Attendee experience
Matchmaking that gets people meeting, not just a list of names
Networking is the top reason many people attend. Most event apps hand them a directory. Here's what makes matchmaking actually produce meetings.
Mike Sanborn · November 1, 2026 · 2 min read
Ask attendees why they came and "meeting people" is near the top of the list, often right alongside the sessions. Yet the networking feature in most event apps is an alphabetical attendee directory. A list of 800 names doesn't tell anyone who to talk to.
Good matchmaking does three things: it knows what each person is looking for, it explains why two people should meet, and it makes the meeting easy to actually have.
Start with what people want
The most useful profile questions are short and specific:
- Interests: the topics they care about (AI, onboarding, fundraising, compliance).
- Here to: what they want out of the event (find a mentor, hire, meet investors, find customers, learn).
- Can help with: what they could offer others (mentoring, intros, product feedback).
Ask these when attendees first open the app, before anything else, and keep it to tapping chips rather than typing. Matching on goals and offers is what turns a directory into introductions: someone who is here to find a mentor should meet someone who can help with mentoring.
Explain every suggestion
"You might like to meet Priya" is easy to ignore. "You both care about AI and onboarding, and she can help with product feedback, which you're looking for" gives a reason to reach out, and something to open with. Every match should come with its reasons.
Make the meeting happen
The gap between "I should talk to her" and an actual conversation is logistics. When does she have time? Where do we meet? Matchmaking works best when the request carries a short note and, once accepted, the meeting is booked into the first break both people are free, at a specific table. Both people get a reminder. Nobody has to trade texts about the coffee line.
Respect people's choices
Not everyone wants to be found. Attendees should be able to hide their profile from the directory and suggestions, turn off messages, and choose which contact details to share. Booth staff should get an attendee's email only when the attendee lets them scan their badge.
Measure it
For organizers, the number to watch isn't profile views. It's meetings booked and accepted. That's the networking value your event actually delivered, and it's a number sponsors and boards understand.
Eventlane's networking follows this pattern: goals and offers from the first screen, suggestions with reasons, meetings booked into free breaks at tables, and privacy controls in each attendee's hands.
