While events are often defined as social occasions, it is a litte ironic to see guests taking a few minutes to comfortable enough to spark conversations with other guests they do not know. This time taken to warm up and engage in relevant conversations can certainly be reserved for precious networking. If you wish to end these awkward introductions and help your guests build meaningful connections, making the most of your name labels is a great way to help break the ice!
A Fun Pairing Game using Celebrities’ Names
Let’s start the ball rolling by putting a new twist on an old icebreaker. Tell your guests to split into groups of two, and give them their name badge labels that have been printed with the names of famous celebrity couples. The goal is to make them “find their pair” in the crowd. Also, make sure that they talk to other guests while in the process of discovering their pair. When they finally their pair; for example, Captain America finds the Winter Soldier, they can introduce themselves and start exchanging general facts about themselves (hopefully finding common ones in the process). Here are a few examples your guests will likely know:
- Kate Middleton and Prince William
- Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles
- Victoria and David Beckham
- Sherlock Holmes and Watson
- Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
The options are aplenty; do you have any imaginative icebreakers of your own?
Name Labels with Fun Facts
Hometowns are something most people enjoy talking about because it is the place where they grew up and invokes a great sense of nostalgia. With that in mind, you can extract these fun facts out of a guest when they register upon their arrival. You can then turn their name labels into a conversation starter. If two or more guests can find others with the same hometown, their name labels can help create an instant connection. If the opposite happens, and no two people are from exactly the same hometown, this could still spark conversations about the areas among those who have never visited so it’s all good!
An Off-the-Wall Fill in the Blanks
Humor is a great way to break the ice so let your guests be funny and creative with off-the-wall fill in the blanks on their name labels. Try to create unusual questions because it can trigger responses that are interesting enough and conversation-worthy. If you are organizing an event for your own company, consider referencing your organizations inside jokes. Other alternatives include:
- My greatest inspiration is:
- Haven’t told anyone but I can:
- I have an embarrassing nickname called:
- The coolest thing I’ve done the previous year:
- I make the best: – everybody loves food
Organization Trivia Questions and Answers
This is another great pairing game idea, and this time round it involves giving half your guests name labels with trivia questions, and the other half labels with matching answers. Your guests have to find their trivia counterparts and the first pair or first 20 pairs will be rewarded with something free for doing so. For example, you can giveaway drink tickets if your event has a pop-up bar or something similar.
At Cut Sheet Labels, we stock a large selection of custom identification labels that are perfect for many different types of social events. Check them out today!
