Each year I head up a team that plans a two day educational event for our top clients. One of the comments we always get from our surveys is that the clients would like to have more time to talk to their piers about common business problems. Sounds easy, right?

I am having difficulty coming up with a creative way to make this happen. I want to somehow break the clients into small groups to facilitate discussion and share ideas. I have searched the web and not seen anything I like. Do you know of any formats I might use or resources I should check out.

All suggestions are welcome.

I don't mean to sound flippant, but why do these people need someone else to organize how/when they network with their peers? Anyway... during lunch, you can put various topics on different tables and tell people to sit at a table that is discussing their topic of interest. This is how many large conferences do it -- it's called a networking luncheon.

Structuring networking is much better than just assuming it will happen if there's an opportunity. The people who do well in an unstructured environment don't even need the time. They find a way to do it. But others are new and less skilled in networking.

Any activity that gets people to work together is great. Just make sure to switch the groups around.

If they recognize the need for time with their peers (they asked for it), then doesn't it stand to reason that they recognize the need to do it?

Sorry - I get annoyed with the tendency of HR/training to coddle adults. It's nothing personal.

So, if you don't do anything and everyone stays with the few people they already know you've lost an opportunity. Adults are very good at not going out of their comfort zone.

The reality is that some people like structure and others don't you're challenge is to find something that is good for both groups. Don't waste the opportunity.