Edinburgh-based software developer offers dating-style conference app
The major technology players in the events market are predominantly London-based or international. But there are stories emerging of local pioneers and big data specialist Confbuzz is one such case study.
Based at software developers’ hangout Codebase in Edinburgh, the company is at the forefront of new technology platforms that are adding a level of sophistication not previously seen in the conferencing market.
Working in collaboration with Edinburgh University’s maths department, and a professor of ‘machine learning’, the company has developed a system which can analyse the interests of delegates before they attend an event, and then creates a social network of delegates, matching up to those with similar preferences.
It works by crunching data from the delegates’ LinkedIn or Twitter social media profiles. “It helps you identify who the interesting people might be that you want to speak to,” says Nicola Hillhouse, founder of the company. “It also tells you who the most researched delegates were, which allows organisers to invite them to the next event.
And if you’re a startup it can show you what investors have invested in your sector.” Confbuzz featured at both the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup business events last year and is preparing to work on a 60,000 delegate week-long event in England.
