But 20 years later the very opposite is true - especially at a business conference. Lunch, morning and afternoon tea, as well as the drinks that follow the day’s official programme can be the most important part of the function.

Suzanne Moore, an executive development consultant for Trans Tasman Business Circle, says the ability to network during the breaks between speakers is crucial. And the contacts you make over a cup of tea or a glass of wine could be more beneficial to your business than what you learn from the keynote speaker.

Moore will be sharing some tips on how to successfully network at the upcoming TUANZ Contact Centre Conference. I caught up with her today, and she offered some helpful tips as a preview to her session entitled “The importance of networking.”

• If possible get hold a list of delegates to the conference beforehand and research those people whom you think it would be helpful to meet.
• Most casual conversations that take place during a break should last about 5-8 minutes.
• If you’re in the middle of a conversation, but spot someone else you need to talk to urgently, be honest and tell the person you’re talking to. For example, you could something like: “It’s been great talking to you, but I’ve just got to take this opportunity to catch up with …”
• Remember to act with honesty and integrity – you're representing the company.
• If you want to catch up with a popular speaker but they are surrounded by others, then seek out their support people and find out from then when it would be convenient to chat.

Moore says successful networking is about honing your listening skills and emotional intelligence. That is, acquiring the innate ability to sense when it's time to when to chat, and when it's time to move on.

See you at morning tea on June 27!