Events are the Match.com of the business world. Vendors and consumers want to make the right connection to solve their problems and your company wants to find the right vendors and consumers to take your business to the next level. Corporate events involve hundreds – or even thousands – of people selling, learning, buying, and networking – and every single one of them is in search of their perfect match. But let’s face it, events don’t last forever, and your business needs to know how to maximize that experience. An experienced event planner knows how to construct your event so that participant matchmaking takes center stage. Take a look at three things event matchmaking can do for your next major function.
Better Attendee Experience
Experience is the name of the game when it comes to what participants are looking for in an event. Your job is to create the type of experience that not only makes an impression, but garners results. Matchmaking tools help connect attendees with the people and activities that will benefit them the most. It also makes gamification and social media tie-ins easier than ever.
Pro tip: turn to the expertise of an event planner who knows how to integrate matchmaking strategies or check into an event matchmaking app.
Improved ROI for All
The one thing everyone wants from an event is a return on their investment – whether that investment is time or money. Everyone that participates in an event, from the attendees to the sponsors, to the presenters, makes an investment and they all want it to be worthwhile. When you structure your event around matchmaking principles, you exponentially increase the odds on how worthwhile that experience will be.
The basic matchmaking principles that help couples find true love can also help your clients and/or attendees make their next profitable business connection.
With event matchmaking, gone are the days of guessing who will be in which breakout session or hoping to bump into target clients or vendors in the buffet line. Through pre-arranged meetings, speed mentoring sessions, and detailed participant profiles, matchmaking turns a pretty good event into a must-go. When participants know they’ll be able to rub shoulders – or bend the ear – of prime targets, you might end up on a search for a larger venue to meet the line that is suddenly forming around the corner just to get into your next event.
Increased Engagement
No one wants to sit in a sea of uncomfortable chairs while some “expert” at the front of the room talks at them. A successful event is not a performance in front of a staid audience – it’s an interactive experience that expands the perceptions, possibilities, and passions of everyone involved. Matchmaking lets participants check each other out in advance, schedule meetings, re-arrange meetings, and even cancel meetings. Best of all, they can get all of this accomplished before the registration table even opens.
Successful attendee engagement means your event will deliver more meaningful connections and participants will walk away with increased learning and retention. No one leaves a conference fondly reflecting on the time they spent silently listening to one speaker after another while they watched the clock. The right tools can help you incorporate matchmaking principles even throughout traditional presentations.
Facilitate real-time interaction where attendees can electronically comment and ask questions as they occur, rather than waiting for the end. You can even let them request a one-on-one or sign up for available consultations while the presenter shares their spiel.
If you’ve been searching for the key to creating a mind-blowing event that people won’t be able to stop talking about, it’s time to adopt an event matchmaking approach. To maximize the effectiveness of this technique, engage a professional event planner and get planning. Even you will be impressed with the outstanding results you’re bound to see.
