CASE STUDY · April 2026

VDVO Kongress · Würzburg

When the audience knows event tech better than you do.

The VDVO Kongress is Germany's top gathering of professional event organizers. They don't just use event technology. They evaluate it for a living. run.events was trusted to deliver the digital attendee experience and take the stage.

Read the Story See the Services

Kongress 2026

AI Matchmaking

3x Platforms

1 Stage Session

VDVO Kongress 2026 at Maritim Hotel Würzburg, full audience

VDVO Kongress 2026, Maritim Hotel Würzburg, April 13

The Story

The toughest audience in the MICE industry. And they asked us to deliver.

The VDVO (Verband der Veranstaltungsorganisatoren) is the leading German industry association for event professionals. Their annual Kongress in Würzburg, themed "Strg + Alt + Event: Neustart für die Branche", brought together MICE professionals to explore AI, sustainability, and evolving attendee expectations.

run.events was brought in to deliver the complete digital attendee experience: a mobile app with full agenda and speaker profiles, a matching web and desktop version for pre-event planning, and an AI-powered business matchmaking engine connecting attendees with sponsors based on profiles and business objectives, all collected online ahead of the event. On top of that, Chief Strategist Damir Tomicic was invited to take the stage with a dedicated session on why AI matchmaking is becoming a core revenue driver for event organizers.

April 13, 2026

Maritim Hotel, Würzburg

VDVO e.V.

vdvo.de/kongress

Challenge & Solution

An industry congress where networking can't be left to chance

The Challenge

VDVO members come to this congress with specific business goals: finding the right technology partner, the right venue, the right service provider. A packed one-day program leaves no room for missed connections. Traditional networking breaks rely on chance encounters, and sponsors needed more than just a booth to connect with the attendees most relevant to their offerings.

One day, dozens of potential business connections to make
Agenda and speaker information scattered across channels
Sponsors needed targeted visibility, not just foot traffic
No unified attendee experience across devices

The Solution

run.events delivered an AI-powered matchmaking engine that collected attendee and sponsor profiles online before the event, analysed business objectives, and surfaced the most relevant connections for everyone. A cross-platform event app gave attendees the full agenda, speaker profiles, and personal schedule builder on mobile, web, and desktop. Sponsors were matched to the attendees most likely to benefit from their offerings, turning visibility into conversations.

AI-powered business matchmaking with ranked recommendations
Cross-platform event app: mobile, web, and desktop
Smart sponsor-attendee matching based on business profiles
Thought leadership session on the VDVO stage

Services Delivered

The full scope

run.events delivered a focused, high-impact solution for Germany's most demanding audience of event professionals.

AI-Powered

AI Business Matchmaking

Attendee and sponsor profiles collected online, analysed by AI, and turned into ranked match recommendations with one-tap meeting requests.

Mobile Event App

Live agenda, speaker profiles, personal schedule builder, and networking tools. In attendees' pockets throughout the day.

Web & Desktop

The same agenda and speaker overview accessible from any browser, for pre-event planning and on-site reference on any device.

Speaker & Session Management

Complete speaker profiles with bios and abstracts, real-time schedule updates synced across all platforms automatically.

Impact

Delivering for the toughest audience

AI Business Matchmaking Ranked recommendations for every attendee

3x Platforms Mobile, web, and desktop in perfect sync

1 Stage Session Invited keynote by run.events on AI matchmaking

100% MICE Professionals Germany's top event organizers, evaluating live

Voices

What they say

Björn Sänger Chairman VDVO e.V.

“

The matchmaking added a dimension to our congress that our members immediately valued. It turned networking breaks into structured, productive conversations. Exactly what our attendees come for.

Damir Tomicic Chief Strategist run.events

“

Presenting to an audience that organizes events for a living sets the highest possible bar. They don't want a demo. They want proof that it works in the real world. That's exactly what this congress delivered.

Damir Tomicic presenting AI-powered business matchmaking at VDVO Kongress 2026

On Stage

The Business Case for AI Matchmaking

Session Report

April 13, 2026

AI-Powered Business Matchmaking: From Cost Centre to Revenue Driver

Invited to the VDVO Kongress stage, Damir presented the business case for AI matchmaking to an audience of professional event organizers, covering sponsor ROI, attendee satisfaction, and why matchmaking is becoming a core revenue driver for the industry.