From recommendations to networking: AI at the heart of the VivaTech Mobile App

Every year, VivaTech organizes Europe’s largest startup and tech event. Over four days, startups, major corporations, investors, executives, and tech leaders from around the world come together to discuss the most disruptive topics in the ecosystem and innovations unveiled in world premieres, making it the one-of-a-kind venue where business and innovation converge

With a particularly packed schedule, numerous exhibitors to meet, and an event spread across multiple levels, the challenge is to enable each participant to quickly find the content and people that interest them, while making the most of their time at the event.

To support all visitors and exhibitors throughout their experience, VivaTech has been using a mobile app developed with inwink since 2023.

A personalised visit thanks to AI

With such a packed programme, the app allows visitors to browse sessions grouped by theme, identify the highlights and view the speakers’ profiles.

An AI assistant enhances this experience by recommending the most relevant talks based on the interests specified by each participant. Anyone interested in artificial intelligence, impact or the retail sector can therefore quickly identify the content that suits them without having to browse through the entire programme.

Suggestions from the AI assistant on which exhibitors to meet.

The selected sessions can then be added directly to the personal agenda. Profile, favourites, appointments and the programme are all brought together in a single space. The app thus becomes a fully-fledged personalised visitor schedule, allowing participants to see at any time what they have planned, where they need to go and at what time.

Networking enhanced by artificial intelligence

The event isn’t limited to exhibition stands and conferences. Using the app, participants can view other visitors’ profiles, identify the people they wish to meet, send them a message or suggest a meeting directly, even before the event.

Artificial intelligence also facilitates this networking by recommending relevant profiles based on the participant’s interests and profile. It can even suggest ready-to-send messages, saving time when making initial contact.

Networking thus becomes more targeted and accessible, whilst enabling participants to better prepare for the meetings they wish to arrange on site.

Networking interface with suggestions for writing ice-breaker messages.

Better-qualified lead generation for exhibitors

For exhibitors, the badge scanning feature built into the app becomes a genuine lead generation tool. Teams can scan the badge of a visitor they’ve met at their stand, add notes, assign a rating and enter additional information via a customised form.

Contacts are therefore not merely collected: they are qualified directly at the time of the meeting, whilst the context of the interaction is still fresh in the mind. Exhibitors can then keep a record of the visitors they have met and use this information after the event to facilitate their follow-up sales activities.

Scanning of exhibitor badges, with a record of the contacts made.

Easier navigation thanks to the interactive map

At an event on the scale of VivaTech, spread over three levels in 2026, finding your way around is a major challenge to avoid wasting time between meetings or talks.
The interactive map available in the app allows visitors to locate the various areas, stages and exhibitor stands.

A route planning feature also enables visitors to calculate their route from point A to point B directly from the map.

This makes it easier for participants to find their next destination and optimise their route throughout their visit.

Interactive map to guide visitors.