Running B2B Matchmaking at a Networking Conference in Nairobi
A practical playbook for organisers adding structured one-to-one meetings to a Nairobi conference agenda without breaking the programme.
A Nairobi conference typically runs plenaries until 4pm and calls the tea break "networking". Delegates leave with business cards they never follow up. Structured matchmaking turns that loose time into a scheduled meeting diary.
This is the operational playbook we use when adding B2B matchmaking to a conference agenda.
Design the agenda around meetings, not after it
Reserve two meeting windows per day of at least 45 minutes each, placed either side of lunch. A break shorter than 30 minutes cannot host a useful meeting once delegates walk between rooms.
Publish the windows in the printed and digital programme so delegates plan around them rather than discovering them on arrival.
Open the directory two weeks out
Matchmaking on events.cara.co.ke opens once the confirmed list is large enough to be worth browsing, usually about two weeks before doors. Earlier than that and delegates see an empty room.
Send two prompts: one when the directory opens, one 72 hours before the event listing the delegate's pending requests.
Staff the meeting zone
Number every table clearly, station one host with the live schedule, and ring a soft chime at the end of each slot. Without a timekeeper the first meeting of the day runs long and the whole grid slips.
Keep a small standby area for delegates whose counterpart is late, and allow on-the-spot rebooking through the host.
Report what happened
After the event, organisers receive meetings requested, meetings confirmed, meetings attended and the sectors that drove the most demand. That is the evidence sponsors and boards ask for.
To plan a matchmaking-enabled conference, contact our producers at info@cara.co.ke.
Work with our team
Matchmaking runs inside every programme we deliver. See our conference management service, or explore the platform at events.cara.co.ke.
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