'Tis the season to work the room quickly

Like it or not, with Halloween is behind us, the Thanks-chris-new-kwanz-ukkuh season has officially begun. For many of us, that means attending a lot more events, networking and otherwise, than we do during the rest of the year.

Bruce Allen over at Marketing Catalyst has some interesting ideas about how to maximize your time at an event when you absolutely, positively can't stay for the duration. (He's an attorney, and a gracious one at that, so his disclaimer states that he does not advocate early departure; he just gets that sometimes it's necessary.)

What's interesting is that a few of the tips are great party-hacks for introverts who might otherwise stay all night and not work the whole room. Some Ilise has mentioned in her book—arriving early, for example, and positioning yourself near the door for part of the time to greet people as they arrive.

I also like his idea of offering to pick up drinks for a small group on your way to the bar. If it's a large enough order, someone will probably offer to join you to ferry stuff back. Besides, who isn't going to be your new best friend for bringing them a fresh cocktail?

You can read the rest of Bruce's ninja networking strategies here. And if you have any other tips besides those in his exhaustive list, please do share in the comments. Sharing is in the spirit of the season, right?