Networking bingo: 70 card ideas and how to run it

Networking bingo turns the most awkward part of any event, starting a conversation with a stranger, into a game. Every guest gets a card of squares like "find someone who has changed careers", and the only way to fill it is to go and talk to people.

This guide covers what networking bingo is, the rules to read out, how to pick a card size, how to write squares that start good conversations, and 70 square ideas you can copy for professional events, student nights, member communities, conferences, teams and founders. It also shows how to run it online and inside speed networking rounds.

What networking bingo is

Networking bingo goes by a few names: human bingo, people bingo, or simply "find someone who". The idea is the same in each case. Instead of numbers, every square on the card describes a person, such as "has worked in another industry" or "speaks more than one language". Guests move around, ask each other questions and write the name of someone who fits in each square.

The game started in classrooms and training rooms long before it reached networking events. The K20 Center at the University of Oklahoma describes human bingo as an activity where students talk with classmates to find people who match the traits in the squares, and call out "Bingo!" once they have five signed squares in a row. Networking events use the same idea with adults, squares about work and interests, and usually a smaller card.

It fits almost any group: a member community welcoming newcomers, a conference networking break, a student career night or a team that has never met in person. You can run it on its own for the first 20 minutes of a mixer, or play it alongside timed rounds, as part of a speed networking event.

Why it works as an icebreaker

Most people don't mind talking to strangers once a conversation has started. The hard part is the first sentence. Networking bingo solves that in a few ways.

• It hands everyone an opener. "I'm looking for someone who has changed careers. Is that you?" is easier to say than any small talk.
• It turns questions into discoveries. Guests learn surprising things about each other, and those surprises become the topic of the chat.
• It moves people around. To fill a card, guests have to leave the people they already know.
• It's low stakes. Nobody is judged on their answers, and "not me, but try that person over there" is a perfectly good reply.
• It creates shared jokes. The person who knows every podcast or has a pet with a funny name becomes a small celebrity for the evening.

The card is just an excuse to talk. The conversation is the point.

The rules to read out

Keep the rules short enough to explain in a minute. Here's a version you can read out word for word, in this order:

1. Get your card. Everyone has the same card, or a slightly shuffled version of it.
2. Find someone who fits a square. Ask people questions until you find a match, then write their name in that square.
3. One square per person. Each person's name can appear only once on your card, so you'll need to meet lots of people.
4. Ask one follow-up question. Before you move on, ask something about their answer. That's where the good conversations start.
5. Call out a line. When you have three in a row on a 3 by 3 card, across, down or corner to corner, let the host know.
6. Keep going until time. The first line wins, but you can keep playing for a full card until the host calls time.

Choosing a card size

Classroom bingo often uses a 5 by 5 card. For networking, smaller is usually better: guests have less time, and a smaller card is easier to read on a phone.

A 3 by 3 card has another advantage: with only eight squares to fill, every square can be a good one. On bigger cards, organizers often run out of ideas and add weak squares just to fill the grid.

How to write good squares

A bingo card is only as good as its squares. A great square starts a conversation. A weak one gets a yes or a no and nothing else. Use these tests for every square you write:

• True for some, not most. "Drinks coffee" is too easy. "Has never had a cup of coffee" is too rare. Aim for something maybe one in four or five people can say yes to.
• Easy to talk about. "Has changed careers" leads straight to a story. "Has blue eyes" leads nowhere.
• Safe for anyone to answer. Nobody should feel pressured to reveal something private just to help someone else finish a line.
• Fair to everyone in the room. Squares should not depend on money, background or physical ability.
• Linked to why people came. At a professional event, most squares should be about work, skills and goals, with a couple of light ones mixed in.

Teaching guides make the same point. A University of Iowa teaching centre article on icebreakers recommends low-stakes questions and checking that every activity is inclusive, noting that a question about travel could exclude people who haven't had the resources or time to travel. A University of Sussex guide to icebreakers warns against questions that might lead to unwanted disclosures or highlight inequalities between people.

One more check before you print: read each square out loud and imagine the answer "yes". If the natural next question is interesting, the square is a keeper.

A good square starts a conversation, not a confession.

70 networking bingo square ideas

Each of these finishes the sentence "Find someone who...". Pick eight for a 3 by 3 card, mixing a few from your audience's group with one or two light ones.

