I don't like the "speed dating" term but otherwise it's an interesting approach.
Over the two days of the conference, we dedicated two 90 minute sessions to speed dating. The first session consisted of five rounds of ice breakers in which each delegate was paired with another delegate with whom they had little in common (based on the methods they knew about and the people they had collaborated with). The intention was to cause the delegates to meet new and different people. Each round lasted 15 minutes, giving enough time for scientists to discuss their own work while still keeping the meetings brief and to the point. The atmosphere of the meetings was highly informal–coffee and refreshments were provided, and scientists had the choice to sit down at small tables or simply walk around near posters and discuss each other’s results.
