Events Playbook: The Think & Drink
A step-by-step guide to a night of conversation and connection
I’m a firm believer that great ideas are meant to be shared — especially when it comes to building community.
Which is why I’m sharing with you my playbook for one of my favorite events: The Think & Drink.
At first glance, Think & Drink is about amateur storytelling. But when you dive deeper, you’ll see it’s actually all about people making new friends in a way that feels easy and fun (going far beyond the typical questions like “what do you do for work?”). And it never misses.
So take this guide. Try it out! Make it your own! In a time when real connection matters more than ever, let’s create more opportunities for the people in our lives to gather and bond.
The backstory
The roots of Think & Drink trace back to a place near and dear to my heart — the college dorm of Burton-Conner at MIT. Each year, the folks of Burton 1 would craft the most wild powerpoints, get shitfaced, and then present their talks to the rest of the floor. It was the most nerdy, high-energy, silly fun.
When I first moved to the Bay Area after college, I found myself missing those sorts of late-night bonding moments. So my friends and I decided to resurrect that magic, bringing Think & Drink to a new chapter of our lives.
Seven years later, our version of Think & Drink has evolved significantly, but its core remains the same: it’s still an excellent way to bring people together and make new friends <3.
So without further ado, I present to you: Think & Drink for the post-college crowd ✨
The Think & Drink
Who this is for: for people who want to meet new friends, and are down for some amateur storytelling fun
Format: in-person
Group Size: 8-16 ppl
Duration: 3 hours
Vibe: Supportive, inclusive, and wonderfully weird
Run of Show:
People arrive and get situated (30 min)
Opening circle (30 min)
Introduce the event and why we’re here
Everyone introduce themselves and how they know someone else
Reveal the night’s storytelling prompt!
Randomly select 6 speakers
Speakers plan their talk (10 min)
Others provide brainstorming support to said speakers during this time
Talks: Part 1 (30 min)
Each speaker gets 5 min to present, 5 min of Q&A
Intermission (10 min)
Encourage people to mingle and ask more questions to the speakers!
Talks: Part 2 (30 min)
Open hangout (30 min)
Unstructured time for ppl to followup with speakers on their topics, ask people who didn’t present what they’d talk about, and just chat
The very important details to make this a raging success
A good event is about more than its structure. If you want to create an event that is ripe for approachability, good vibes, and connection, here are the most impactful details to add in:
Be picky in your audience choice
Since this event is all about getting to know new people, I recommend inviting a diverse mix of people from different parts of your life. This prevents one group from dominating the vibe and makes things feel a lot more inclusive.
Second, be upfront in the invitation about what people are saying yes to! Let them know this event is about getting to know new people. This ensures that those that come are ready to mingle, which is crucial for immaculate event vibes. Here’s an example.
Choose a prompt that anyone can answer
The goal is connection, not stress! I try to choose a prompt that anyone could come up with a story/talk for. Here are some tried and true prompts that we’ve used in the past:
Something you’ve been really into in the last 6 months (e.g. a book, tv show, experience, topic, skill, etc)
Something you learned the hard way
Second chances
A time you had a perspective shift
Something you know a lot about
Give everyone a name tag
It’s one little detail that makes it a whole lot easier for people to talk to each other without worrying about if they’re remembered everyone’s name! (Our favorite name tag material? White duct tape lol.)
Don’t skip the introductions!
Yes, it might feel a bit formal for a social gathering, but it’s actually really really important for helping people get the lay of the land (who are you? how do you know the people here?) and feel more at ease. It’s also great for warming up people’s storytelling muscles!
(Our intro format is: your name, something we don’t know about you, and how you know someone else in this group.)
Open with a shared tradition
Kickoff the event with a fun tradition to build that feeling of togetherness! We do a group shot (of any sort of liquid — even metamucil 😅) to signify the start of the night.
Make room for breaks (and after event hangs)!
Having breaks is not only functional (giving time for people to use the restroom, grab more drinks, etc), but it also creates more space for connection! People can discuss the talks, ask followup questions, ask those that didn’t present what they would have talked about if they were chosen. We choose to have a break between talks and extra hang out time at the end.
Add some fun silly twists that give the night ~ personality ~
We’ve spiced up the base structure of the event with our own fun flairs. Here are a few:
Instead of choosing speakers form a hat, we use a fun app called Chwazi. Basically, I call up a group of people based on a category (i.e. frisbee teammates, college friends, co-residents, etc), we use the app, and see who gets randomly selected!
All speakers must wear a silly headband for identification purposes (here’s what I use).
Instead of just calling people up when it’s their turn to speak, we play entrance music for them which makes things so much more epic.
Let me know how it goes!
Each time I've hosted this event, I've been blown away by the incredible diversity of topics, the fascinating things I learn about my friends, and the genuine conversations that come from it.
And the coolest part is that the rewards of the event accumulate over time as people get to know each other better through past stories and memories.
So what are your thoughts? Will you try this out? If so, I’d love love love to know how it goes :)
Happy hosting!
With love,
Kelly
Love this!!!