The worst thing to do – apart from standing in the middle of the hall by yourself
– is to walk around looking busy. This is like holding up a sign saying ‘Please
don’t talk to me’. If you really feel too embarrassed to talk to strangers, perhaps
you should go home and try to network at the conference tomorrow, where it
should be much easier. A much better solution, though, is to move slowly
around the room, make eye contact with people, smile and say ‘hello’. That
way, even if you’re too nervous to start a conversation, other people will
understand that they can start a conversation with you.