Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I edit my profile and/or contact details?

Click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “Personal settings”, then “Edit” and you can edit or update your profile information, change your cover photo and your profile photo.

2. How do I edit my company information?

Click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “Company page”.

3. Who is the company page admin?

Several people from the same company can register on MATCH, but the first person to do so will be the company administrator. This means this person will create the company page and description, and they will be the only person who can edit this information.

4. Registering on MATCH as a second, third etc. member of the same company

All people from the same company who were not the first to register will simply choose the existing company that the first person to register has already created. Just make sure that the spelling is exactly the same, otherwise you might end up creating a second company page for the same company, with different spelling.

5. How do I delete my account?

We would be sorry to see you go, but if you have made up your mind, click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “Personal settings” and then on “Delete account”. Alternatively, please contact us at match@aseanacces.com and ask us to make your account inactive for a while, without deleting everything, and you can choose to re-activate it later.

6. How do I change my password?

Click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “Personal settings” and you can change your password.

7. Can I choose which emails I receive from MATCH?

Click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “Email notifications” and there you can turn off or on certain email notifications. However, to make sure that your agenda is always 100% up to date, and that you don’t miss any important notifications of meetings being accepted, rescheduled etc., or that you don’t forget to accept incoming meeting requests, we recommend that you keep all email notifications on.

8. How do I cancel my event participation?

Please email us at match@aseanacces.com and we will cancel your participation.

9. How do I change my timezone?

Click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “Personal settings”, then “Edit” and you can change your timezone

10. How do I update my agenda?

Your agenda will be updated automatically when you accept/reject/cancel/reschedule a matchmaking meeting, cancel your event participation, change your availability, add or remove sessions you’re participating in at an event.

11. How do I change my availability to block out times I’m available for meetings?

To block out certain times when you are not available, so others can’t book a meeting with you at that time at an event you’re attending, click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “My availability” and you can block out certain times for each event you’re attending. On the same page you can also change your attendance.

12. How do I change the sessions I’m participating in at an event I’ve registered for?

To change the sessions you’re taking part in at a certain event, click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “My attendance” and you can tick and untick boxes next to each session at an event. To do this for different event, just swap between events on the top of the page.

13. How do I add pictures to my profile?

Click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then click on “Personal settings”, then “Edit” and you can add/change your cover photo and your profile photo.

14. How do I get the best quality images for my marketplace opportunity?

The images are displayed rectangular, so for best quality images please upload them in 1:2.5 ration – “1” is height and “2.5” is width. For example, 5000:2000 pixels ratio for images, for horizontal images. Vertical images can be left vertical, as they are. But the first image added should be horizontal, so everything looks uniform on your marketplace opportunity cover photo.

15. Can I add several images together to the marketplace opportunity?

Yes, when selecting the image to add, you can highlight all the images you want to add them at the same time.

16. How do I delete an image from my marketplace opportunity?

When editing your marketplace opportunity, under “Image carousel” click on “Delete” tab and in the top right corner of the image is an “X”, which will delete the image.

17. I found a product I’m interested in or a person I would like to speak with, how do I do that?

If the person you’re interested in or the person who owns the product or technology that you’re interested in is attending the same event as you are, then you can just book a meeting with them.

18. How do I create my own marketplace opportunity?

One the main tab menu, click on “Marketplace” and then “My opportunities”, there you can create an opportunity aka a description of your product, technology, or service, or what you are sourcing/looking to buy, the collaboration you need. Please check the “Company description and marketplace opportunity guidelines” below for guidance how to write a good quality and strong description for your company and your marketplace opportunity.

19. How do I join a session at an event I’m attending?

Click on “View my agenda” on the MATCH dashboard or go to “Agenda” in the main menu and you will see your agenda and links to join each session.

20. Why do I need to give you feedback about the outcome of my matchmaking meetings?

Because MATCH is funded from public sources, it’s important to receive feedback about the outcome of the services for evaluation purposes. We want to know how much and what benefits, impact and outcomes the matchmaking meetings have, so we can try to improve as needed.

If you have a question that we haven’t answered yet, please email us at match@aseanacces.com and we’ll help you out.

Profile Writing Guidelines

For either description, our first word of advice is: avoid marketing speech! Stick to the facts and keep it clear and simple.


How to write a strong company description:

1. Give a brief history of your company: when was it established, how many people work there, how many offices or sites you have around the country or the world?

