Perfect Match: How AI-Powered Matchmaking Boosts Your Exhibiting ROI

At the recent International Confex End of Summer Party, Abi Cannons from Grip, the official event technology partner and app provider, delivered a comprehensive session on how exhibitors and attendees can best utilise the event app to maximise ROI. With a focus on the app's AI matchmaking capabilities, she provided practical insights into how exhibitors can connect with relevant buyers efficiently and effectively.

Abi began by explaining the importance of using the event app, addressing common hesitations around app adoption. She revealed that only 66% of exhibitors used the app during Confex 2024 and encouraged the audience to embrace the tool to ensure better connections and results. The app’s matchmaking process, powered by an algorithm that sorts through participant data, is designed to help users make the most of their time by connecting them with the right people, whether they're buyers or suppliers.

The app’s AI relies on various data points, such as custom fields filled out during registration and interactions within the app. These details are crucial in driving recommendations tailored to the user's profile, industry needs, and goals. Abi emphasised that the more you engage with the app, the smarter and more personalised its recommendations become.

For exhibitors, the app offers a dedicated space to manage team interactions, schedule meetings, and track inbound leads. Abi explained the importance of activating the "My Team" feature, which allows team members to coordinate their efforts and fill their diaries with meaningful meetings ahead of the event. With inbound leads readily available through the app, exhibitors can skip unqualified prospects and focus on those with potential business value.

A key feature of the app is badge scanning, which feeds additional data into the algorithm, refining matchmaking suggestions further. Abi highlighted how scanning as many badges as possible is crucial for gathering post-event contact details and nurturing future business leads.

For those concerned about Wi-Fi access, Abi reassured users that while some app features require connectivity, others, like badge scanning, can operate offline. Additionally, attendees have 30 days post-event to extract data and review leads, ensuring that no valuable contact is missed.

Abi's top tips for exhibitors were clear: log in early, complete custom fields thoroughly, engage with the recommendations, schedule meetings in advance, and actively use the badge scanning feature to build a strong post-event follow-up process. These strategies, combined with the app’s AI matchmaking capabilities, are designed to help exhibitors maximise their ROI and form lasting connections.