The International Fastener Expo (IFE), North America’s largest expo for industrial fasteners, tooling and machinery, held the first digital event of its kind on November 11–12, 2020. Match & Meet by IFE focused on facilitating and deepening industry connections with education and networking opportunities, through a proven AI-powered platform. The digital event’s success was marked by great participation from partners, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees. Over 500 attendees and 60 exhibitors came together during the event. Within the two days, 3,800 total connections were made and 8,500 messages were exchanged, leading to more than 700 meetings and video calls. The Match & Meet platform will remain open until mid-2021 and participants can continue to connect until that time.
The two-day conference agenda of ten sessions featured industry professionals who presented on a variety of topics including product standards and materials, new technology, and industry trends. Sessions kicked-off Wednesday morning with The Fastener Training Institute discussing distributor quality assurance. “As our first virtual event, our team recognized the importance of producing an exceptionally strong conference schedule that would captivate our audience and create excitement,” said Morgan Wilson, show manger, International Fastener Expo. As part of the Match & Meet platform, sessions are available to view on-demand until mid-2021.