The Architecture of Serendipity
Freeman’s Latest Report Says It Loud: Networking Doesn’t Happen on Its Own
For too long, the event industry has treated networking like a natural resource—abundant, automatic, and free. Just put people in a room, offer wine, dim the lights, and wait for something to happen. Connection, we’ve assumed, is a given.
It isn’t. And Freeman’s new 2025 Networking Trends Report says so—finally and forcefully.
Why Freeman’s Voice Matters
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a fringe opinion from a mid-tier vendor trying to make a splash. Freeman is the $3+ billion production and experience behemoth behind many of the largest trade shows, brand activations, and corporate gatherings in the world. With operations across more than 90 cities, they move more freight, install more LED walls, and interface with more exhibitors than almost anyone in the business. If CES happens, Freeman is there. Dreamforce? Freeman. World-class healthcare congresses, association powerhouses, global roadshows? They’re in the trenches—and behind the curtain.
And unlike many industry players, Freeman has also invested in serious in-house research. Their Trends Reports aren’t just content marketing. They’re macro-level behavior studies drawn from thousands of participants—and they often ripple across the industry. If Freeman starts saying that networking needs to be redesigned, venue managers, CMOs, and production leads take notice.
That’s why this report matters. And that’s why we’re listening. The report’s central message is elegantly simple:
People + Place + Provisions × Purpose = Connection
Without purpose, you’re just dressing a room and hoping for the best.
And the numbers prove it. Freeman surveyed over 4,000 attendees, exhibitors, and organizers. The takeaway is loud and clear: people want to connect—but most events aren’t giving them the tools, structure, or confidence to do it.
What People Want (That They’re Not Getting)
Seven in ten attendees say they come to events to learn something new. Three in five are looking to meet people they wouldn’t normally encounter. Half say successful networking alone would bring them back next year—even if the content is mid.
But the experience of networking still feels broken for many:
One in three say it’s too salesy
Two in five NowGen attendees (ages 23–46) describe it as awkward
Nearly one in three admit they’re bad at starting conversations
And almost one in four actively avoid sessions labeled “networking”
Attendees aren’t disengaged. They’re uninvited. What they want isn’t flash—it’s structure, clarity, and permission to participate.
Organizers Think They’re Offering Connection. They’re Mostly Offering Room Temperature Air.
Here’s the kicker: 96% of organizers say no one on their team owns the networking experience. Not one person. Not one role. Not even a freelancer. Only 1 in 10 design discussion topics. Just 1 in 7 involve SMEs or experts. Two out of three don’t even measure networking outcomes. This isn’t a gap. It’s a system failure. And Freeman has the receipts.
Exhibitors Are Still Playing the Wrong Game
Freeman’s report doesn’t let exhibitors off the hook either.
Most exhibitors define networking success as, number of new leads, volume of new prospects, pipeline velocity.
But that’s not how attendees measure value. What they care about is relevance, discovery, and whether someone said something useful—not whether they got a follow-up email on Tuesday.
Freeman’s gentle advice to exhibitors? Stop chasing transactions. Start staging trust.
The Personalization Window Is Wide Open
Attendees are not only willing to connect—they’ll help you help them.
8 in 10 will share job title and role
More than half are open about their top work challenges
Nearly half of younger attendees will even share personal interests if it helps them get a better match
But they expect something back. A curated intro. A better table seat. A dinner group with intent. In other words: value, not volume.
What Makes Networking Work
Here’s what attendees say actually moves the needle:
7 in 10 say food and drinks help—but only when paired with purpose
Half want topic prompts to guide the conversation
Two in five want a facilitator or guide to help them navigate
One in three want a mentor or connector on site to break the ice
These aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re infrastructure. They’re design cues. They’re table stakes.
What Event Teams Should Do Next
If you’re rethinking how your team handles networking—or connection in general—here’s where to start:
1. Assign a connection lead: If no one owns networking, it will default to coffee breaks and hope. Designate someone to own the attendee experience between the sessions—not just around them.
2. Start designing before the doors open: Great networking starts weeks before the event. Share who’s coming. Highlight speakers or SMEs open to conversations. Let people opt in to curated meetups or group dinners.
3. Elevate the facilitator: Stop thinking of facilitators as emcees or moderators—they’re behavioral choreographers. Hire for warmth, awareness, and the ability to get strangers talking like collaborators.
4. Offer emotional on-ramps: Not everyone feels comfortable jumping into a conversation. Use prompts, visual cues (“Ask me about…” badges), or guided table formats to reduce friction.
5. Ditch the “networking” label: It makes a lot of people cringe. Instead, name the format or outcome: “industry roundtables,” “challenge dinners,” “founder exchange.” Less pressure, more curiosity.
6. Build your own format library: Document what works: walking pairings, challenge stations, post-session speaker circles. Mix and match these like a menu—not a one-size-fits-all mixer.
7. Shift budget upstream: Invest in insight before infrastructure. A little pre-event research on audience goals will outperform 20 branded cocktail tables every time.
8. Track what can’t be tracked (yet): Ask about the moment someone met someone unexpected. Add a post-event prompt about what surprised them. Serendipity is the new metric—start experimenting with how to catch it.
Final Word
Freeman’s report doesn’t just describe a problem. It gives us the model. The case for structure. The roadmap for relevance. We have the ingredients. The room, the talent, the people. What’s been missing is ownership of the in-between. And if we get that right? We don’t just improve engagement. We rebuild what events are supposed to deliver: momentum, memory, and meaning.
📥 Download the full Freeman 2025 Networking Trends Report →
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