I've read a number of articles on how to remember names. All of them use basically the same approach: whatever you first notice about a person (their hairstyle, thumb-ring, freckle shaped like a fish, etc.), find some way, however strained, to make that a hint for their name. The theory is that the process of doing this will burn their name into your memory.
Problem is, right after they introduce themself, while I'm picking the thing I noticed, I forget what their name was...