They came armed with business cards, brochures and bottles of water to sip between sales pitches designed to last 90 seconds or less. They sat in rows of folding chairs and leaned forward -- nose to nose with strangers who suddenly were the unwavering focus of their attention.
"There's not enough time to be shy," said Kristi Weikel, a Ramsey lawyer holding a stack of business cards three inches thick. "This should be fun. It's like a spin on speed dating."
Then the first whistle blew and this corporate-world version of musical chairs began. But instead of dates, the participants were looking for long-term relationships. Business relationships.
Let the speed networking begin.
Three dozen business representatives, brought together by the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce, gathered in a Courtyards of Andover conference room this week to sell themselves, their companies and their hopes of long-lasting partnerships -- but only for little more than a minute each.
"You take out a brochure, do a fast, basic pitch and try to figure out what would interest them -- all in the first few seconds," said Pam Fick, an account representative for mail-system expert Pitney Bowes, of St. Cloud. "And then you move on and do it again."
And again. And again.
Talk for 90 seconds. Listen for 90 seconds while sipping water. Speak, sell, stop, sip, sweat out another 90 seconds. Then move on.