Micro Sessions

Get professional development boost in 20 minute sessions

Matched Networking

Set up one on one appointments with government agencies, and small and large businesses

Exhibit Hall

Meet with over 500 leading products and service providers

Education

40+ Hours of Education & Training Sessions

Matched Networking

The Small Business Conference features one-on-one appointments between attendees and Hosts (Government Agencies/Exhibiting Companies). These meetings will lay the foundation to develop new client-consultant relationships, teaming partners, and more! Appointment-Making is ONLY available to Private Industry Full Conference registrants and are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Parties will be matched based on criteria that Hosts need to fill in.

Here’s how it works:

Hosts will complete a profile indicating what types of businesses they are looking for such as primary NAICS code, small business designations, where business is conducted, etc.
Hosts can access and complete the Matched Networking Host Profile form and Schedule beginning October 14, 2024, via the Exhibitor Service Center (ESC).
- Private Industry Hosts: The Booth Coordinator for your company has access to the ESC and will be in charge of managing appointment requests and assigning appointments to team members (they must be registered via Booth Staff Form).
  - If you would like someone else from your team to manage Matched Networking Appointments, please email exhibit@same.org
- Government Agency Hosts: If multiple people will be handling their own appointment requests, please contact exhibit@same.org so SAME can set up Host accounts for each person. SAME will then send them their login information.
Upon registering for SBC, individuals who indicate they desire to participate in Matched Networking will complete a profile about their company and the work they do. Some of the profile questions correspond to the Hosts' requirements. Other questions on the profile have specifically been requested by Hosts as important to understand.
Attendees will see which Hosts they match with and can request appointments with them….and know that they have met some or all of the desired criteria for the Host, making a future relationship that much closer!
- Small Business attendees can request appointments starting November 4, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
- Medium and Large Business attendees can request appointments starting November 12, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
SAME will post how-to guides and video tutorials on how to set up matched networking profiles, send appointment requests, and accept/decline appointments so everyone understands how to manage their participation.

One-on-One Matched Networking appointments schedule:

Wednesday, November 20, 2024:

1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Central Time

Thursday, November 21, 2024:

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Central Time
2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Central Time

Friday, November 22, 2024:

9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Central Time

*Please note that availability is at the discretion of each Host; Hosts are not available for the entirety of the posted time frames.

Hosts (Government Agencies and Exhibitors) can update their profiles and schedules starting October 14, 2024. Attendees will answer similar questions when they register for the event. When a Host logs into their Matched Networking scheduling portal, they can see the attendee’s information and matched networking score. The score is based on the correlation between questions answered by each party. The score will help the Hosts determine if the attendee is a good fit. Attendees can make appointments with any Exhibitor/Government Agency regardless of their matched networking score.

What you need to know:

Appointments are 15 minutes long with a 5-minute break between appointments.
All appointments are ONE-ON-ONE! Participants meet with the Host individually.
All appointments are in-person during SBC in New Orleans, LA at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in Hall C-2. Each Host will have an assigned table.
Each individual is limited to requesting 3 appointments prior to the start of SBC. This allows for maximum participation.
If appointments are available once the conference begins, individuals may book additional appointments beyond the initial 3.
Please honor all appointments in your schedule. If you are unable to make an appointment due to a schedule conflict, please message the other party and ask to reschedule.

SAME is not responsible for making appointments, approving appointments, accepting or denying appointments, checking appointment schedules, providing appointment reminders, ensuring the accuracy of the Host's availability, and does not guarantee that appointment requests will be accepted by the Hosts.

Attendee Appointment Requests

Download Attendee How-To-Guide

Small Business attendees can access and complete the Matched Networking Profile form beginning November 4, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern. Medium and Large Business attendees can access and complete the Matched Networking Profile form beginning on November 12, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern.

Login to the Attendee Service Center (ASC) and look for the “ASC - Attendee Matched Networking & Itinerary Builder" menu item.
Click on the "Profile Setup" tab to review your profile and make sure it is complete and up-to-date. Certain questions in the profile are used to create your matches.
When appointment requests open, you will see a tab called “Matches” – Look here to see with which Hosts you match – THESE ARE THE AGENCIES AND COMPANIES LOOKING SPECIFICALLY FOR WHAT YOU PROVIDE.
You’ll see a score under the column “answer match” which shows you how many criteria you have met.
Under the “Make Appointment” column, click on the calendar icon to request an appointment with that Host. Remember you may initially request only 3 appointments.
- On November 18 you will be able to make more than 3 appointments.
Hosts must, in turn, accept your appointment request – not all requests are guaranteed. Email notifications are sent from the system to alert both parties of the appointment status.
You can log into the ASC at any time to see your appointment requests, approved appointments, and appointment schedules.
Complete the appropriate "Supplemental Information Form" and email it, along with your capabilities statement, to your host:

Download Business to Govt Supplemental Info Form Download B2B Supplemental Info Form

Hosts (Government Agencies & Exhibiting Companies)

Download Host How-To Guide

Video Tutorial: How To Set-up Host Profile & Schedule

Video Tutorial: How To Accept & Decline Appointment Requests

Hosts (Government Agencies/Exhibiting Companies) can access and complete the Matched Networking Host Profile form beginning October 14, 2024, via the Exhibitor Service Center (ESC). Anyone who indicated an interest in serving as a host will receive notification and instructions when it's ready to access.

The Booth Coordinator for your company has access to the ESC and will be in charge of managing appointment requests and assigning appointments to team members ( they must be registered via Booth Staff Form).
If you would like someone else from your team to manage Matched Networking Appointments, please email exhibit@same.org

The host profile correlates to questions posed on the attendee profile, creating a list of matches presented to the attendee. Attendees can then request an appointment with the Hosts.

When a Host logs into their Matched Networking portal, via the Exhibitor Service Center (ESC) account, they can see the attendee’s profile and matchmaking score. The score may help hosts determine if the attendee is a good fit for them. Attendees can request appointments with any Exhibiting Business/Government Agency regardless of their matchmaking score. After reviewing the attendee’s profile, the Host may accept the appointment if they would like to meet with the individual, or decline the appointment if you are unable to work together at this time; it is appropriate and acceptable to decline an appointment if they cannot fill the requirements you need – set up an informational meeting after the conference to discuss possibilities down the road! Remember that there are thousands of participants so someone else will definitely want that time slot!

Hosts should log into the ESC and look for the Matched Networking menu item to manage their schedule – the Host controls what times they are available for attendees to request appointments. The schedule defaults to show that the Host is available at every appointment time frame – it is imperative that the Host blocks the times the Host is not available. Please block necessary breaks, sessions you need to attend, meetings, and lunch as you see fit. It is the Host’s responsibility to log into the ESC account to set and manage their schedule!

Small Businesses will request appointments with you. You must either accept or decline the appointment requests. Notifications are sent from the system to alert both parties of the appointment. You can log into the ESC at any time to see your appointment requests, and review the attendee profiles, approved appointments, and appointment schedule. Small businesses have no deadline to request appointments for open time slots, so it is important to check your schedule and appointment requests through the conference. Hosts must honor all appointments that they approve.

Participating Matched Networking Hosts:

During the Event

Appointments will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in Hall C-2. Each Host has an assigned table.
All appointment holders and Hosts should arrive a few minutes before each scheduled appointment starts. As a reminder, each appointment is 15 minutes long with a 5-minute break in between.
SAME will not keep track of time for each appointment so we ask that both the Host and attendee respect each other’s schedules and arrive at the appointment on time and be aware of the length of each meeting.