Why Going Solo Created Stronger Conference Connections
Why attending alone led to more connections than going with friends became clear during the International Conference 2018 in New York City. The three-day event, held from 18–20 November, brought undergraduate students into direct contact with business executives and influential leaders. Its design rewarded curiosity, participation and the willingness to start conversations with unfamiliar people. Learn more about Contact.
Arriving without a familiar group can feel uncomfortable, especially for Australian students accustomed to meeting friends for coffee before an event or travelling together from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth. Yet that initial discomfort can create useful momentum. Without a social bubble to retreat into, a solo attendee has more reasons to introduce themselves, join a different table and accept an invitation to a seminar or networking session.
The conference offered keynotes, executive seminars, a writing competition and an impact challenge focused on the future of work. Although the event’s application period has closed, its lessons remain relevant to students considering entrepreneurship, graduate careers and international leadership opportunities.
A Solo Attendee Has More Openings
Going alone changes the small decisions that shape a conference day. A person attending with friends may sit beside the same people, compare impressions during every break and leave group activities together. That is comfortable, but it limits the number of spontaneous encounters.
A solo student has to ask, “Is this seat free?” or “What brought you to this session?” Those simple openings can develop into conversations about internships, business ideas, university subjects and career paths. At an event centred on workforce disruption, such exchanges were especially valuable because attendees approached the future from different academic and cultural perspectives.
The effect is familiar in Australia, where networking can begin casually over a flat white rather than with a formal pitch. A student from Adelaide might find common ground with a New Yorker discussing technology, then discover that both are interested in flexible work or social enterprise. The conversation feels natural because it begins with the immediate setting.
Discomfort Encourages Deliberate Networking
Going solo removes the safety net of familiar faces. That can create mild social pressure, but it also encourages deliberate behaviour: checking the programme, arriving early, sitting with new people and following up before the day ends. A student who attends with friends can wait for someone else to make the first move; a solo attendee is more likely to take responsibility for building a network.
This matters in Australia’s competitive graduate market. Employers often assess communication, initiative and adaptability alongside academic results. The Fair Work Act 2009 shapes minimum workplace rights, but it does not create professional relationships for graduates. Those relationships are built through conversations, shared projects and credible follow-up.
The conference’s writing competition and impact challenge gave students practical reasons to speak with one another. A discussion about an idea could become feedback on an entry, a collaboration on a challenge or a connection to someone working in a completely different industry.
Group Attendance Can Narrow the Social Circle
Friends provide reassurance, but they can also become a social boundary. Groups often move according to the preferences of the most confident member, choosing familiar sessions or staying together during meals. This may reduce exposure to executives, speakers and students outside the group’s usual interests.
The pattern is easy to recognise in Australian university life. Students who commute across Melbourne or Sydney may already spend much of their day with classmates, then use events as an extension of that existing circle. A conference in New York offered a rare chance to meet people from other countries, so remaining with friends represented a missed opportunity.
There is also a subtle signalling effect. When one person approaches a group, a cluster of friends can seem harder to enter than an individual standing alone. Solo attendance makes the attendee appear more available for conversation, while a group may unintentionally communicate that it is already complete.
More Connections Require Better Follow-Up
Meeting more people is useful only when the relationships continue after the event. A solo attendee often remembers conversations more clearly because each exchange required attention and effort. Writing a short note after a session—such as a speaker’s insight, a shared interest or a promised resource—turns a brief meeting into a meaningful record.
Digital follow-up should remain personal and relevant. A generic connection request is easy to ignore, while a message referring to an executive seminar or the future-of-work challenge gives the recipient a reason to respond. Australian students can also translate international contacts into local activity by sharing an article, attending an industry event in Canberra or joining a professional gathering in Brisbane.
The legacy of this approach can be seen in later student initiatives and competitions. Accounts of the event’s continuing influence, including the competition’s legacy, show how a short conference experience can extend into writing, leadership and community projects.
Choosing The Right Conference Strategy
Attending alone does not guarantee meaningful connections. Preparation still matters. Before an event, a student can identify three sessions, prepare a concise explanation of their interests and set a realistic goal for conversations. During the day, they can vary where they sit, speak with participants outside their discipline and leave each interaction with a clear next step.
Going with friends can work well when the group agrees to separate for parts of the programme. Friends can provide emotional support while still allowing each person to build an independent network. The strongest approach is often a balance: arrive together if useful, then spend key sessions and breaks engaging beyond the familiar circle.
| Approach | Likely benefit | Common limitation | Better practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attend alone | More spontaneous conversations and greater independence | Initial discomfort | Arrive early and use prepared opening questions |
| Attend with friends | Confidence, shared travel and immediate support | Fewer interactions outside the group | Agree to split up during sessions and networking |
| Attend as a flexible group | Support with room for wider networking | Requires planning and discipline | Set independent networking goals |
The International Conference 2018 showed why a smaller comfort zone can produce a larger professional network. For an Australian student preparing for a future event, the concrete next step is to choose one upcoming conference, write down three people or roles to meet, and attend the first networking session independently.