Multicriteria models for planning power-networking events

In this paper, we develop effective methods for solving the power-networking problem encountered by the Tulsa Metro Chamber. The primary objective is the maximization of unique contacts made in meetings with multiple rotations of participants. Mixed-integer and constraint-programming models are developed to optimize small- to medium-scale problems, and a heuristic method is developed for large-scale problems representative of the Chamber’s application. Tight bounds on the dual objective are presented. The constraint-programming model developed as phase one for the heuristic yields many new best-known solutions to the related social-golfer problem. The solutions generated for the power-networking problem enables the Chamber of Commerce to plan meeting assignments much more effectively.