Working the room

The latest trend in corporate schmoozing feels less like an infomercial and more like a romantic rendezvous. Bigwigs in suits and sensible shoes try with aplomb to make an instant connection, to find the perfect partner.

The pitch on the elevator is out. Speed networking is in.

``It's a great way to meet a lot of folks in a very short amount of time and see if things click," says Michael A. Turner, director of business development at GCR Professional Services , an engineering and information technology contract staffing agency in Burlington. ``You can usually tell pretty quickly whether or not you want to build a relationship with someone."

The rules of the game are simple: A group of 40 strangers meets in a restaurant. Half of them sit. The other half table-hop. Every six minutes, the master of ceremonies rings a small silver bell. Like well-trained subjects in a Pavlovian experiment, the table-hoppers heed the cue and move to a new seat, where they face a new stranger.

At the start of the 6-Minute Networking game, Erik Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for the evening's host, the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, gives a few pointers: ``Tell the person who you are, what your company does, but don't worry about selling. We're here tonight to make friends."

The players exchange introductions and witty lines. More than a few are overheard comparing this fast-paced networking game to a social fad with a similar moniker -- speed dating. Several of the players hand out gifts, an assortment of pens and key chains, so that others will remember them.

Susan Seigel, a Swampscott education adviser, goes so far as to bring a Magic 8 Ball.

Early on, a stranger asks the fortune-telling toy: Will I make a match tonight?"

The plastic sphere's dubious answer: ``Ask again later."

Despite the globe's uncertain response, spirits are high. Gales of laughter punctuate the evening. The lighting is dim, the conversation lively. Two hours pass in a whirlwind of swapped business cards and planned coffee dates.

``Typically, networking events are a lot like a junior high school dance, with lots of little cliques," says Michael Nolan, a strategic account manager for One Communications, the Waltham company that was formed three months ago by the merger of Choice One, CTC, and Conversent.

``People stick close to the people they know instead of taking a chance and introducing themselves to someone new," Nolan says. ``This is different. You're forced to meet a bunch of people you might not otherwise talk to, people who work in different fields, and that opens up a number of new opportunities."

For Raymond C. Wrobel, a business development manager at the Northern Massachusetts Telephone Workers Credit Union in Lowell, the game has a happy ending.

``I've made three appointments, one of them with the president of a company up in Danvers that I've been doing business with for years," Wrobel says as the evening draws to a close.

``I have a good relationship with his human resources director, but I had never met him before. He seems very receptive to the idea of expanding the services we offer his employees."

The chamber's first speed-networking event, held Sept. 13 at Legal Sea Foods in Peabody, features financial planners, retailers, consulting firms, lawyers, and real estate brokers. And, while many a well-intentioned matchmaker has touted the virtues of doctors and lawyers, in this room, the most popular person is neither the doctor nor the attorney, but the certified public accountant.

Joseph Favuzza, an accountant with Boston-based Darmody, Merlino & Co. LLP, earned the coveted number-one spot on most participants' wish lists, which they submitted to the chamber in advance of the networking event in hopes of being paired with the person they would most like to meet.

``Accountants know their clients intimately," says Michael Harrington, a consultant with The Entrepreneur's Source in Beverly who specializes in helping people who dream of being self-employed become business owners. ``They know if their client has been laid off, needs to make more money, or is going through a career change. They are an excellent source for referrals."

Favuzza takes his celebrity status in stride.

``It's nice to know that I am so popular," he says as he leaves the restaurant with 14 business cards tucked into his jacket pocket. ``It's a shame I was never that in demand when I was single."

If you're interested in becoming a speed-networking player, Smith will host another round of the frenetic meet-and-greet game next Thursday at Finz Seafood Restaurant and Grill on Pickering Wharf in Salem. Already he's talking about making it a monthly chamber event -- while simultaneously chatting up his next big idea: Wireless networking. Smith's vision: A MySpace .com for local business owners.

The cost of the event at Finz is $25 for chamber members, $50 for nonmembers. For more information or to register, contact Erik Smith at the North Shore Chamber of Commerce at 978-774-8565, or by e-mail at erik_smith@northshorechamber.org. Brenda J. Buote may be reached at bbuote@globe.com.