2. Describe your products, technologies, or services in general. Later, you will go into much more detail when you create the “Marketplace opportunity”.

3. Which markets is the company active in already? Where do you sell, or where do you buy from, or offer your services in?

4. Does the company have any certifications, awards, standards etc?

5. Briefly mention what kind of partnership you are interested in i.e., looking for distributors, looking for a supplier, looking for a manufacturer, looking for a research partner or a technology developer, looking for a service, looking for users for a service etc?

6. Do you have any target markets that you’re especially interested in?


SAMPLE COMPANY DESCRIPTION:

“Our company, Sahamada Corporation Sdn Bhd has been in operation since 2003. We started out as a cottage industry but now, all our operations take place in a commercial factory in Beribi Industrial Complex, near the nation’s capital. We specialize in manufacturing a variety of chili sauces, ready-to-fry and ready-to-eat seafood and potato crackers, and traditional powdered seasonings made from high quality, locally sourced ingredients.

Our company’s mission is to become a leading manufacturer of healthy and high-quality Halal food products. We received our Halal certification from the Brunei Islamic Religious Council (MUIB) in 2008. In 2005, we received the Successful Entrepreneur Award for Processed Food nationally, and in 2009 we also received an Excellent Entrepreneur Award. Now with advanced manufacturing technologies, we can produce up to 10,000 bottles of chili sauce per day.

We have exported our products to countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Dubai and the Czech Republic, and received positive reception when we attended expos in China and Japan.”


How to write a strong marketplace opportunity:

Here are a few pointers to help you write a strong and commercially minded description of the product, technology or service that you’re offering, or looking for/sourcing. Follow the guidance where it is applicable and relevant to you. But as with the company description, one thing applies to everyone: avoid marketing speech! Stick to the facts and keep it clear and simple.

1. What is it used for?

2. What is it made of?

3. How is it made?

4. What are the features?

5. What are the benefits?

6. Who are the intended users?

7. What are its advantages over your competitors? Why would someone buy your product, technology or service, but not that of your competitors?

8. Has it won awards? If yes, which ones and when?

9. Does it have any certifications, meet any industry standards, rights protection of any kind, patents etc? Name them.

10. What sizes or quantities can you sell?

Visualisation:

11. Add many good quality photos of the product or technology!

12. Add a video if you have?

13. Add pdf or photos of any certificates, awards etc.

NB! Images are ideally horizontal, and 1:2.5 ratio of height and width would be a good option. However, this also depends on the shape of the original image. In practice, as an example, image size 1440:920 pixels (width/height) works well.


SAMPLE MARKETPLACE OPPORTUNITY

“EGG Biopak offers biodegradable and compostable takeaway food packaging as well as other bio-based products. Our biodegradable products are able to be disintegrated in soil after discarded within 6 months. Under the process of disintegration, products will become water, carbon dioxide and biomass leaving no harmful substances to the environment. Our products are mainly developed from plant-based materials, such as corn, sugar cane or cassava through advanced technology of polymerization process. They do not contain plastics or OXO.

Our packaging is compliant with the EN 13432 standard “Packaging - Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation", as well as with the USDA Biopased Product certification, and has been certified as compostable by the US Composting Council's Biodegradable Products Institute.

Our products can be used in microwaves and freezers, are safe to use with all types of food, can be washed and reused.

Our product range includes:
- takeaway food box
- food tray / meal prep container (also available with 2 compartments)
- plates in different sizes
- bowls
- cutlery
- biodegradable carrier bag”

Matchmaking Instructions


Why should you take part in matchmaking?

Matchmaking is a great way to meet potential new business partners, hear about collaboration opportunities and learn about new markets, in a private 1-2-1 setting. Matchmaking meetings are pre-booked, meaning that every meeting that you have scheduled, is there for a reason, and both parties can expect there to be a certain level of mutual interest from the start. This makes business meetings more efficient and will save you time. With virtual meetings, you also widen the number of potential companies to meet with from around the world. Please read this section for practical and guiding information about matchmaking in general and matchmaking through ASEAN Access.


Overview of the whole matchmaking process

1. You have already chosen an event to attend, registered on MATCH and have created your personal profile, your company page (or have attached an existing company page to your account) and a marketplace opportunity. If you need to edit any of these, please check the FAQ section.

2. If you are a returning user, you will see the upcoming events on your dashboard or go to “Events” and click on “Find out more” or “Register now”, to sign up for an event.

