Business matchmaking: how to communicate better with the companies

This article is about the organizer's communication with the participating companies, not about conversation technique at the table. The difference matters: most of the frustration at a matchmaking event is born of misaligned expectations, and expectations are aligned before the event, in writing.

If what you are looking for is the conversation technique during the event, see 4 tips for good communication.

The most expensive mistake: hiding who is coming

Plenty of organizers keep the participant list back, afraid someone will drop out on seeing a competitor. The effect is the opposite of the one expected.

When a participant knows who will be in the room, they research the companies, prepare specific questions and arrive with a proposal instead of a leaflet. When they do not know, they arrive to find out, and finding out consumes the first two rounds.

Publishing the list does three things: it raises the preparation, it raises the attendance, because whoever saw an interesting name confirms for real, and it reduces the chance of a participant feeling they came to the wrong event.

If the format is exclusive, with one representative per field, say so in the invitation, because that is precisely the sales argument. See what an exclusive matchmaking event is.

The five messages every participant needs to receive

Event communication is not one invitation. It is five messages, each with a job.

1. The invitation. What it is, for whom, when, what it costs and, above all,

how many conversations the person will have. Say the number.

2. The registration confirmation. Details checked, venue, arrival time and

what to bring.

3. The preparation, three days before. How the format works, how long each

person speaks, how many cards to bring and what to fill in on the registration. This is the message that most changes the quality of the event and the one most people forget to send.

4. The day before. A short reminder with the address, parking and the

registration desk time.

5. After the event, within 48 hours. The participant list, thanks, a

satisfaction survey and the date of the next edition.

What the preparation message has to say

Be literal. The participant does not know the format.

• How many minutes they will have to speak at each table.
• How many rounds the event has and how many people they will meet.
• How many cards to bring. If it is 6 rounds at a table of 6 seats, that is 30

people, so ask for 40 cards.

• That the audible signal commands the table change and that nobody should move

before it.

• That supply and demand on the registration determine who they will sit with.

That last point is the most underestimated. A registration filled in badly produces a badly built table, and the blame falls on the organisation.

The arithmetic that supports the promise in the invitation

Promising "plenty of networking" convinces nobody. Promising a number convinces, provided the number is right.

At a table with S seats, each participant talks to S minus 1 people per round. With R rounds, they meet R × (S minus 1) people. At an event of 8 rounds with tables of 6 seats, that is 40 conversations. Write that in the invitation: "40 business conversations in one afternoon". It is verifiable, and it is what makes the ticket worth the price.

Before publishing, confirm that the design supports that number. The route is in how many rounds fit in your event.

Communication on the day of the event

Inside the room, the communication stops being text and becomes signal.

• A two-minute opening. Explain the format, the speaking time, the change

signal and where each person goes. Short and literal.

• A clear audible signal. It is what commands the room. It has to be heard

in the furthest corner, above the noise of the conversations.

• A visible instruction. A screen showing the current round, the clock and

the instruction for that moment resolves most questions without anyone having to ask.

• A time warning. An alert a few seconds before the end stops a pitch being

cut off mid-sentence, which is what most irritates whoever is presenting.

In Rodada de Sucesso, the audible alerts are configurable by file for the start, the 15-second warning, the table change, the break and the close, with a global default and a sound of its own per event, and they can be voice recordings. The second screen projects the round, the clock and the instruction, and shows the table map during the break. Incidents are recorded with the time and the round, which gives a factual basis for answering any complaint afterwards.

Communication mistakes that recur

• An invitation with no format. Whoever does not understand what is going to

happen does not buy.

• Silence between the registration and the day before. It is in that gap

that dropouts happen.

• Explaining the format only over the microphone. Half the room does not

hear. It has to be written and projected.

• Cutting the speaking time in the middle of the event. It is the most

noticeable change and the one that most generates complaints. Prefer cutting rounds.

• Disappearing afterwards. With no survey and no list sent, the event ends

at the door.

After the event

Send the participant list with authorised contact details, the satisfaction survey and the invitation to the next edition. Whoever answers the survey is whoever comes back, and the answers are the material for the next improvement. See how to turn feedback into improvements and clear communication in business matchmaking.

Good communication is not the prettiest. It is the kind that makes the participant arrive knowing exactly what is going to happen and leave knowing exactly what to do next.