to her, and she announced that shed remembered me from Twitter.Wed never met, so I gave her my business card afterward during our conversation, and Ive considered her a mentor ever since. I shadowed her in the field on multiple occasions during my internships at CNBC, and we still keep in contact.Use a compliment as an icebreaker - but mean itThis just might break you out of your comfort zone.U.S. News World Report staff writer Laura McMullen features icebreakers from Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of The 11 Laws of Likability and CEO of the professional development firm Executive Essentials, among others, in the publication.One of them is great shoesIf you notice something you admire about these new contacts tell them (Who doesnt like receiving a compliment?), McMullen writes.