AOA Connect for venues: planned meetups

What AOA Connect is for a venue

AOA Connect is a separate platform feature that brings Premium subscribers to your venue for planned meetups. The guest chose your venue as the meeting spot the day before: you know about them in advance, and they know about you.

This isn't random traffic from the venue room (where a guest walks in and happens to notice someone). Match is a predictable flow of orders at any time that suits the venue, with a confirmed booking and a clear intention to order. Optionally, you can mark quiet hours with a perk so matching goes to those slots first.

How it works for your venue

1. You decide which hours to accept Match meetups (by default, all your opening hours)
2. Optionally, you mark some slots as quiet hours and set a perk for them that guests will see in the suggestion
3. The AOA algorithm matches Plus subscribers with shared interests for a meetup at your venue. Slots with a perk get matched first
4. 20 minutes before the meetup, guests confirm their visit and the table is booked automatically
5. Guests arrive and order, and you get paid and get data for your analytics

Two meetup formats

1-on-1: a table for two

The classic format: two people at a table. For your venue, it's a predictable average bill for two (usually two drinks and a dessert or a light lunch).

A table for 4

Four subscribers who share a topic (Product · Design, Music, Tech). For the venue, that's 4 bills per slot instead of 2, plus a longer average visit and a higher chance of a repeat order.

Guests pick the format in their profile. You can allow both formats or stick to one (for example, only 1-on-1 if most of your tables seat two).

Quiet hours: an optional tool for filling seats

By default, Match works at any time you've opened for bookings. On top of that there's an optional quiet-hours setting: you mark slots when the venue isn't full and you want to bring in guests, and add a perk to them. The algorithm matches those slots first, and guests see the perk right in the suggestion.

Typical examples of quiet hours:

• Morning: 09:00-11:00 (between the breakfast rush and lunch)
• Late morning: 11:00-12:30
• Afternoon: 14:30-17:00
• Early evening: 17:00-19:00 (for bars)

Quiet hours are optional: Match works without them too. You set up the slots in your dashboard and can turn them on and off in real time. If you have a party or a private event, just turn Match off for that day.

A perk as a sales tool, not a gift

Guests who pick a quiet-hour slot at your venue see a perk in the suggestion, and you set it. It isn't "free coffee on the house". It's a mechanic that encourages ordering:

• 50% off the second drink: the guest orders the first one at full price and the second at a discount. One more item on the bill
• A dessert with a main course: encourages ordering a main dish, not just a drink
• A free drink upgrade: filter coffee to flat white. The guest sees it as a gift, while your cost goes up by pennies
• A set for two at a fixed price: for a table for 4, you make two sets. A predictable average bill and faster service

AOA shows the perk in the suggestion, so the guest comes intending to order, not to get something for free. Your average bill and repeat-visit rate go up.

A Premium audience with intent

Premium subscribers are people who pay for the platform and choose deliberately where to go. In numbers:

• Their repeat-visit rate is 30-40% higher than for traffic from search
• The average bill is 15-25% higher thanks to the perks and the company
• Fewer "browsers": the guest came with a specific goal (a meetup), not to "look at the menu"

Guaranteed meetups: cancellation rules for guests

So that your slot isn't wasted, AOA strictly controls cancellations by guests:

• All guests confirm the meetup 20 minutes before the booking: without confirmation the table isn't held
• Cancellations are recorded in the system. A guest who cancels 3 times in a row is temporarily disqualified from the Match program (for 14 days)
• Rescheduling (at least 4 hours in advance) doesn't count as a cancellation

This keeps no-shows to a minimum. If a no-show does happen, your slot doesn't go to waste: the algorithm will try to find a replacement from the reserve for the same time, or make it up the next day.

Analytics and forecasting

In your venue dashboard you see:

• How many Match meetups are planned for the next 7 days (so you can plan stock and staff)
• The breakdown by format (1-on-1 vs table for 4)
• Perk conversion: how many guests actually used the discount
• The average bill for Match visits compared with regular guests
• Repeat visits: which Match guests came back on their own

How to join Match

1. Your venue must be registered in AOA with an active subscription (Basic or Pro)
2. Turn on participation in "Manage", then "AOA Connect"
3. Optionally, set up quiet hours with one or more perks
4. Accept the terms (the public offer agreement): we'll review your venue profile and activate Match
5. The first matches start within 24-48 hours of activation

Beta and limitations

AOA Connect is in beta right now. We accept a limited number of partner venues in each city so the algorithm has time to collect data and calibrate. If you'd like to be among the first, write to partners@aoa.com.ua or use the form on the "For venues" page.