Case study

Trade shows gather thousands of professionals, but creating meaningful connections often comes down to luck. Without the right tools, valuable networking opportunities are lost due to scheduling conflicts, information overload, and a lack of structured matchmaking.

PauseDigital developed a powerful and intuitive matchmaking platform tailored specifically for Exponaut’s event format. The system allows users to:

• Browse and filter other attendees based on shared interests and networking goals
• Schedule meetings at dedicated booths during the event, avoiding double-bookings thanks to smart scheduling
• Accept, decline, and manage invites directly from a personal event calendar
• Chat with connections in-app
• Join online meetings via a third-party video tool integration

The recommendation engine prioritizes matches based on users' selected networking goals. Login is flexible – via email/password or using Google and LinkedIn.

The platform is built on React with a custom Ant Design-based UI. The backend runs on Firebase and Node.js (Nest.js). For event organizers, there’s a separate admin dashboard to manage each event.

The platform is now an essential part of Exponaut’s offering, used by hundreds to thousands of participants per event. Attendees appreciate the simplicity and structure, while organizers gain a modern tool to increase engagement and event value.

The platform is fully responsive, available on all devices, and includes a mobile app using a wrapper-based solution to offer a fast and cost-effective mobile experience. It’s already used at large events like NEXPO, Supply, Security & Defence Expo.