Connect ChatGPT to ConferenceDB
To connect ChatGPT to ConferenceDB, add the free MCP server at https://conferencedatabase.com/api/mcp: as a custom MCP server in ChatGPT on the web, on a Business, Enterprise or Pro plan, or as an mcp tool in the OpenAI API. It needs no key from us. For sales teams and organizers, it can then read sponsor and exhibitor lists for 3,678 conferences.
Quick picks: what do you use?
| You use | Do this | Status |
|---|---|---|
| The OpenAI API | Add the mcp tool to a Responses API call, below | Run on 2026-11-09 |
| ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or Edu, on the web | An admin adds a custom MCP server under Plugins, below | Steps from OpenAI, not run in this test |
| ChatGPT Pro | OpenAI says Pro users can connect custom MCP servers with read/fetch permissions, and all these tools are read-only | Not run in this test; the API is the tested route |
| Claude | Connect Claude to ConferenceDB | Tested 2026-11-06 |
Set it up in the OpenAI API
- Send a request with the mcp tool. Replace the prompt and use your own API key:curl https://api.openai.com/v1/responses \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "model": "gpt-5.1", "input": "<your prompt>", "tools": [{ "type": "mcp", "server_label": "conferencedb", "server_url": "https://conferencedatabase.com/api/mcp", "require_approval": "never" }] }'
- Check the tools loaded. You are done when the response holds an mcp_list_tools item naming search_conferences, get_conference, get_conference_sponsors, get_company_conferences, find_sponsors_for_event.
- Name ConferenceDB in the prompt the first time, so the model reaches for its tools.
Set it up in ChatGPT on the web
OpenAI's steps, not run in this test.
- In a Business or Enterprise/Edu workspace, as an admin or owner, or an authorized Enterprise/Edu member, go to Plugins.
- Select the plus button, then Add custom MCP server, and enter a name.
- Under Connection, paste
https://conferencedatabase.com/api/mcpand set no authentication. - Review the risk warning, tick the box to continue, select Create as a plugin and check the discovered tools.
- Install the plugin, start a new conversation, type @ and select it.
A real prompt and its answer
The prompt:
The two tool calls it made, with the start of each reply. The first search was too narrow, so it widened the place by itself:
The answer, shortened as described below:
Read the list before you use it. The model added reasons of its own, such as one bank's Chicago footprint, that the tools did not return, and its tenth pick was an association, not a company with a sponsorship budget.
What ChatGPT can call
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| search_conferences | Search conferences |
| get_conference | Get a conference |
| get_conference_sponsors | Get a conference's sponsors and exhibitors |
| get_company_conferences | Get the conferences a company sponsors or exhibits at |
| find_sponsors_for_event | Find sponsors for an event |
What it cannot do
- It has no people, emails or phone numbers, so it cannot tell ChatGPT who to write to.
- It does not know what a company paid. Package prices are what organizers publish.
- A list returns at most 50 companies a call, so ask for the next page on long lists.
How this was tested
We ran the API request above on 2026-11-09 with the gpt-5.1 model against the live server. The tool calls and answer are the model's own, with its bold formatting and dashes removed, each pick shortened to its first reason and seven picks cut where marked. We did not run the ChatGPT web steps, which come from OpenAI's help page. A different model or day can give a different answer.
Tested 2026-11-09. The tool list on this page is read from the server's own catalog.
Questions
Do I need a ConferenceDB account or key?
No. The server uses no authentication and no session, and it is free. You still need your own ChatGPT workspace or OpenAI API account.
Which ChatGPT plans can add a custom MCP server?
OpenAI's help page lists Business and Enterprise/Edu on ChatGPT web, and says full MCP is only for those plans. It also says Pro users can connect custom MCP servers with read/fetch permissions, which covers these read-only tools (read 2026-11-09).
Can ChatGPT change anything through this connection?
No. All 5 tools are marked read-only. They search and read lists, and they do not write anything.
Will ChatGPT get people's emails from it?
No. The server returns company names, websites, roles and sponsorship levels, plus event dates and published packages. It holds no people, emails or phone numbers.
Find the companies behind these numbers
Free, no account. Companies only, never named people.
Pick an industry and a place, or type your conference, and see the companies that sponsor or exhibit at the most conferences like it.
Find sponsors for my conference
More: MCP server · Connect Claude · Sponsor finder · How to use the lists · Find sponsorship opportunities at scale · Sponsor databases compared
Sources
- ConferenceDB MCP serverthe URL, the tools and setup for other clients, read 2026-11-09
- OpenAI: Connecting custom MCP servers in ChatGPTplans, roles and the Plugins steps, read 2026-11-09
- OpenAI API: MCP serversthe mcp tool in the Responses API, read 2026-11-09
- Exhibitor listsevery show with a free exhibitor list, updated 9 November 2026
- Free sponsor and exhibitor listswhich page answers which question, updated 9 November 2026
- ConferenceDB company factshow lists and prices are collected, updated 7 October 2026