Speed Gathering

Last updated: January 26, 2026

Get to know your coworkers with our Speed Gathering template! Participants pair up and answer quick conversation starters, then switch seats to chat with a new partner every few minutes. 

Overview

  • Setup: The Speed Gathering template is available in the Experiences section at https://app.gather.town/create and you can also add it as a Room to your Space. To invite players, just send them the Space URL!
  • Participation Difficulty: 🟢 (easy)
  • Players: 5-25
  • Emcee: Necessary  
  • Average Time: 30-60 minutes
  • Media:  Speed Gathering slides (provided), a timer

Gather 'Round

As people enter the Speed Gathering room, direct them to sit at one of the 12 tables of paired chairs. 

Tip: Have an odd number of participants? Add a chair to one of the tables! Just make sure to add the chair to the private area so all 3 can see and hear each other. (Read about private areas if you need help!) 

When everyone is ready to begin, step onto the spotlight tile and read a conversation prompt. (Just press "x" at the podium if you want to use our pre-built slide deck!) Start a timer for that round. We suggest 2 minutes so each person has 1 minute to answer. 

When the 2 minutes is up, ask the inner and/or the outer circle to follow the arrows to the next chair.  

A screenshot of the Speed Gathering template, which is a large rectangular room with a dark wood floor. The left two-thirds of the screen are taken up with pairs of chairs and tables. On the inside of the circle, arrows point counterclockwise to show how to move to the next chair. On the outside of the circle, arrows point clockwise to show how to move to the next chair.
The emcee stands in the center of the circle to facilitate the social. They can share their screen while spotlighted so everyone can see the questions. 

Tip: The Speed Gathering template includes a set of questions in Google Slides. Use as is, or open this version to make a copy! 

Bonus Tips

  • Open the pre-built slides (or your own slides) in a separate browser window. Then, you can screen share that browser window so that you as the emcee can see the room while the room sees the slides.
  • If you have less than 24 people and want to remove seats, select Build in the toolbar. Then select Erase and select the tables and chairs you need to remove. 
  • If you have more than 24 people, we recommend creating a larger room and following this design. Remember that each pair of chairs and table is a separate private area.
  • Just search for "conversation starters" online - you'll find a bajillion things to ask