You could, but it might not help.  

Ever been to these large gatherings where you're supposed to go and meet as many people as you can?  

Walking around with a name tag, saying "hi" to people, sharing your elevator pitch, hearing theirs, trying to act interested, maybe setting up times to get coffee - the social formalities of meeting people. Done that before? For me, a shy (yes - I am shy) person, to do it is a fate worse than death.  

Do you need to talk to everybody in the room?  

I say no because not everyone matters.  

In a room with hundreds of people, you can't be all things to everybody. You can be a meaningful specific, HT to Seth Godin and his influences for that term, to the ones who care about the work you do.  

Recently, I attended a LinkedIn Local event about creating content. Because the invitee list was on LinkedIn, I took a moment to see who would be attending, and I made a few notes about the people I'd like to meet. Then, I reached out to those people in advance and asked if they'd like to connect.  

Did I end up working the entire room? No.  

Did I end up talking to a few people that actually cared about my work? Yes, and I also learned how to support the work of others.

Also, if you’re in Milwaukee, consider checking out LinkedIn Local's next event.