For organizersConference receptions and side events

The hallway track, on purpose.

People come to conferences for each other as much as the talks, then spend the reception with their own colleagues. Flare gives your reception or side event real introductions, with no attendee app to roll out and no contact data changing hands.

Try it freeSee the questions you’d ask

A reception of up to 250 costs $299.99, once. Smaller side events start at $29.99.

Colleagues stick together

Teams that flew in together stand together, and the room you paid for never mixes.

Event apps go unopened

A matchmaking feature inside a big event app gets used by very few of the people in the room.

Reception badges say too little

A company and a job title rarely tell you who you should actually talk to.

After the last session, teams stand with teams.

One code at the door. Three questions.

Flare reads the whole reception at once.

People cross the room to meet someone new.

Questions you could use tonight.

Flare only knows what you ask. Here’s a starting template for this kind of event, and why each question is there. Copy it, then change whatever doesn’t sound like your crowd.

What your guests see when they scan in. Illustrated with this template.

  1. What would you most like to learn this week?

    Needs and offeringsHigh importanceMultiple choice

    Paired with what others can teach, in both directions.

  2. What could you teach someone?

    Ask onlyMultiple choice

    Uses the same choices, which the rule above requires.

  3. How do you like to talk shop: big picture (1) or in the weeds (5)?

    Similar answersNormal importanceScale of 1 to 5

    Pairs people who’ll enjoy the same depth of conversation.

Write your questions around the themes of the event. Topics from your own agenda make better answer choices than generic ones.

How to build this in the appHow to write good questions

How the night runs.

You start the event from your own iPhone and put the code where guests can see it. Everything after that happens on their phones.

  1. 17:30

    Last session ends. The code is on the screens outside the ballroom and on a slide in the closing talk.

  2. 17:45

    Reception opens. Attendees scan in with a drink in hand.

  3. 18:00

    A line from the emcee, and flares go on.

  4. 18:05

    First introductions. Colleagues split up without being told to.

  5. 19:30

    End the event. The totals are yours for the post-event report.

What it looks like on the phones.

Real screens from the app, in the order they come up.

The host’s phone showing the live event code
You show the codeIt changes every five minutes, so only people in the room can join.
A phone lit violet saying someone worth looking up for
Two phones light upSame color, same rhythm. The other person is in the room somewhere.
The light holding steady and saying there you are
They find each otherThe pulse quickens as they get closer, then holds steady.
Event results with example totals
You see the totalsWho joined and who met, as counts only. Example numbers shown.

Is it right for your event?

It tends to suit

  • Receptions, side events and meetups of up to 250
  • Conferences where attendees don’t already know each other
  • Organizers who don’t want to roll out another app account

It’s probably not for

  • Events above 250 in one room, for now
  • Rooms with lots of Android users: guests need an iPhone
  • Lead retrieval for sponsors: Flare holds no attendee data

Pay once, for this event.

A reception of up to 250 costs $299.99, once. Smaller side events start at $29.99.

No subscription and no per-match fee. Guests never pay.

How to choose a size

Guests, up toOne eventWorks out at
10FreeRehearsal
15$29.99About $2.00 a guest
50$79.99About $1.60 a guest
100$149.99About $1.50 a guest
250$299.99About $1.20 a guest

What organizers ask.

All questions

Will this work for our whole conference?
Not yet. Flare is built for one room at a time, up to 250 guests, with one kind of introduction per event. It suits a reception or a side event better than a multi-day schedule.
Do attendees need to create an account?
No. They install the app, scan the code and answer your questions. No name, email or company is asked for.
What about venue Wi-Fi?
Each phone needs an internet connection to join and be matched. Cellular or Wi-Fi both work. Closeness is measured between the two phones directly over Bluetooth and, where supported, Ultra Wideband.
Does it need a poster or a screen?
A screen is best, because the live code changes every five minutes. You can also read the six-digit code aloud, and send an invitation or poster ahead of time so people have the app ready.

Keep reading.

Help people meet at a conferenceDesign for the hallway track, not just the agenda.What is event matchmaking?The main types, how they differ, and when you don’t need it.Set up the doorWhere the code goes, and how to get guests through it.

Try it with ten people, for free.

A rehearsal is a real event. Round up some friends, run it once, and see how it feels before you put it in front of a room.

Try it freePlan a rehearsal