We have a local python Meetup. Here we have a half an hour break between talks for tea and snacks. So that's half an hour you need to somehow spend and leads to some interesting conversations. Just before we break, the organizer reads out Names of attendees and their interests/specializations (like, Ms. A - Django, Mr. X - databases, Mr.Y - systems programming, Ms. Z - machine learning, etc) while the respective person stands up. None of us are experts but we may know a bit more in that field compared to the person sitting next to us. The floor is also open to others who wish to make their interests known. Sometimes we are lucky to have some prof or real experts in too.It takes barely 2 mins, but serves as a good conversation starter for the next 30 mins. The conversation also tends to continue after the meetup is over.