In the fast-paced, increasingly complex and competitive business world, making professional connections at trade shows and events can often feel overwhelming and impersonal for many attendees and exhibitors. MatchPoint, a new AI-powered matchmaking mobile app, was created to address this challenge by seamlessly connecting attendees and vendors with like-minded professionals to make networking at events more curated, effective, and impactful.

The app’s patent-pending machine learning algorithm, bolstered by a sophisticated large language model (LLM), optimizes networking by matching users based on their individual preferences and goals—helping them find the right connections with little to no effort, according to MatchPoint officials.

Free for both event organizers and attendees to use, MatchPoint aims to reduce the randomness and anxiety associated with traditional networking to ensure every interaction counts, said MatchPoint Co-Founder Bill McGlade, president of epIQ Creative Group, who soft-launched the app with Co-founder and SMT expo Executive Vice President Scott Lebwohl this summer.

“With MatchPoint, we’re putting powerful networking tools directly into the hands of every live event professional, absolutely free,” McGlade said. “Imagine attending a conference without wandering down endless aisles or eating dinner alone. Time is our most valuable commodity, especially for busy executives. MatchPoint ensures attendees connect effortlessly with the right professionals, vendors, and events tailored to their needs, transforming networking into an engaging, productive, and fun experience.”

The app also provides detailed analytics for vendors and show organizers, offering insights to help them understand engagement patterns and optimize their event strategies, he added.

“Too often, professionals attend events and come back with a stack of business cards, but no substantial business to show for it,” Lebwohl said. “Our app guarantees that each connection is purposeful and valuable. Typically, exhibitors at events are like fishermen waiting for the right contact to serendipitously engage with them. MatchPoint removes all of the happenstance and ensures viable networking and business opportunities. We’re proud to provide a platform that not only facilitates connections but also fosters professional development and success.”

We had a chance to learn more from McGlade and Lebwohl about what separates MatchPoint from other platforms on the market and how the app can improve event ROI for attendees, vendors, and organizers.

When and why did you develop and launch MatchPoint, and what separates it from other matchmaking platforms currently used by meetings and events?

McGlade: The inception of MatchPoint has been a journey in the making for several years. The true catalyst came in Q4 2023 when I attended an industry event that became the pivotal moment for its development. Despite my extensive network, I found myself knowing only one person at that event, who was busy the entire time. This left me dining alone, which significantly impacted my ROI from the event. Scott and I had been bouncing ideas off each other, for a number of weeks at that point, in an attempt to solve the hazy ROI problem. This experience exemplified the need for a solution that ensures meaningful connections at events, whether for networking dinners or specific business interactions on the exhibit floor.

Lebwohl: MatchPoint addresses the pain points experienced by both attendees and exhibitors. Traditionally, exhibiting at events often results in collecting numerous leads that don’t convert into tangible ROI. MatchPoint revolutionizes this by ensuring relevant professionals meet; not just at the event, but also during networking sessions, enhancing the value of every interaction.

Unlike other matchmaking software, MatchPoint is powered by its own advanced LLM, as well as an AI-boosted algorithm, incorporating over 20—and growing—detailed criteria to create precise matches. Our platform is not limited to event-based use; it operates year-round and is location-based, like a blend of LinkedIn and Tinder. This modernization reflects the current trends in social and professional networking, making MatchPoint the cutting-edge solution for event matchmaking that the industry has been yearning for. 

Would event organizers offer MatchPoint to their attendees and exhibitors for a specific event or show, and how would the process work?

McGlade: Absolutely, event organizers can list their events on MatchPoint at no cost, offering the app to their attendees and exhibitors, free of charge. Setting up an event listing on MatchPoint takes less than 10 minutes. We provide efficient onboarding features like attendee and exhibitor upload, and we are developing integrations with Zapier alongside various registration companies to streamline the process further.

Organizers have access to a comprehensive analytics dashboard, allowing them to track usage details within the app. We are also developing integrations with Tableau and PowerBI, enabling organizers to pull our endpoints into their existing visual analytics platforms for deeper insights. This ease of setup and access to data analytics ensures that event organizers can maximize the value of their events with minimal effort.

Walk us through the user’s journey.

Lebwohl: Organizers can quickly list their events and invite attendees and exhibitors to download the app, allowing their attendees and vendors access to accurate matchmaking opportunities at their event. The app’s year-round functionality means that users can continue to benefit from it at other locations and events, addressing a common pain point with event mobile apps: low adoption rates.

The user journey begins with a simple login process. To achieve optimal matches, users should complete their profiles thoroughly, [as] the more detailed the profile, the better the match results. For vendors, there is a monthly subscription fee of $99, which grants them year-round access to lead generation and backend analytics, as well as the year-round marketplace to showcase their products or services. This subscription model ensures that vendors maintain a consistent and updated profile across all events, solving the issue of having to update their booth profiles for every new event.

Have any recent trade shows and/or corporate event clients used MatchPoint yet? If so, can you share their feedback?

McGlade: Although we soft launched MatchPoint just [recently], we have already successfully completed soft launches at two major events this year. Currently, we are in active discussions with over 10 association events and two large for-profit independent organizers. The feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, with users expressing that it significantly enhances professional relationship-building at events, transforming networking and lead generation.

MatchPoint is now available for download on both Apple and Android devices.

Have some event technology news to share? Reach out to lisa.savas@informa.com and danica.tormohlen@informa.com.

Don’t miss any event-related news: Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter HERE, listen to our latest podcast HERE and engage with us on LinkedIn!