Networking events are a great way to connect people in your industry, but too often attendees struggle to get past small talk. If this happens – whether it’s in-person or virtual – your attendees might feel they’re not achieving their goals.

To engage both in-person and online attendees, sometimes you just need something to break the ice. For inspiration, we’ve put together 15 fun ice-breaker activities to try at your next networking event.

Ideas and examples of ice-breaker activities for events

Different ice-breaker games will suit different styles of events. Our list is organised into four categories:

  • Corporate
  • Fun
  • In-person
  • Virtual

What makes a successful ice-breaker?

There are hundreds of ideas for ice-breaker activities out there, but the basic formula for success is as follows:

  • Keep the instructions simple
  • Get your participants (a little) outside their comfort zone
  • Light, funny content is best
  • Make sure there are plenty of opportunities for people to get to know each other
  • Keep the duration short

Successful ice-breakers are invitations for attendees to loosen up, zone in, and connect. They shouldn’t be so complex as to be daunting, nor so challenging as to be frustrating or overwhelming. Most of all they should set an energised, enthusiastic tone for the rest of your event.

Corporate ice-breaker activities

If you’re planning a corporate event, keep in mind that busy attendees will likely be looking for value in every minute. With these corporate ice-breaker activities, you can give them something to make the event worthwhile right off the bat – connections for their network. These ice-breakers are geared toward getting your attendees familiar with each other, fast.

#1: Speed networking

Pair participants up for two to three minutes at a time. Ask them to get to know each other, exchange contact info, and find a takeaway they’ll remember about the other person. Choose a unique venue with suitable seating to ensure your attendees enjoy the experience.

#2: Structured Q&As

For a fun Zoom ice-breaker that gets participants involved in upcoming Q&As, engage online attendees using breakout rooms. Have each group come up with two or three ice-breaker questions to ask the event’s panellists or speakers.

Fun ice-breaker activities

These fun ice-breaker activities are perfect for spicing up your event and loosening attendees up for whatever is to follow. Creative, improvisational, or performative, they will allow attendees to tap into their inner child and all the fun, relaxed energy that comes with it – energy that will flow directly into your event!

#3: Nostalgic games

Set up some nostalgic group activities from childhood such as Giant Jenga, Connect 4, Ring Toss, and Bocce. Ask attendees to write their childhood nickname on their name tag as well. This is a fun ice-breaker activity for in-person events, as the games get people interacting and the name tags open up conversations about entertaining childhood stories.

#4: Pictionary

Break participants into groups and ask them to draw something about themselves for the group to guess. For example, to explain their job title or favourite travel destination with pictures.

#5: Shared storytelling

Storytelling is a popular event activity, thanks to the success of organisations like The Moth. Use prompts such as “Tell us about a time you blew people away at work,” or “How did your first job help you get to where you are today?” Ask attendees to prepare a quick story they can share with small groups or on stage.

#6: Scavenger hunt

Have attendees find and photograph objects from a list. The theme might be related to your event, or simply whimsical: “Capture the funniest thing in sight,” or “Things that start with the letter J”. If you’re holding a virtual event, expect to see an entertaining mix of items from around the home or office.

#7: Arts and crafts stations

Set up arts and crafts stations where attendees can mix, mingle, and make. Give participants a theme related to your event and ask them to interpret it any way they’d like. They can use anything from paper crowns to floral arrangements and paint – whatever they choose, it’s a great way for them to get chatting with someone new.

In-person ice-breaker activities

#8: Snap

Give each attendee a card and instruct them to find their matching pair. To add a competitive element, create groups of matching cards, then ask individuals to find their match, as well as join up with others to become a group. The first group to find all their matches wins a prize.

#9: Human bingo version one

Prepare 5×5 bingo matrices filled with personal or business-related statements and distribute them to attendees. People ask each other questions and mark each statement with the initials of those who match. The aim is to mark off a row of statements. Here are some examples of statements you can use:

Find someone who…

  • Has visited more than seven countries
  • Has a pet
  • Can salsa dance
  • Has been with their company for 10+ years
  • Is bilingual
  • Plays an instrument

#10: Human bingo version two

To make the human bingo game even more interesting, make the questions specifically about your attendees. In your event registration process, ask attendees to write a fun or mysterious fact about themselves. If you’re using Eventbrite, this can be done by adding a custom question to your registration. Set up a sheet of paper with as many squares as you need and complete the table with each of these facts. Attendees are required to strike up conversations to find out who each fact applies to, crossing off as many as possible.

#11: Human spectrogram

This format essentially involves voting with your feet at an in-person event. Ask the group three or four key questions and have people move to an area of the room to indicate their answer. This technique is highly visual and can be used to quickly and enjoyably explore all kinds of useful information about a group. It makes for an ideal ice-breaker at the start of a session and can be repeated at the end to measure shifts in opinion.

Example questions include:

  • Early riser or night owl?
  • Favourite season?
  • From 1-10, how big a fan of sports are you?

#12: Think tank

Fun ice-breakers aren’t just about getting people over their initial shyness. They can also serve as productive, energetic kick-off sessions. Ask paired participants to brainstorm what they want to achieve from the event. This bonds attendees and will also help you structure the rest of the day.

#13: Tallest tower

Provide a variety of items to build with. This could be anything from toothpicks, newspapers, uncooked pasta, or even wooden blocks. Split participants into an even number of groups, then tell them to build the tallest freestanding structure from the provided items within the allotted time. This fun ice-breaker encourages participants to work together as a team, using their creative problem-solving skills.

#14: Two truths and a lie

A classic ice-breaker is to have participants tell the group three things about themselves. Two should be true, and one a lie. It’s up to the group to figure out which fact is a fib by asking funny ice-breaker questions.

Virtual ice-breaker activities

Attendees tuning into your virtual event from remote locations will also benefit from ice-breaker activities. In fact, it can be even more important to kickstart attendees’ engagement when they are not physically present.

#15: Virtual tours

Encourage online attendees to give quick virtual tours of their home office or work desk. People will feel more like they are in the same room after seeing their colleagues’ workspaces, and will be more relaxed and engaged with what follows.

Start networking now

Ice-breaker activities don’t have to take place in person – you can use online ice-breakers for virtual or hybrid events that cater to attendees, regardless of location. Get your attendees talking by incorporating some of these ideas in your next networking event.