For professional networking events

• has changed careers at least once
• has started a business
• manages a team
• is hiring this year
• has worked in another industry
• mentors someone
• has spoken at an event
• is learning a new skill this year
• volunteers on a board or committee
• can recommend a great business book

For career and student events

• is in their first job
• is looking for an internship or a new role
• changed their field of study
• has worked part-time while studying
• has done a co-op or work placement
• has given a presentation this term
• knows what they want to be doing in five years
• has a mentor
• has run a club or student group
• has had an informational interview

For member communities

• is attending for the first time
• has been a member for more than a year
• has hosted or helped run an event
• found the group through a friend
• has a skill they could teach in 10 minutes
• has worked with another member on a project
• can recommend a good local café
• has an idea for the next event
• has introduced two members to each other
• volunteers for a local cause

For conferences and summits

• is at this conference for the first time
• is speaking or presenting at this event
• took notes on paper today
• came with a colleague
• has a question for one of today's speakers
• works in a field outside the conference's main topic
• has a tip for getting the most out of a conference
• has tried a tool they first heard about at an event
• joined a session they hadn't planned to
• works at a nonprofit

For teams at work

• has been with the company less than six months
• has worked in two or more teams here
• knows a shortcut that saves time every week
• has trained a new colleague
• has an idea to make meetings shorter
• uses a tool nobody else on their team uses
• has worked in a customer-facing role
• joined the company in the same year as you
• has received a shout-out from a colleague this year
• works with someone in another time zone

For founders and startups

• has pitched to an investor
• has hired their first employee
• has shut down a project and started again
• is building a product for other businesses
• has a co-founder
• has been through an accelerator or incubator
• has a customer in another country
• built a first prototype in a weekend
• changed their idea after talking to customers
• has a story about their worst sales call

Fun and light, for any group

• speaks more than one language
• has a pet with a funny name
• can recommend a podcast
• makes great coffee or tea at home
• has read a good book this month
• has a hidden talent
• is learning a new language
• plays a musical instrument
• has moved cities
• has a favourite board game

A sample card you can copy

Here's a balanced 3 by 3 card for a general professional event: six work squares, two light ones and a free centre. Copy it as it is, or swap in squares from the lists above.

Notice the mix. Every row has at least one easy square, such as "is attending for the first time", so newcomers can find matches quickly, and every row has one that leads to a longer story, such as "has changed careers".

Running it in person

A few practical details make the difference between a lively game and a pile of half-filled cards.

• Print one card per guest, plus spares. Hand them out at check-in with a pen, so people start playing while they wait.
• Use big squares. Leave room to write a name, and print on card stock if people will be standing.
• Run it early. The first 15 to 20 minutes, when people don't know anyone yet, is when the game helps most.
• Set a clear end. Tell people when the game stops, so it doesn't drag on through the rest of the event.
• Have the host walk the room. A host who knows a few guests can point players toward people who fit a square.

Running it online

Online, there's no room to walk around, so the game works differently. Guests need a digital card, and they need to meet people one at a time. That's why networking bingo fits so well inside timed video rounds: each new partner is a chance to fill a square.

1. Share the card before the first round. Show it in the welcome room and make sure everyone can open it on the device they're using.
2. Ask about the card in every round. Partners check each other's squares in the first minute, then move on to a real conversation.
3. Tick and name. When a partner fits a square, the guest ticks it and writes the partner's name.
4. Announce lines as they happen. A quick message to everyone keeps the energy up between rounds.
5. Show the winners at the end. Name the first line, and anyone who filled the whole card, in the closing room.

On SpeedHuddle, networking bingo is built in: a 3 by 3 "find someone who..." card with a free centre square. You can edit the squares or keep the defaults, guests tick a square and name who it was, you hear about it when someone gets a line, and you can show the lines on the end screen. See the games and conversation features for the details.

Variations to try

Once your group has played the classic version, a twist keeps it fresh:

Prizes and wrapping up

Prizes don't need to be big. The fun is in being first, and a small reward makes it official. Ideas that work well:

• A coffee or lunch gift card for the first line.
• First pick of the door prizes, or a free ticket to the next event.
• A shout-out from the host, or a mention in the follow-up email.
• For teams at work, the first line picks the next team lunch spot.

Use the wrap-up to share a few of the best discoveries. "We have three people here who've changed careers more than once" gets a laugh and gives people a reason to find each other again. Then remind everyone that the names on their card are a ready-made follow-up list.

Mistakes to avoid

• Squares that are too easy. If everyone fits, guests fill the card with the first person they meet.
• Squares that are too hard. If nobody fits, frustration sets in and people give up.
• Personal or sensitive squares. They make people uncomfortable and can single someone out.
• A card that's too big for the time. A 5 by 5 card in a 10-minute break means nobody finishes a line.
• No follow-up question. Without it, the game is a race, not a conversation starter.
• Playing all night. Bingo is an icebreaker. Once people are talking, let the conversations take over.

If you're planning a full event around it, our guide to running an online speed networking event covers the schedule, the invite and the follow-up, and our list of speed networking questions gives guests more to talk about once the card is full.

Frequently asked questions