If you sell a product or service to big companies, you know how hard it is to get in front of the right person. You might send emails for months and still not talk to the decision maker who can say yes to your product. This is why many B2B companies now look at Quartz Network, often just called Quartz Events, as a way to meet real buyers faster.
Quartz Events is not a normal trade show. There are no long lines of booths and no crowds walking past your table without stopping. Instead, Quartz uses a system called sponsor matching. This means the event team connects each sponsor with the exact executives who need what that sponsor sells. In this article, we will explain what Quartz Events is, how the matching system works, who it is best for, and what you should think about before you sign up as a sponsor.
What Is Quartz Network?
Quartz Network is a B2B (business to business) event company based in Manhattan Beach, California. It was started in 2007 by founder Toby Harris, who wanted to build a different kind of business event. He wanted events that focus on real conversations, not just marketing noise.
Over the years, Quartz grew a lot. In October 2020, the company was bought by Clarion Events, a large event company backed by the investment firm Blackstone. Today, Quartz runs its events under Clarion Connect, but it still keeps its own name and its own style of running summits.
Quartz now holds many events every year across different business areas. Some of its well known event brands include:
- CONNECT HR for human resources leaders
- SCOPE for supply chain professionals
- CONNECT CMO for marketing leaders
- CONNECT CFO for finance leaders
These events are invitation only. This means you cannot just buy a ticket like a normal conference. Attendees are senior executives such as vice presidents, directors, and C-suite leaders (like CFOs and CMOs). Quartz checks each person before they can attend, so the room is full of people who actually have the power to make buying decisions.
What Does Sponsor Matching Mean?
At a normal trade show, sponsors pay for a booth and hope that the right people walk by. This is slow and often wastes money, because most visitors are not a good fit for what you sell.
Quartz Events works in a different way. Instead of a booth, sponsors get a set number of guaranteed one-on-one meetings with executives. These meetings are not random. Before the event, Quartz collects information from each attending executive about their current business problems and what they are looking to buy or fix. The Quartz team then looks at this information and matches each executive with sponsors whose products or services fit those needs.
This means that when a sponsor sits down for a meeting, they already know a few important things:
- The name and job title of the person they are meeting
- The company the person works for
- The business challenge that person is currently facing
This kind of preparation is very different from a cold call or a random booth visit. Both sides come to the table already knowing why they are talking to each other.
How Many Meetings Do Sponsors Get?
The number of meetings depends on the sponsorship package a company buys. Based on public information about Quartz sponsorship, packages can guarantee anywhere from about 15 meetings up to 120 meetings at a single event. Bigger packages usually cost more but also give a company more chances to talk to potential buyers.
It is worth noting that attendees also have a say in this process. Before the event, executives can choose which sponsors they are open to meeting. This protects the attendees from meetings they do not want and helps make sure sponsors only meet people who are actually interested in learning more.
The Quartz MATCH Program
Quartz also runs something called the MATCH program. This program is built to create useful meetings between attendees and solution providers (the companies that sell products or services). The idea behind MATCH is simple: instead of executives searching through many vendors on their own, they can describe what they need, and Quartz helps connect them to a short list of relevant companies.
For sponsors, this means their sales team does not have to chase down leads that go nowhere. They get a smaller number of conversations, but those conversations are more likely to turn into real business.
Quartz has also built software called QN Solutions. This tool lets executives answer a few questions about what they need, and it creates a shortlist of vetted solution providers for them to look at. This is another way Quartz tries to make the matching process feel less like traditional selling and more like helpful guidance.
Who Should Consider Sponsoring a Quartz Event?
Sponsoring a Quartz event is not the right choice for every business. It tends to work best for companies that sell higher priced products or services to other businesses, especially when the sales process is long and needs trust to be built first. Some examples include:
- Software companies selling tools for HR, finance, supply chain, or IT
- Consulting firms that work with senior leaders
- Technology vendors with complex or custom solutions
- Companies targeting a very specific type of executive buyer
If your product is low cost, sold mostly online, or aimed at small businesses rather than large companies, a Quartz event may not give you the best return on your investment. The value of Quartz comes from access to senior decision makers at bigger companies, so your offer should match that kind of buyer.
Benefits of the Sponsor Matching Model
There are a few clear advantages to this style of event compared to a traditional trade show.
You meet real decision makers. Since attendees are checked before they can join, you are not wasting time with people who cannot make a purchase decision.
Meetings are already planned. You know in advance who you will meet, so your sales team can prepare instead of guessing.
Less wasted time. Traditional booths involve a lot of standing around waiting for someone to stop by. With guaranteed meetings, your schedule is set ahead of time.
Better data before you talk. Sponsors receive information about each matched prospect, including their current challenges, before the meeting happens. This helps your team ask smarter questions right from the start.
Things to Think About Before You Sponsor
While the model has clear benefits, it is smart to ask a few questions before signing a contract.
First, ask how attendees are checked and matched. A good event partner should be able to explain, in simple terms, how they decide which executives are invited and how the matching software or team makes decisions.
Second, think about cost. Guaranteed meetings sound great, but sponsorship packages at events like this can be a real investment. It helps to work out how much a single new customer is worth to your business, so you can judge if the cost makes sense.
Third, ask about the specific event, not just the brand. Quartz runs many different summits for different job roles and industries. A finance leader event will not have the same audience as a supply chain event. Make sure the event you choose actually matches the buyers you want to reach.
Finally, remember that a good match does not guarantee a sale. It only guarantees a real conversation with the right person. Your team still needs a strong pitch and good follow up after the event to turn that meeting into a paying customer.
How This Fits Into the Bigger Picture
Quartz Events is part of a larger trend in B2B marketing. Many companies are moving away from big, crowded conferences and toward smaller, more focused meetings. Buyers are busy, and they do not want to sit through hours of unrelated pitches. At the same time, sellers do not want to pay for a booth and hope for the best.
Matching models like this try to solve both problems at once. Executives get to see a small number of solutions that actually fit their needs. Sponsors get fewer but stronger conversations. This is why the sponsor matching model has become popular not just at Quartz, but across the wider event industry.
Final Thoughts
Quartz Events offers a different way to sponsor a business event. Instead of paying for a booth and hoping the right person walks by, you get planned meetings with executives who have already been matched to your product or service. This can save time and lead to better conversations, especially if you sell higher priced solutions to large companies.
Before you sponsor, take time to understand the event details, the audience, the cost, and how the matching process actually works. If your product fits the type of buyer Quartz brings together, this model can be a smart way to build real business relationships instead of collecting business cards that never turn into anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Quartz Events sponsor matching?
It is a system where Quartz Network connects sponsor companies with executive attendees based on the attendee’s current business needs. Instead of a booth, sponsors get a set number of planned one-on-one meetings with matched buyers.
Who can attend Quartz events?
Attendance is by invitation only. Quartz events are made for senior level executives, such as directors, vice presidents, and C-suite leaders, from areas like HR, finance, marketing, supply chain, and IT.
Is sponsoring a Quartz event worth the cost?
It depends on your business. It tends to work best for companies with higher priced B2B products or services that need trust and a longer sales process. Smaller or low cost businesses may not see the same value, so it helps to compare the cost of a sponsorship package to the value of a new customer for your company.
