How It Works

1. An event badge

Upon arrival, each participant receives a physical event badge with a color and a number, such as "Blue 4." This badge serves as their identifier during the event. Participation does not require a name tag, digital profile, or contact information. Participants decide what identifying information they share with others during their conversations.

2. Selecting conversation topics

Once everyone is ready, participants open a simple web application in their smartphone's browser. They enter the code for the current event and select the color and number shown on their badge. They then choose the interests, hobbies, and topics they would be comfortable discussing.

The questionnaire is built in two parts. First, it asks about broad areas of interest. For example, a question might ask, "What kinds of media do you enjoy watching, reading, or listening to?" and a participant can select "Movies and TV shows." The second part of the questionnaire is created based on these initial choices. Because "Movies and TV shows" was selected, the next part asks a more specific question, like "Which movie and TV genres do you enjoy?" Here, the participant can pick specific genres, such as Comedy, Science Fiction, and Documentaries.

Because of this structure, participants only answer questions that are actually relevant to them. It saves time while still gathering the specific details needed to find shared interests in the room. Participants are encouraged to choose the topics they genuinely want to talk about.

3. Finding shared interests

After everyone submits their answers, the system compares the responses and looks for overlaps. Based on these shared interests, it sets up short, organized conversation rounds, usually between two participants and sometimes in a small group.

4. Clear meeting instructions

When the rounds begin, participants see specific instructions on their phone screens telling them exactly where to go and who to meet. The screen shows a "conversation station," such as table number 3, and the badge or badges of the people they are assigned to meet, for example, "Green 6." Participants walk to that spot and find the matching badge or badges.

Since everyone in the conversation receives the exact same directions at the same time, approaching a new person becomes an expected part of the event.

5. Shared topics and discussion questions

The web application also provides a starting point for the conversation. If the system finds specific shared interests from the second part of the questionnaire, for example, "Science Fiction" and "Comedy," the screen displays those overlaps. Along with the shared topics, a conversation starter appears, such as: "Among the movie and TV genres you have in common, what titles have stood out to you, and what keeps those kinds of stories interesting for you?" The screen can show multiple shared interests at once, giving everyone in the conversation a clear reason to begin talking.

If a conversation does not have detailed overlaps for that round, the application provides an open-ended discussion question instead. For example, the screen might ask: "What is something you discovered completely by accident recently and now recommend to everyone?" This offers a safe and interesting way to start talking, allowing common ground to surface naturally during the conversation itself.

Importantly, the screen only shows what is relevant to the current conversation. If a participant selected science fiction, documentaries, and comedies, but only science fiction is shared in that conversation, only science fiction appears. Their other selections are not shown in that conversation.

6. Open conversations

Once the participants find each other and use the starting prompt, it becomes a normal conversation. The provided topics and questions are just there to help the interaction begin smoothly. After that, the participants are free to take the conversation in any direction that feels natural and comfortable.

7. A set time limit

Every conversation has a set time limit, usually lasting 10 to 15 minutes, with a timer visible on the screen. This gives the interaction a natural boundary. When the time is up, the round ends for everyone at once, providing an easy and comfortable way to move on to the next conversation.

8. Staying in touch

Once the final round ends, the event is over and the application's role is complete. The project is designed to help people meet and connect while they are physically together in the same room. Because the application does not ask for email addresses, phone numbers, or social media profiles, it does not create any online connections afterward.

If participants want to stay in touch after a conversation, they simply decide for themselves whether to exchange contact information in person.