Are You Designing Networking Experiences for Just the Joiners?

What Club Med Taught Me About Building Better Communities

The rooms at Club Med are kind of terrible.
Tiny. Spartan. It reminded me of my college dorm but with a better view.

At the one we stayed in, the air conditioning wouldn’t work unless you slid your room key into a slot on the wall. Which meant that every time we got back from a day in the sun, the room was suffocatingly hot.

But we didn’t care.
We were barely in the room, except to sleep.

Because Club Med isn’t about the rooms.
It’s about what happens outside that matters.

And how quickly strangers become a community.

Community by Design

Club Med was one of the first all-inclusive resorts, and being one of the first, they snagged the best real estate in in some of the top tourist destinations in the world; from the Alps to the Caribbean to Africa.

Everything was designed to encourage connection, without ever forcing it.

You didn’t have to sign up for connection. You just found yourself in it.

Like at dinner, where most tables were communal. Sitting with strangers night after night can feel awkward at first, but when it becomes part of the rhythm, and the environment feels easy and welcoming, that awkwardness often leads to real conversation and surprising memories.

The G.O.’s (Gentils Organisateurs, aka the staff) are not your normal resort staff simply going about their business. They’re gregarious, friendly, and always in motion, modeling connection and creating a vibe that’s fun, relaxed, and inclusive. They sat with us at dinner. By the end of the week, we knew them, and they knew us. How many vacations can you say that?

There was always something happening. A game. A show. A class.

Some people joined every activity. Others read books on the beach.

No one pushed you to join. But you always felt welcome to.

Even if you kept to yourself during the day, you’d sit down to dinner with new people that night.

Connection wasn’t a requirement. It was simply always there when you were ready for it.

The Club Med Participation Model

We started seeing similar behaviors and as you do on vacations, started grouping and naming them.

• Uber Joiners (UJ’s): First to sign up… literally for every activity and every game. They spent some of their vacation time rehearsing for roles they had in the shows.

• Joiners: Friendly, willing to participate, happy to meet new people, they gave themselves over to the experience.

• Non-Joiners: Prefer solo time. May only show up to one or two things, but still want to feel like they’re part of it.

What made Club Med special was that it made room for all three.

No one was excluded. No one felt out of place.

By the End of the Week, We Belonged

We had eaten dinner with some families.
Sailed with others.
Played tennis with a few more.
We even learned how to trapeze with a handful of new friends.

(For the record, we were solidly in the Joiner category.)

By the end, we were waving to everyone as we passed by. Saying hello to everyone, many on a first name basis.
So much so that when we got home, I instinctively waved to a stranger on the street and because I live in Boston, they looked at me like I was nuts.

That’s the power of thoughtful community design.
Not just bringing people together.
But helping them feel like they belong there.

Most Networking Experiences Don’t Work This Way

Too many events and communities are designed for the Uber Joiners.

We host receptions, happy hours, and karaoke nights, then wonder why it’s always the same people who show up.

It’s not that the others don’t want to connect. It’s that we’ve only given them one kind of experience to do it.

And that experience is often overwhelming and built for the already-connected.

For most attendees, walking into a crowded happy hour and striking up a conversation with a stranger isn’t just hard, it’s exhausting. Especially if you didn’t come with a crew or don’t already feel like you belong.

You scan the room, see tight circles of people deep in conversation, and wonder where to start. Or if you should even try.

The result? Most people don’t make new connections. They talk to the same people they came with. Then leave, feeling like they missed something.

Don’t Just Build for the Joiners

Most networking experiences are built for the loudest voices in the room.
The extroverts. The Uber Joiners. The ones who will show up no matter what.

But real connection, the kind that actually leads to community doesn’t just happen at karaoke nights or crowded receptions.

It happens when people feel seen.
When there’s space for quieter forms of engagement.
And when it’s easy, natural, and safe to meet someone new.

If you want to create meaningful, inclusive community, you need to:

✅ Offer multiple ways to engage
✅ Make room for quiet, one-on-one connection
✅ Let people opt in without pressure
✅ Celebrate participation at every level
✅ Build in purposeful connections

That means intentionally pairing people based on shared goals, interests, or beliefs.
Not leaving it to chance or charisma.

Connection doesn’t have to be constant to be powerful.
One purposeful conversation can make someone feel like they belong.

And that’s the kind of connection that sticks, long after the event ends.

It’s Time to Rethink Your Event Community

Whether you’re hosting an event, running a member program, or building workplace culture, ask yourself:

Are we building for the full spectrum of attendee preferences, or just the ones who already feel comfortable connecting?

If it’s the latter, maybe it’s time for a little more Club Med energy.

👋 Want to help everyone connect, not just the joiners?
Visit hoogah.co and see how we help build community your way.