Hi Poppy,
I've struggled with remembering names at networking events too, especially when I'm tired from a long day. What really turned it around for me was focusing on repetition right away. As soon as someone introduces themselves, I say their name back in my response, like 'Nice to meet you, Sarah.' That simple act lodges it in my brain better than just hearing it once. I also try to use their name once more during the conversation, which feels natural and helps reinforce it without much effort.
For a concrete example, at a local meetup last month, I met a guy named Mike who mentioned he was into hiking. I associated his name with Mike the hiker in my mind, picturing him on a trail, and that visual stuck. It's a quick association trick that doesn't require any tools or apps, perfect since you're in a small town with limited options. This method is energy-efficient too, as it only takes a few seconds during the intro.
One pitfall I ran into early on was overdoing the associations, which made me zone out and miss what the person was saying next. To avoid that, I keep it to one simple link per name and stay present in the chat. Overall, these habits have cut my embarrassing forgetful moments way down, and they're easy to start today without any prep.