LA VISTA, Neb. -- Maybe you've heard of speed dating. The La Vista Chamber of Commerce has a new twist on the concept: speed networking.

It's called Network A-Go-Go. A whistle starts the clock and participants get three minutes to meet, greet, and impress potential business associates. When the three minutes are up, participants swap business cards and move on to the next meeting.

At the end of the night, each person has a stack of business cards that represent valuable face time and new leads for business.

The Chamber's Carol Blood conceived the idea.

"I'd gone to networking events before. The cliques stay in one corner, the newbies stay in another corner," Blood said. "I felt like I wasted two to three hours of my time and my time is valuable."

La Vista is the fist city in the Midwest offering such a program, and the Chamber called the first night, Thursday, a big success.

For more information on speed networking, visit the La Vista Chamber web site.