Get people talking
Ice Breaker Bingo gives everyone a reason to start talking. Also known as Find Someone Who Bingo, the game turns introductions into a simple challenge. Players move around the room looking for people who match the prompts on their bingo card. Instead of wondering what to say, they already have a question to ask.
Someone has a dog. Someone has traveled outside the country. Someone plays an instrument. Someone has worked here for less than a year. Every square creates another conversation.
With MyEventBingo, everyone plays from their own phone using one shared link. There’s no app to download, no bingo cards to print, and no supplies to pass out. The host can start with a ready-made Ice Breaker Bingo game or customize the entire board for the group.
Give Everyone a Reason to Say Hello
The first few minutes of a group event can set the tone for everything that follows. Ice Breaker Bingo fills those minutes with movement, introductions, questions, and conversations.
Players have something to do as soon as the game begins, and every square gives them another reason to meet someone new. By the time someone gets five in a row, people have already introduced themselves, discovered a few things they have in common, and started conversations that can continue after the game ends.
Create a free Ice Breaker Bingo game with MyEventBingo, customize the prompts for your group, and share one link to get everyone playing.
How Ice Breaker Bingo Works
The game is easy to explain because the goal is familiar: find five squares in a row and get bingo. The difference is that players have to talk to people in the room to find those squares.
1. Create the bingo game.
Start with the ready-made Ice Breaker Bingo game or create a custom board using prompts chosen specifically for the event.
2. Share the game link.
Guests open the link on their phones and receive their bingo cards. There’s nothing to download or install, which makes it easy to start the game as people arrive.
3. Start meeting people.
Players move around the room asking questions and looking for people who match their squares. When they find a match, they mark that square on their phone.
4. Keep going until someone gets bingo.
The first player to complete five squares in a row wins. A small prize can add another bit of excitement, especially for larger groups.
The rules are simple enough that the host doesn’t need to spend ten minutes explaining the activity. Give everyone the link, explain what they’re looking for, and send them into the room.
Everyone plays in one live multiplayer bingo game, so the whole room finds out the moment somebody gets a bingo.
For anyone who wants to see how joining and playing works before the event, the MyEventBingo how-to walks through the process.
What Goes on an Ice Breaker Bingo Board?
The prompts determine how people interact, so a good Ice Breaker Bingo board includes a mix of questions that are easy to answer and interesting enough to spark a conversation.
Start with familiar topics that people can answer quickly. These give players an easy way to approach someone and get comfortable with the game.
- Has a pet
- Has lived in another state
- Loves to cook
- Is a morning person
- Has been on a cruise
- Speaks another language
- Has met someone famous
- Has the same favorite season as you
Once everyone gets moving, a few more distinctive prompts can lead to longer conversations. Try squares such as plays an instrument, has an unusual hobby, has visited more than five countries, or knows how to do something most people in the room can't do.
The best prompts also reflect the people at the event. For an office gathering, the board might include someone from another department, someone who has worked for the company for more than ten years, or someone who started within the past six months. A school, volunteer organization, conference, church group, or community event can use prompts that make sense for its own crowd.
That customization makes the bingo card feel like part of the event instead of a generic activity.
Why It Gets People Talking
Starting a conversation with a stranger requires someone to make the first move. Ice Breaker Bingo gives people a specific reason to make it.
A player looking for someone who has traveled to Europe has an opening question ready. Once they find that person, the conversation can easily continue. Where did they go? What was their favorite place? Would they go back?
A square that takes a few seconds to find can turn into a conversation that lasts several minutes.
The game also encourages people to move beyond the first person they meet. A bingo card filled with different traits sends players around the room, introducing themselves to several people along the way. In a workplace setting, that can mean talking with someone from another department. At a conference, it might mean meeting someone from another city or industry. At a club or community event, it gives new members an easy way to meet people who have been part of the group for years.
One bingo card can create dozens of introductions throughout the room.
Make the Game Fit the Event
Ice Breaker Bingo can be casual, funny, professional, or completely specific to the group. That flexibility is one of the reasons it works for so many different events.
For a company meeting or retreat, prompts can focus on departments, experience, skills, hobbies, and shared workplace experiences. A conference can use industries, job roles, hometowns, or professional interests. A volunteer orientation can include previous volunteer experience, community interests, or reasons people joined the organization.
For a more social crowd, add prompts with some personality:
- Always loses their keys
- Has a hidden talent
- Sings in the car
- Has been skydiving
- Can quote an entire movie
- Owns more than three pairs of sunglasses
- Has eaten something truly unusual
A combination of easy, interesting, and funny squares keeps the board moving while giving people plenty to talk about.
The game can also be adjusted for the amount of time available. Five in a row works well when Ice Breaker Bingo is one activity during a larger event. For a longer networking session or team-building activity, the host can keep the game going and challenge players to fill more of their cards.
Where Ice Breaker Bingo Works
Any event that brings together people who don’t know each other well can use Ice Breaker Bingo to get conversations started.
It works especially well for employee orientations, company retreats, conferences, workshops, networking events, volunteer groups, classrooms, clubs, church groups, community organizations, reunions, and social gatherings.
Once everybody knows each other, the game can move into the conference room. Office meeting bingo uses the same idea for weekly meetings, with squares for the things that happen every single time.
It can also work when everyone isn’t in the same room. Because MyEventBingo games are played online, participants can join from different offices or locations using the same game link. Groups planning an online activity can also use the ideas in our Virtual Bingo guide.
The most important part is choosing prompts that fit the people who will be playing. A little customization can turn a simple bingo board into an activity people actually want to participate in.