There are many things that can be done in less than five minutes. In that time frame, you can microwave a meal, sing a song, fill up your gas tank, and now business networking can be added to that list. The latter was the focus of an event called 5-Minute Networking that was held at the Mill on the River restaurant in South Windsor on Dec. 3.

“Many times you go to networking groups and you leave there only meeting two or three people. It can also be really uncomfortable introducing yourself , or people get monopolized by one person, so I thought what would be a great way to meet people in a quick and efficient fashion,” said president and owner of Thrive Assistant Services, Melissa Bochet, who organized the event. “I thought about speed dating, and sure enough, I found out someone else was doing [speed networking] online . I also found some free software programs to help facilitate it.”

This is how the 5-minute networking worked; there were tables set up with 20 individuals representing a variety of different businesses, including banking , real estate, electricians, marketing, lawyers, and designers-who remained stationary. Another group of individuals moved from table-to-table , speaking with the people in the first group.

“Before they signed up, people could pick particular industries they preferred to meet with,” said Bochet. “For instance, a mortgage broker may want to meet with a realtor. So I would set it up so that we could try to make sure that we best optimize their positioning so they could meet the person in the industry they prefer.”

The meetings lasted five minutes, during which small talk took place, business cards were exchanged, and future connections were made. After the five minutes were up, Bochet would ring a bell, signaling it was time to move on to the next seat where the process began all over again. The networking is mainly for business purposes, but sometimes there are personal connections made.

“I had a ball just learning about other people’s businesses,” said Jeff Roberts of Manchester, who is an electrical contractor with RMS and was one of those who remained stationary. “It turned out that I found a lot more work for other people, and I’m of the mind set that if you help other people, then it will come back to you.”

Nancy Sarra-Allen , a photographer who owns her own photography business in South Windsor, said she enjoyed the format that was used for the event.

“I thought it was fun because you’re not at one station for long,” she said. “You’re just there long enough to introduce yourself and get a feel for what they do, and they get a feel for what you do. You get their card, and afterwards, if you want to pursue them or if you think that it would be worth your while, you can. Plus, if you are talking with someone that you’re not interested in connecting with, the five minutes can feel too long.”

Bochet said she hopes to expand the 5-minute networking to be held every month and she hopes to also bring the event to other towns throughout the entire state. For more information on future events, visit the Web site www. thriveassistants.com.