Natural language search lets attendees ask questions in their own words, such as "Founders in fintech" or "Sessions about AI". They get matching people, sessions, speakers and companies, and an AI-written answer when the question asks for one. When it is on, attendees also get a Discovery page with recommendations. It is off by default.
Before you start
Brella must grant your event access first. Until then, the switch is disabled and says "Natural language search is not available for this event yet. Contact Brella to get it enabled."
Only organization admins can turn the feature on or off. Event admins see the switch disabled with "Only organization admins can change this setting."
You accept the AI Features Terms on behalf of your organization when you turn it on.
Search and Discovery stop working the day after the event's end date, or earlier if Brella deactivates the event.
Only attendees who have joined the event can search.
Where to find it
Event switch: Details > Features > Enable Natural language search.
Per registrant: People > Registrants, open a registrant, Registration details > Privacy > Include in natural language search.
Per registration link (invite-only events): People > Registrants > Registration links, open a link, Privacy > Include in natural language search.
CSV import (invite-only events): People > Registrants > New registrant(s) > Import CSV, column
allows_natural_search.
Turn it on
Contact Brella to have natural language search activated for your event. Brella staff turn on Activate natural language search under Details > Brella admin settings.
As an organization admin, open Details and go to the Features section.
Turn on Enable Natural language search.
In the dialog Enable natural language search?, select I accept. I do not accept turns the switch off again.
Select Save changes.
After you save, Brella indexes the event's content in the background. Attendees see Discovery and the new search right away, but until indexing is ready they get the messages "Recommendations aren't available right now. Please try again." and "Search isn't available right now. Please try again." The admin panel does not show when indexing is done. Ask an attendee to try a search, or try one yourself as a joined attendee.
To turn the feature off, turn off Enable Natural language search and select Save changes. The change is immediate.
Exclude a registrant from search
Every registrant is included by default. To exclude one:
Open People > Registrants and open the registrant.
On the Registration details tab, under Privacy, clear Include in natural language search.
Select Save Changes.
The checkbox is also on each registration link under Privacy. The link's value applies to registrants who join through the link after you save it. Existing registrants keep their own value.
In a registrant CSV import, map the allows_natural_search column and enter true or false (case does not matter). A blank cell keeps the current value. Any other value fails that row; the other rows are still imported. The registrants CSV export has allows_natural_search as its last column.
An excluded registrant does not appear in results or in AI answers. Their meetings with the searching attendee can still appear among that attendee's own meetings. In the apps, an excluded registrant also does not see Discovery or the AI search; they keep the classic search.
What attendees can search
Results can include:
People: registrants who have joined, for whom networking resolves to on, who did not skip networking, who are included in natural language search, and whom the searching attendee is allowed to see. Brella uses their name, company, title, function, industry, persona, interests, intents and event pitch. Custom fields are included only if Brella has set them up for search; the admin panel has no setting for this. Email addresses and registration answers are not used.
Companies: the event's sponsors.
Sessions: sessions in the schedule.
Speakers: event speakers.
The attendee's own meetings.
Event details, event info pages written in the editor, and released announcements are used only as background for AI answers. They never appear as results. Stories, streams and custom pages are not searched.
Questions about the venue, its address or the facilities on site use event info pages and announcements as well as the event details. If an event info page gives the venue address, AI answers use that address.
Settings
Setting | What it does | Default |
Enable Natural language search (Details > Features) | Turns on search and Discovery for attendees. Organization admins only. | Off |
Activate natural language search (Details > Brella admin settings) | Brella's access grant for the event. Turning it off also turns the feature off. | Off |
Include in natural language search (registrant, Privacy) | Includes the registrant's profile in results. "Takes effect once Natural language search is enabled." | On |
Include in natural language search (registration link, Privacy) | Default for registrants who join through the link. | On |
The Discovery tab in Customization > Tabs
Discovery is a built-in page in every event. Customization > Tabs lists it as Discovery with the default name "Discovery" and the search icon, in second position after the home tab. You can rename it (up to 14 characters), change its icon and drag it to another position.
The Tabs page and its preview show Discovery even while natural language search is off. The apps show the tab only when the feature is on.
What attendees see
Mobile app: Discovery (or the name you gave it) in the Menu tab. The search icon in the header opens a search with the prompt "Ask anything about the event".
Web app: Discovery in the left rail on windows 768 px and wider, or in Menu on narrower windows. The Search box in the right sidebar (windows 1024 px and wider) and the search icon in the header (narrow windows) open the same search.
The search shows suggestions under Try asking and the attendee's recent searches under Recent. The Recent list is stored on the attendee's device.
The Discovery page has an Ask anything search bar, quick links to your event info pages and custom pages, and the sections Top networking picks for you (up to 10 people), Recommended sessions, Recommended speakers and Featured for you (up to 20 items each). Recommendations are based on the attendee's selected interests.
Sections with no recommendations are hidden. See all opens the corresponding People, Schedule, Speakers or Sponsors page. Additional companies can appear under You might be interested in.
Results are grouped as People, Sessions, Speakers and Companies.
Every search page carries the notice "Results use generative AI and may contain mistakes." with a View terms link.
Share Search the event with attendees for Discovery and search instructions. For the search behavior and privacy settings, see Ask anything: how attendees search the event in their own words.
Limits
New and duplicated events do not inherit the setting. Turn it on for each event.
A question is 1 to 500 characters.
Troubleshooting
The Enable Natural language search switch is disabled
Brella has not granted access, or you are not an organization admin. The text under the switch says which. Contact Brella or ask an organization admin.
Attendees don't see Discovery
The feature is off, or the attendee is excluded with Include in natural language search.
Discovery says "Recommendations aren't available right now" or search says "Search isn't available right now"
Indexing is still running after you turned the feature on, the event has ended, or Brella has revoked access.
A registrant never appears in results
The registrant has not joined, networking resolves to off for their lists, they skipped networking, or Include in natural language search is cleared for them.