End of year company party with 1200 employees. CEO is singing on stage with dinner buffet.
And I don't know what to do, with so many people. If i sit alone on a couch it is not ok. But sitting next to random strangers is also not ok. I hate such situations. How do you deal with this?

Is it mandatory to be there?

Either way, try and find other programmers and talk to them about something common.

lots of drinks until you are able to do smalltalk, then smalltalk with all the female devs 😉

edit: @heyheni han gseh d silvia isch au det und hed was uf de bühni gseit, die trinkt sicher en braulio mit dir 😉

@PonySlaystation du Schlawiner, du ;D

In situations like that, I usually try to stay with people I know. As this is a work event, you surly will know some colleges you work with.

I also heard one other dev say at an event like this one while sitting on the table "For me as the typical introvert, I'll just eat my meat, drink some beers and leave early" - everybody had a good laugh at that, it was kind of an ice-breaker.

I usually don't want to go to such events neither but am always glad afterwards if I did, because it always turns out great in the end. No one wants to harm you and it's nothing unusual to be an introvert, neither something to be ashamed of. Dealing with it gets easier once one gets that.

Also, Beer helps, mostly to get that "useless"-feeling away.

But, do whatever you're comfortable with.

@PonySlaystation jo, dat fend ik uch
*trying hard to sound like a swiss-german guy while using a few words from the Dutch language*

@-ANGRY-CLIENT- 🤣

@PonySlaystation 😂

@PonySlaystation braulio allei 😎

@heyheni cheers!

Now imagine 13000 staff in a concert venue all day. That shit was insane.

I had a similar situation a few years back. Not that I work there anymore.

But next time I’m thinking...some tasty rare chicken (from home) at lunch sounds really good. Just to get myself in the mood for such an occasion.

Get drunk 🕺

The rest will follow 😏

Start the Dundiers

Drink.

Do whatevee you want. There are 1200 people, no one recognizes your existence unless you're super popular