3. You can now start booking matchmaking meetings – the more you book, the higher the chance you find new contacts and find potential new business partners and opportunities. This can be done in two ways:

  • Click on “Participants” on the main menu and then check the filter for the event you’re attending on the left-hand side. This will show you all the people going to the same event. If you click on their profiles, you will see their marketplace opportunity. The you can click on “Request a meeting”, choose the meeting time that suits you, and send the request.
  • Click on “Marketplace opportunity” and then check the filter for the event you’re attending on the left-hand side. This will show you all offers or requests attached to the same event. From there, you will navigate to the profile of the person who owns that marketplace opportunity and click on “Request a meeting”, choose the meeting time that suits you and send your meeting request.

4. You will receive email notifications every time someone sends/accepts/cancels/reschedules a meeting. When you log in to your MATCH account, you will also see all the meeting notifications in the top right corner, as well all incoming meeting request on your dashboard. If you are the recipient of a meeting request, you can choose to accept/reject/reschedule.

5. Once a meeting has been confirmed, you will be able to send messages to the other person, before you meet. You can use this to set the agenda for the meeting and already send some relevant information to each other etc.

6. You will see your full agenda of all event sessions and meetings, with times and virtual meeting room links and video links to the sessions, if you check “My agenda” on the dashboard or in the main menu.

7. If the event is on-site, your agenda will tell you the actual place where the meetings will take place, for example, a table or a booth number etc.

8. If it’s a virtual event, on the day of the event, make sure you have stable internet connection, that your camera, microphone and speakers are working well. Try to do a soundcheck well in advance.

9. Now it’s time to start the meeting. You already know your agenda, so you will know what time your meetings are taking place. Approximately 5 minutes before the required time, log in to your MATCH account, go to “Agenda” in the main menu or on the dashboard, and you will see the link to the zoom meeting room next to “Click to start video call”. Click on the link and you will be redirected to the virtual meeting room.


Matchmaking do’s and don’t's:

Be on time

Matchmaking meetings are not long, and with full schedules it’s important that meetings start and end at the right time, so no one is kept waiting. Please be ready for your first meeting 5 minutes before and follow point 8 in the “Overview of the matchmaking process” section. Virtual meeting is no different from a physical meeting when it comes to timekeeping and punctuality, so please don’t be late and keep an eye on time during the meeting.


NB! Timezone of the meetings

People in different timezones can participate in virtual matchmaking meetings. All meeting times are local, so as long as your timezone is correct, wherever the person you’re meeting is based, you will not have to worry about time difference. Both of you will see the meeting time in your local timezone, so don’t compare your meetings times with anyone else’s. If you want to check or edit your timezone, please read the FAQ section.


Follow up on meetings

After you conclude your virtual meeting, keep the momentum going by sending a follow up email immediately after the event. The follow up email can, for example, briefly summarise what was discussed, and, most importantly, outline the next steps, which were agreed, or what you are suggesting. This way the meeting is still fresh in your mind and you are increasing your chances of the conversation turning into business cooperation.


Ask for support

If you struggle to get a response from the other company, you can always contact your local ASEAN Access MATCH contact point and ask them to help you get a response. If you are stood up at meeting, please email us on match@aseanacces.com or tell your local ASEAN Access MATCH contact point asap.


Be responsive

The same way, be responsive when a person you had a meeting with follows up with you. Even if you have decided that cooperation is unlikely, make sure you let them know without too much delay.


Be proactive

Don’t wait for meeting requests to be sent to you, but proactively browse participants and the event marketplace and send meeting requests.


Be selective

Before you send or accept a meeting request, make sure you properly check out the other company’s profile and marketplace opportunity. Don’t just blindly accept or send invitations, but make sure there is some sort of mutual interest. Don’t waste your own or anyone else’s time.


Be prepared

As matchmaking meetings are short, be ready to present your business and what you’re looking for in a few minutes, so you can quickly move on to the discussion. Don’t bring out the 25minute corporate slide deck. And think in advance what you want to ask the other person, and what are the key points you want to get across. Lastly, give feedback to ASEAN Access MATCH, to whoever is your local contact point or the event organiser, and tell us about the outcome of the matchmaking meetings. We would like to know what kind of impact our events have on businesses, so we will ask you for information about any increase in turnover or profits, or new jobs that have been created, new markets entered, money saved etc. This will help us improve our events and make sure we are organising the right kind of events. We will contact you for that.

December 13, 2021