Tech
“Although some might think ‘Big
Brother’, it helps to connect you with
people”
the app, visitors imported
their LinkedIn profiles so
the friction in the profile
creation process was cut to a
minimum. When scanning a
show floor, requests could be
made to connect with others
and permission being given
by the invitee to the inviter.
Beacons were required to be
fitted around a venue for the
application to be effective.
It’s a pity that Beacon
technology didn’t take off in
trade shows as AroundThen
also had a great auto-check-
in function. When a visitor
arrived in the show lobby the
Beacon detected the users
profile and automatically
triggered a badge to be
automatically printed.
But the big technology
players had already caught
on to this trend. Google
launched their Beacon reliant
API called Nearby in 2015. In
2019 LinkedIn launched their
no Beacons required Find
Nearby function aimed at the
event space. There are always
challenges to networking at
events. Catching a name, and
finding the right person on
social media can sometimes
be time consuming.
This function, although
some might think ‘Big
42 — March
Brother’, helps to connect
you with people you have
seen or know about but not
talked to. The function –
found in the My Network
area by clicking on the round
blue head and shoulders icon
- uses a devices Bluetooth
to scan the area and find
visitors in close proximity.
For maximum impact,
all visitors would need
to activate the feature in
LinkedIn and have Bluetooth
turned on.
The feature is GDPR
compliant as users need to
opt-in and give their consent
to use the feature and share
their approximate location.
Additionally, the feature
does not collect or store
user’s location information
on LinkedIn’s servers. I like
the serendipitous nature of
this networking approach as
its instant, spontaneous and
full of surprises.
Intelligent matchmaking
Over the years the
networking function has
progressed with many
applications looking to get
better user traction. One
tactic being used to increase
download rates has been
to design out the friction
associated with filling in
profiles. Using AI to match
users with similar interests
and preferences – as with
AroundThen - means profiles
are auto-populated via a
LinkedIn sign up process.
Grip is one such application.
It can be downloaded as a
standalone native app or
added in as a third-party
plug in to a larger multi-
functional event app.
The multi-award winning
application was the first of
the new generation of event
apps that launched using
an AI platform. The friction
attached to finding quality
contacts in the networking
transaction is nearly nil
and the way in which the
algorithm works makes
the whole experience more
efficient.
International Confex is
taking advantage of the AI
networking experience.
SwapCard is being used on
the show floor to create a
more informed and efficient
networking environment
for visitors. Swap Card
started out as a business
card scanner, but has since
developed into a more
sophisticated application
that is widely being adopted
by the exhibitions industry,
globally. The matchmaking
algorithm analyses profiles
of attendees and exhibitors
to suggest the most relevant
matches. The organiser can
access data to measure the
ROI for attendees, sponsors
and exhibitors in terms
of user usage, satisfaction
and connections made.
SwapCard is available in the
App Store and on Google
Play.
Going live
Once we make connections
on the show floor, where
do you meet those
connections? Brella has the
answer to this and takes
matchmaking to the next
level by providing a live
platform. This matchmaking
app gets users to create
profiles and tag preferences,
discussion topics and
commercial agenda items
they want to find mutual
users to talk about. So once
the matchmaking starts
matching tags, users are
then shown a networking
schedule and 15-minute time
slots to choose from. They
then match times to meet in
a Brella Lounge located on
the show floor.
The lounge is a made of a
series of tables for two where
the visitors meet at their
mutually chosen times to do
business. I have seen Brella
Lounges with meeting 40
tables busy over a whole day
of a show. Not only has the
relationship been created,
but often the business has
been discussed and the
relationship has been levelled
up. In the end, networking
is about the relationships
and making those work for
business.