An Austin startup named ExpoHound has quietly been working on a new social media platform for the past three years.
Expohound’s network, however, isn’t after the same markets that your Facebooks, Instagrams and LinkedIns serve. Rather, it’s specifically targeting the trade show industry.
Now, with a fully-viable product bootstrapped by its founders, the ExpoHound gang is ready to talk.
“ExpoHound is truly connecting the entire trade show industry, which has not been done to-date, and which is why we’ve flown under the radar for the last three years,” said Expohound co-founder Jared Kinchen.
While many individual events feature their own apps to share expo layout and attendance lists, Kinchen said none of these existing apps provide a reason to continue to use it once the event is over.
“We tried to stay quiet because our solution is a game changer in the industry” said Kinchen. “This is the only social network for the trade show industry.”
ExpoHound’s app connects organizers, attendees and exhibitors in one location and provides a search tool to enable users to discover and register for the most relevant trade shows throughout the year. Additionally, users can connect with exhibitors and scope out event details in advance of arriving, allowing users to make plans to connect in person with event attendees and exhibitors, in order to foster a stronger relationship following the close of the event.
“It goes way beyond what the standard event application provides in the sense that we are giving you the ability to interact at a much earlier stage but also maintain those connections well into the future,” said Kinchen. “If you attend five events each year, you can look at an exhibitor and quickly see what other events they will be attending throughout the year.”
In addition to exhibitor booth numbers and business names, ExpoHound’s app also shares details regarding which exhibitor team members will be present and allows users to message them directly and schedule an appointment during the event.
“Anyone who has ever been to a show understands how huge it is to be able to plan out the event before you go,” said Kinchen. “Our goal is to open up the connection so that when you’re at an event you meet the people you’re supposed to meet.”
Kinchen and his co-founder Charlie Brown said they will spend 2018 building out social blitzes and marketing campaigns to get the word out, establish a user base, gather feedback and adjust.
“A network is only as good as the amount of connections you have in it,” said Kinchen.
