The EHL Innovation Hub sits at the centre of one of the most diverse innovation ecosystems in hospitality education — bringing together startups, scaleups, investors, corporates, and students under the umbrella of the world's number one ranked hospitality university. When Lucine Flett set out to create the Open Innovation Summit, the goal was ambitious: gather this entire community in one space, give them a reason to connect, and create the conditions for real business outcomes. For a first-year event with a small team of two to three people, that required a platform that could punch above its weight.
Prior to Eventify, Lucine had used tools like Eventbrite for ticketing — but had never used an on-the-day event app before. The Summit's core purpose wasn't just to deliver content — it was to facilitate connection. Investors needed to find startups. Startups needed to find investors. Students needed to meet founders. And none of that happens reliably without a structured, accessible way for attendees to see who else is in the room and reach out directly. Without an on-site platform built around networking, the Summit's central mission was at risk of being left to chance.
After adopting Eventify — navigating a learning curve she describes as manageable rather than complicated, supported throughout by responsive customer service — Lucine's team launched the first Open Innovation Summit. They had targeted 200 attendees. Nearly 400 showed up. The team has since upgraded to a premium annual package, and the next edition is targeting 800.
Participant Visibility That Turned Networking Into Deal-MakingThe Open Innovation Summit exists to bring investors and startups together — and the most important thing Lucine needed from a platform was a way to make that happen in practice, not just in theory. Eventify's participant list gave every attendee full visibility of who else was at the event, with the ability to reach out and message directly from the app. The result was exactly what the Summit was designed to produce: investors and startups identifying each other, initiating conversations, and making live business deals on the event floor. For a small team running a first-year event, watching that happen in real time validated the entire investment in the platform.
A First-Ever On-The-Day App ExperienceBefore Eventify, the EHL Innovation Hub had never used an on-the-day event app. Introducing one for a first-year pilot event with nearly 400 attendees — across a diverse community of startups, investors, corporates, and students — required a platform that was accessible without extensive onboarding. Eventify delivered that. Adoption took time, but the platform's user-friendly design and responsive customer service made the learning curve manageable for both the organizing team and attendees. Once attendees were on the app, the features that mattered most — the participant list and the agenda — drove consistent engagement throughout the day.
Real-Time Agenda ManagementAt a fast-moving innovation event, schedules shift. When the Open Innovation Summit ran behind on its agenda, attendees who had been checking the app for timing updates needed the information to reflect reality as quickly as possible. Eventify gave Lucine's team the ability to push real-time updates directly to attendees — a capability that, while it required quick action under pressure, was significantly more effective than any manual alternative. The ability to communicate schedule changes instantly to the full attendee base is now something the team considers essential for every event they run.
A Platform That Grows With the EventThe Open Innovation Summit's first year exceeded every expectation — nearly doubling its target attendance. Rather than look for a new platform for the next edition, Lucine's team upgraded their Eventify package. The next event is targeting 800 attendees, and the team is already building on what they learned in year one. For a small team scaling fast, having a platform they already know — one that has demonstrated it can handle growth — is a meaningful operational advantage.
"It does 90% of what I would like to do." — Lucine Flett, Open Innovation Summit
EHL Innovation Hub is a startup accelerator and innovation platform created by EHL Group. It supports entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses in developing innovative solutions for the hospitality, tourism, food, and service industries. The hub focuses on digital transformation, sustainability, customer experience, and business growth by connecting startups with industry experts, investors, and global hospitality networks.
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