This story appears in the March 2025 issue of Utah Business. Subscribe.
Few adages across the business world are as commonly used as “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”
While there’s no shortage of ways to engage with prospective employers or clients, one avenue for developing connections has long provided individuals with unique opportunities to meet new people: business conferences. According to a 2023 report by Excel London, 60 percent of individuals at these events cite networking as their primary reason for attending.
“Because [event attendees] want to network, they want to be able to know everybody else’s information. More importantly, they want everybody else to know their information.”
— Sean Bair
Despite — or perhaps due to — growth in the work-from-home space and the online video conferencing industry, the presence of in-person events surged after COVID-19. From Q4 of 2021 to Q2 of 2022, the number of networking gatherings held increased by 255 percent, according to an article by Eran Ben-Shushan in Forbes.
These trends have continued into 2025. Statistics from this year’s “State of Events and Industry Benchmarks” report by Bizzabo show that 57 percent of event organizers have seen an increase in event attendance and that 66 percent of organizers plan to hold more gatherings this year.
As technology advances, networking methods change. At Nouri.ai, for example, CEO Sean Bair and his team have worked to enhance the experience with artificial intelligence.
Connecting smarter
Founded in June 2018, the Nouri platform allows event attendees to create digital business profiles, organize connections and message individuals or groups directly.
“I’ve been using [Nouri] for probably about three or four years for different events,” says Chris Badger, partner at Now CFO. “We’ve had continuing education for CPAs, pickleball, a couple of shotgun shooting events. … All of those different things have been put together with Nouri.”
Once event attendees register through the Nouri app, they’re automatically added to a “circle” with every other attendee. While hosts and users can opt out of this feature, Bair says they rarely do.
“Because [event attendees] want to network. They want to be able to know everybody else’s information,” Bair says. “More importantly, they want everybody else to know their information. In essence, it’s like being able to hand your business card to everybody at the event even if you don’t meet them.”
In addition to its current capabilities, the Nouri team has added a transcription service that records discussions and makes notes about interactions. The software then adds items to an individual’s profile from the meeting and lists potential topics to bring up during future engagements, Bair says. This feature not only strengthens existing connections but also opens up new avenues for personalized networking opportunities.
“It’s helping me remember things about you,” Bair says. “The more I know about you, the more I can help you. The more I can love you and serve you, the more I’ll feel good and you’ll feel good. I’ll lift you up and you’ll lift me up. I can maybe make connections for you, and who knows, you might make connections for me. The world is a better place — all because AI is helping us be better people.”
