b2match and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) enjoy a longstanding partnership. Having worked together for around 10 years, b2match has adapted its event management platform to fulfill EEN specific needs. In 2021 alone, EEN chose to manage over 450 events with around 89,000 participants with b2match.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)
The EEN helps businesses innovate and grow on an international scale. It’s the world’s largest support network for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions. The EEN supports businesses in many different ways, which includes organising different types of business-oriented events:
Business matchmaking events
Bringing together businesses and other organisations looking for partners to take their projects forward. They often take place alongside international trade fairs and conferences. Participants share their partnership offers or requests and schedule meetings in advance.
Conferences and workshops
To help prepare businesses for international expansion. These events focus on topics covered by the EEN advisory and support services. Topics include innovation, access to international markets, funding opportunities, regulations and standards.
Why b2match is the EEN Event Management Software of Choice
b2match understands that EEN events are about more than just small talk among participants. Business events are made for people with expectations. Meeting these expectations and maximizing return is crucial for making any b2b matchmaking event a success.
b2match helps EEN event organizers create more meaningful connections with features that are tailored to their needs. Read on to learn more.
Marketplace: Unique and outstanding b2match feature
The most crucial element of b2match for EEN matchmaking events is the marketplace. The marketplace offers detailed descriptions created by event participants of products and services that are being looked for or are on offer. Participants upload photos, videos and files to their marketplace entries.
Image: Marketplace opportunities with keywords and smart search function.
One to three weeks before an event begins, participants search the marketplace on the b2match platform to find ideal meeting partners. They use keywords and a powerful smart search function to find interesting requests or offers. The depth of detail within the marketplace allows attendees to make informed decisions to find a good match. After making the assessment, attendees click a button to request one-to-one meetings. The meetings are then conducted onsite or, using the b2match platform, online.
A personalized event agenda is populated for participants to easily keep track of their meetings during the event. It indicates if a meeting is on location or virtual.
Image: Personalized event agenda.
Having analyzed thousands of events facilitated on b2match, data clearly shows that around 70% of one-to-one meeting requests are initiated through marketplace opportunities.
Co-organizer management
A typical EEN event can have anywhere from 5-20 international partners working on an event. To work cohesively together, access rights are assigned accordingly. To do this, the b2match platform differentiates main event organizers from supporting organizers.
Each role has different rights according to what they need to do to have a successful event. For example, a supporting organizer can make the event visible in their regions and help to acquire local organizations to attend the event. In addition, they modify participant profiles they are connected to. So an Austrian supporting organizer can view all participants' profiles but only edit profiles from Austrian organizations.
Image: Each event organizer has access rights according to event goals to be achieved.
EEN specific reporting requirements
The EEN has specific event reporting standards. Event organizers need to deliver information on participant numbers, quantity of bilateral meetings, meetings after the event and agreements reached.
Dashboard
b2match has created an event dashboard to make viewing event data easy. At a glance, event organizers see the number of registrations and one-to-one meetings scheduled. If these numbers are lower than desired, event organizers can take action and prompt participants to get active. The data can be exported for further analysis.
Image: Dashboard gives quick overview of EEN event KPIs.
One-to-One Meeting Rating System
A valuable feature that allows event organizers to report on the success of the event in a clear manner.
Event participants have the ability to rate their one-to-one meetings. This can be done in two stages. Right after the meeting has occurred and a few months later. The event organizer can send an email out to event participants and ask if a cooperation occurred or not.
Image: Participants rate the success of 1:1 meetings, making EEN reporting clear and concise.
Long-Term Matchmaking
Long-term matchmaking is a great opportunity for event organizers to increase their meeting KPIs for EEN event requirements. It was created on the b2match platform because event participants were asking for extended time to have more matchmaking opportunities.
Long-term matchmaking allows event participants to book one-to-one meetings even after the event is over. This can go on for a week or a month. It is a period when attendees are able to meet anytime they agree on. This of course adds more meeting numbers to the event.
A Familiar Platform
Having facilitated hundreds of EEN events over the years, b2match is a familiar software platform to many. It can almost be thought of as the WhatsApp of EEN matchmaking events. Everyone is on it, it’s intuitive and it makes event planning and management easier.
Examples of EEN Events Facilitated by b2match
Seeing real EEN events facilitated using b2match is always helpful. It offers up real world views and what the possibilities are. Here is a list of some big EEN events in 2021.
Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation. It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.
To support this initiative, virtual networking events covering different cluster topics were created. Thousands of participants took part.
Bionnale
Bionnale is the biggest networking event for life sciences and healthcare industries in the German capital region.
Over 800 participants from 52 countries had over 400 meetings.
B2B Software Days 2021
B2B Software Days 2021 allowed participants to pitch their startup ideas in front of 50 international investors. They used the marketplace to promote their business offers and requests.
Over 2,000 participants from 77 different countries booked 1,600 meetings.
Fashion Match Supply 2021
Fashion Match Supply 2021 was organized by ZENIT, which supports medium-sized businesses to expand internationally.
The event had 600 participants from 37 countries who had 460 meetings.
Qatar Matchmaking Event 2021
Qatar Matchmaking Event was organized by EEN Qatar/Qatar Development Bank (QDB) under Tasdeer services. The aim was to gather top Qatari manufacturers and international distributors, potential partners and businesses to discuss and develop future partnerships.
The event had 1,500 participants from 59 different countries who arranged 1,180 meetings.
EEN Partners Get 40% Discount Off Standard Fees
b2match has been working with the Enterprise Europe Network for a long time. The platform has adapted itself to EEN specific needs. To show appreciation for this valuable partnership, a special discount has been created just for EEN partners.
