Smart AI Guide, Strict Rules: Only Event Questions Allowed!

For most AI chatbots, a simple web search could return a biography of the famed physicist Albert Einstein. But Message Matrix has a different purpose.

The digital assistant wasn’t built to answer history questions – it was designed to be a concierge guide for attendees and exhibitors, delivered through platforms such as WhatsApp. 

Need to know the keynote speaker’s start time? The best networking sessions? Where to grab a coffee on-site? It has instant answers, all sourced directly from the event’s website.

Douglas Orr, CEO of Message Matrix, said: “Our clients want to know that the content that they’re providing for us is not being shared with ChatGPT. 

“They want to know that they are in control over content. They want to know that it is GDPR compliant, so that information is being processed in the EU or Great Britain. 

“The limitation of that is that our AI concierge will not answer questions outside of it. 

“If you ask who Albert Einstein is it will say ‘I don’t know. I can tell you about the show’. 

“So that content piece is the essential piece – because without the content, you can’t answer the questions.”

He added: “We’re not trying to replace apps, we’re trying to provide a complimentary service – in fact, we will drive traffic towards the apps. 

“Whenever somebody asks a question which is better answered by an app, we’ll say ‘here’s the app for the show’.”

It works by sending event participants a message introducing the tool once registered, triggering the start of their guided event journey.

Leading up to the show, attendees receive timely updates – reminders about key sessions, special guest appearances and other highlights – to maximize engagement and attendance.

Questions can be asked before, during and after the event so that participants have information readily available through their mobile phone.

Its goal is to enhance user experience while driving higher conversion rates.

Douglas added: “Many people coming to shows are not using the apps which have been created with great care and expenditure.

“You might have 70%, 80%, 90% of attendees wandering around without a meaningful guide – and we knew with the technology that we had created, originally for banking, with security and all these other good things, that we could actually give people an AI concierge.

“The equivalent of that guy who’s behind the small desk of the front end of a swish hotel who knows where to get tickets and upgrade your room and tell you how to get to the airport.”

He added: “The ROI is massive, because we can help guide people to the exhibitors who have products and offerings that they’re interested in.”

Douglas said the set-up cost for shows is “roughly proportional” to the number of participants, however he claims this is offset by things such as customer satisfaction. 

There is also potential to increase revenue, with add-ons for exhibitors which can in turn improve their ROI on taking part in the event.

Meanwhile, the AI-powered chatbot is able to adjust its tone depending on the sort of event it is working for as well as judging the tone of whatever message it receives.

It is multilingual which further enhances the user experience – if a question is asked in Ukrainian, it will respond in the same language.

Douglas said: “Some events are very buttoned up, some very relaxed Hawaiian shirt. 

“We work with our partners to find where on a spectrum they want this – it’s about building a character. 

“The AI is always trying to mimic the characteristics of the person who’s asking the question.”

Message Matrix’s AI concierge technology first gained traction with Clarion Gaming, who were among the company’s first major clients. 

Mash Media also adopted the platform as its AI solution at International Confex 2025, strengthening its position in the UK market.

Douglas said: “This is just the beginning of a very exciting journey.

“Our first major client was Clarion Events last summer and they have been a fabulous partner for us – now we have many partners in the exhibition space.”

Thank you for reading this article. Want to see how event tech can help turn these insights into action? Book a free consultation with ExpoPlatform now.