"Things like this make me very excited," Manigault said, walking briskly. She forgot her extra business cards in her car, and she needed them Saturday to hand out during the 2008 Women in Business Conference's new speed networking session.

Speed networking was based loosely on popular speed dating rounds where singles interview potential matches. The third annual conference introduced the exercise this year so the more than 300 participants could interface with each other and establish new contacts.

At Table No. 14, Manigault faced other female business owners and entrepreneurs and had one minute to pitch her custom embroidery business, Gifts from the Magi.

A high school teacher, Manigault has had her embroidery business for the past four years but would like to branch out. "In three years, I'm hoping it will be a huge wholesale operation," she said. "I really don't want a storefront."

Saturday, as she spoke, her hands betrayed her nervousness. She'd rub them together in her lap or used them with animated gestures.

Jennet Robinson Alterman, executive director of the Center for Women, which co-sponsored the annual event with the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, said it can be intimidating and difficult to make a substantial number of contacts just by mingling around the room.

Speed networking was critical for the hundreds of women and several men in attendance, she said.

"You've got 300 people together, all of whom want to meet each other," Alterman said. "This is a way to do it on a more comprehensive basis."

The conference also offered five workshops where participants could learn career-advancing tips for the workplace, effective leadership skills, how the Internet can be a useful marketing tool, finance opportunities for business expansion, and the benefits of becoming certified as a woman-owned enterprise.

Reach Tenisha Waldo at twaldo@postandcourier.com or 937-5744.