Match a workshop to a venue in Airtable’s existing records

Imagine a workshop needing washable benches and a sink. A venue lists an art room for messy activities. The descriptions suggest a connection without sharing exact words.

Airtable’s Deep Match suggests up to 20 related records by meaning. Owners or creators configure it; centrally managed organisations need AI and OpenAI or Amazon models enabled. It is not calibrated for numerical or date relationships.[1]

This walkthrough follows Airtable’s current computer-interface documentation, using invented records rather than tested AI results. Before starting, the workspace owner can check AI permissions and the available credit balance in workspace settings.[3]

Give the two lists different jobs

Create a Proposals table and a Venues table in one base. Separate tables let each venue retain its own details while proposals link to it. Several workshops can point to the same venue.[2]

Add a second invented venue, Quiet Loft, described as a carpeted reading room with armchairs and no sink. A contrasting example makes the intended relationship easier to examine than two nearly identical descriptions. Keep a separate contact entry for each room.

Configure the suggestion, then choose

In Proposals, add Candidate venue as a Link to another record field pointing to Venues. Enable Use AI to show top matches when selecting a record. Choose Brief and Facilities as context, then Create field. Click + in a Candidate venue cell to inspect suggestions and select a record.[1]

For our invented printmaking session, Riverworks has the relevant facilities on paper. Whether it actually appears in Top matches is something to observe in your own base. Read the proposed venue’s details before choosing it; a similar-sounding room may still lack the sink that this session needs.

Then check the requested date, group size, cost and booking terms with the venue. Keep a separate Booking confirmed field for the organiser’s decision. A link records the room you are considering; it should not stand in for the room owner’s agreement.

Bring the useful details back

In Proposals, add a Lookup field. Choose Candidate venue as its source, select the venue’s Contact field and click Create field. The contact now comes through the relationship rather than being copied into another independent entry.[4]

If the lookup is empty, check that the proposal is linked to a specific venue and that its Contact field contains a value. Creating a link field alone does not connect the records. Correct the contact in Venues; the lookup reflects that source value.[4]

The finished proposal should let another organiser answer three questions: which room is being considered, whom to contact, and whether the booking has been confirmed. Try that handover with one practice proposal before adding the rest of the programme.

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