No Named Lanyards, Why the All About Soft Skills Summit Got It Right

When I arrived at the All About Soft Skills Summit, the first thing I noticed was… no names on the badges.

Just a QR code on the lanyard.

At first, it felt odd almost like something was missing. But then it clicked.

The QR code pulled you straight into the event networking platform CameThru. No awkward “How do I spell your name on LinkedIn?” moments, no typing in handles. Instead of being a throwaway lanyard, this one had purpose.

That was clever Rik Pancholi and Nim Pancholi really thought it through.

Then Rajiv Popat took it to another level. His hosting was razor-sharp you could tell he’d researched every phase of the day. He summarised each segment off the top of his head and even wove in insights from conversations he’d overheard.

So when he told the room to scan the QR code for CameThru, over 100+ people did.

The right voice, the right timing, and intentional communication can activate a whole room.

The atmosphere all day was buzzing. There was this strong sense of community it felt like everyone already knew each other. Conversations flowed easily.

I didn’t speak to everyone, but the ones I did have were genuine, energising, and deep.

Nim Pancholi’s keynote gave me a clear past → present → future framework for opening conversations something I’ll carry into every networking setting.

The roundtable workshops reminded me of Pitchflix earlier in the week a great way to really connect.

Rik’s panel was brilliant. Henry Ajder unpacked the nuances of authenticity in an AI world how what feels “authentic” can shift depending on context, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. A fascinating lens.

Jessica Tompkinson, 🦎Mandy Adams (She/Her), and David Nash each added huge value too.

Mandy’s insights on emotional intelligence resonated deeply. I was sat next to her all day, and we ended up chatting MBTI together I suspect I was being assessed from the moment we said hello… 🤔

Then Karren Brady took the stage. She spoke about the three bubbles family, work, and yourself and how they all need to be equally sized.

Personally, I think the “you” bubble should be a little bigger… but who am I to argue with Karren Brady?

Her straight-talking message never give up on your dreams hit home. And her new book in the goodie bag? A brilliant touch.

What tied it all together for me was how aligned the summit was with what CameThru is about — intentional networking.

Listening. Understanding. Being present.

Because networking isn’t about racing around collecting 15 business cards.
It’s about having two or three quality conversations you can actually build on later.

Huge thanks to Sandie Basra for interviewing me it was a pleasure to meet you.

And a special mention to:
Aaron Michael, Rosanne Werner, Lydia Charilaou, Tony Ofori, Mark Graham, Namita Patel (she/her), Ian Morris, Ella Holt, Hitz Rao, Yash Rao,

and Chandila Fernando for the connection from Leicester → London