I know I'm not alone when it comes to the awkwardness of business networking, but last night confirmed how very bad I am at it.

I was attending a high profile business networking event downtown that included a Parisian theme - hence the mime.  As I stood alone waiting to catch up with someone I knew who was engaged in another conversation, I was approached by a mime.  I gladly played along for a bit and then, in a show of social humiliation (one of them anyway), the mime pulls another couple over to me to engage in conversation and walked away.  

Next time, I'll avoid being upstaged by a silent performer by setting a goal to meet a certain number of people at the event before I can leave.  

Does any one have information about future speed networking opportunities that will be conducted like speed dating used to be (tables and buzzers)?