Corporate Event Networking Games to Help Introverts Connect

So, we’ve been there. Whether it’s a corporate kickoff, a sales kickoff, an annual company holiday event, or "this and that" company event, it can be awkward and flat-out challenging to get introverted attendees to mingle and network outside of their day-to-day connections. How do we encourage people to meet each other, especially the introverts in the room?

We will let you in on our top three networking games and ice breaker activities to have attendees mingling and connecting in an atmosphere of team building and fun networking.

Why do networking games matter at corporate events?

Networking games and ice breaker activities make networking feel fun, like play. When networking feels like play, it creates a fun and engaging atmosphere for attendees to learn more about each other.

Without an icebreaker element, people often stick to cliques and familiar faces, or worse, they’re forced into small talk. Small talk creates anxiety, not connections.

A successful corporate event should break down barriers for attendees to connect, not reinforce them.

This is especially crucial when you want attendees to mingle with sponsors, engage with senior leadership, or connect with members from other teams or even other companies.

Purposeful, gamified interaction drives meaningful engagement, turning a room of loosely acquainted individuals into a connected team.

If helping attendees connect and get to know each other matters for your corporate event, it’s important to include built-in elements of professional icebreaker activities that encourage people in the room to mingle, share, and have a great time.

Attendees Networking with Jam Bingo in Calgary, AB.

4 Digital Activities to Gamify Networking

If you ask your favorite large language model (LLM) for icebreaker activity ideas, you’d get something like: “Two Truths and a Lie, Virtual Scavenger Hunt, Show & Tell, Pictionary/Fig-tionary, Storytelling, Human Bingo.”

These ideas all have one thing in common: they create space for participants to speak and be heard, allowing others to share about themselves. Knowing this, there are unique digital icebreakers that leverage technology to make networking easier, more engaging, and fun through gamification.

Here are four attendee engagement activities to remove the friction, and get your attendees talking, connecting and sharing about themselves:

1. Jam Bingo: The Ice Breaker Bingo App

Jam Bingo encourages people to meet and talk with each other, helping both new and existing attendees get to know one another. It’s a fun icebreaker activity that creates space for people to share about themselves and is self-facilitating.

Attendees playing Jam Bingo at an event in Edmonton, AB.

How does Jam Bingo work?

Attendees scan the Jam Bingo QR Code via their smartphones. They then receive prompts/challenges designed to spark conversation, such as the following:

• Ask someone what’s one thing most people rarely know about them.
• Find someone wearing bright colors. Ask "What has been your favorite moment this year?"
• Challenge someone to introduce you to someone they just met.
• Find someone wearing something purple. Ask "What’s something simple that’s brought you joy?"
• Challenge someone to name three things they’re passionate about.

Jam Bingo prompt (left) and attendee scanning the QR code to play (right)

An example of a Jam Bingo Prompt

The goal is to mingle, connect, and complete prompts by chatting with different people. As an organizer, you can even provide a prize to the people that connect with the most others, adding a layer of friendly competition.

2. The Photo Story Icebreaker

For a more intimate corporate icebreaker activity, ideally with departmental events (think team dinners or smaller gatherings), Photo Story Icebreaker would be a fun game to get folks sharing about themselves.

How do photo story icebreakers work?

During the event, ask participants to find two photos from the past year in their gallery and send them to you via Slack or team messaging platform.

You can then project the photos on a TV or display screen for everyone else to see. When a photo comes up, the person it belongs to explains what was going on and the story behind the photo.

It’s usually really interesting because it gets people sharing moments from their year that were exciting or meaningful, and that they might have forgotten about. This interactive icebreaker builds empathy and reveals shared experiences in a powerful, visual way, all in real time.

3. The Badge Ribbon Scavenger Hunt

I discovered this idea from a pc/nametag YouTube tutorial. It’s called the Badge Ribbon Scavenger Hunt. The idea is to use name badges as a way to spark connections.

As attendees check in and receive their badges, the goal of the game is for attendees to collect as many badge ribbons as possible throughout the event.

How to Host a Badge Ribbon Scavenger Hunt:

• Design a List of Tasks or Clues: Create a networking-focused hunt. Have attendees follow clues to find hidden containers of badge ribbons throughout the venue.
• Create a Collection System: Decide how attendees claim ribbons—whether by checking in at a station run by a volunteer after solving a clue or completing a task.
• Offer Prizes & Incentives: Encourage competition by offering rewards for collecting the most ribbons or finishing the fastest. You can even create a leaderboard
• Promote the Scavenger Hunt: Generate interest by promoting the scavenger hunt in pre-event emails, social posts, and on signage.

This activity is something fun that gets people moving and talking. For a high-tech twist, you could even combine it with a Digital Human Scavenger Hunt where the digital app provides the clues, and the physical ribbons are the prize.

4. Sticker Match on Name Tags: A Simple, Physical Icebreaker

Similar to the Badge Ribbon Scavenger Hunt, a low-tech option can be effective. A Sticker Match is a classic icebreaker that creates instant connections.

As attendees check in and receive their name badges, place a unique sticker on each tag, with 5–10 copies of each design.

The mission is simple: Attendees find the others in the room throughout the event with the same sticker. This instantly creates small groups with a shared “team” identity, giving a natural conversation starter. It’s a low-prep icebreaker!

Gamifying Networking to Help Introverts Connect

Gamifying networking helps introverts feel more comfortable by using interactive icebreakers and games that create space for meaningful moments, turning awkward networking into something that feels more like play.

Here’s the thing: Gamified networking takes the pressure off. Networking games and digital icebreaker activities like Jam Bingo turn “I have to network” into networking that feels like play.

Instead of “What do I say?” it becomes “Tell me about…,”

About the Author: Melvin Adekanye is the founder of JamSocial, an event tech company that creates fun digital icebreakers designed to help introverts start conversations at both in-person and virtual events.