What is an attendee directory?

An attendee directory is the “who else is here” of an event app: a searchable list, usually by name and company, with profiles carrying a photo, a role and whatever links the attendee chose to add.

In practice at an event

It is used in two moments. Before the event, to see whether anybody worth meeting is coming. And after meeting somebody, to remember who they were and how to reach them.

What it does not reliably do is create a first conversation. Very few people scroll a directory, find a stranger and message them cold. Treat it as a lookup tool that supports a networking programme rather than as the programme itself — the formats that actually produce first conversations are hosted tables, assigned seating and facilitated openers.

What to look for

The consent model is the whole question. Is directory participation opt-in or opt-out, is the choice presented clearly before the attendee is listed, and can somebody remove themselves afterwards without emailing anyone?

Counter-intuitively, making opting out easy raises participation rather than lowering it. Attendees engage more when they can see that the choice is theirs.

Also check what is visible to whom. A directory that exposes email addresses to every attendee is a different product from one that requires a mutual connection.

How event67 handles it

The directory is searchable by name or company, with a full profile behind each row. Attendees choose what appears on their own profile — photo, interests, links — and can stay out of the directory entirely. Connections are made by scanning another attendee’s code in person, or by browsing and requesting when remote, which puts the exchange at the moment two people actually met.