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Attending meetups and conferences – does it help with sales?
I’ve attended a few conferences and meetups over the past two years – always for a different purpose.
Sometimes it was just
1. to socialise 😅, other times
2. to interview guests,
3. find PR or
4. sell products.
I have to say that the last item on this list was the least fulfilling – we recruited a few trial users, but there were minimal paying customers.
How do you approach similar events?
What positive results have you seen from it?
[If you have any recommendations for meetups or conferences where people are more open to buying a product, I’d be grateful if you could share them.]
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@sonu_goswami2 Thank you so much! I hope will be a part of more opportunities like these :)
I'm actually very curious about how folks approach this as well. In my experience a lot of good relationships are built and in the long run, does help with sales.
I feel that the more targeted the event ie "How to get your first customer event" and you're a marketing agency, the better luck you'll have at getting or closing a deal faster.
Super curious to what other folks have experienced.
@gabe TBH? I do not know about such event but it had to be very regulated because many companies would be open to this but the harder part is to find relevant customers for businesses. That would be more like investor event (maybe).
If the conference is really targeted and high quality, it can be pretty useful, but you need to approach it in a very targeted way. Generally, the move is to avoid the conference proper.
For example, when I was building a web3 exchange for hedge funds, we went to a web3 conference, but didn't attend any of the sessions. I messaged all the people I wanted to meet asking if they were going to be at the conference and either met them for coffee outside, or met for a conversation in the lobby of the conference. Basically, you should treat the conference as an excuse for many people to gather in a city, and just try to have lots of one-on-one chats.
True! When I was at conference at WebSummit, I got there 1 hour before closing time :D Most of time I gathered with people in the city or at the parties. 😅 @rajiv_ayyangar
Meetups and conferences are more about getting to know people.. expand your network. Not about sales, is what I feel.
On personal note... I love the food provided there.
Sometimes..to me...it's just... food. 😛
@indu_thangamuthu Yeah :D at some events the food is overpriced. Like almost 30 euros for a burger... like guys, please :D
Sure, if you use Wisery :D It was created exactly for smarter networking!
You can find us on PH launch page today and support our idea if you like it :)
It totally depends on your industry and company sector. Like for People10 Technologies (where I work currently), the CES 2025 has been a HUGE success but the events from last year got no conversations.
We got at least 35 new SQLs and they're in pipeline with some very interesting conversations.
But previously when I used to work at a SaaS product-based company none of the events ever got closures. In fact people ghosted us immediately after the events.
@richa_sharma07 Have never been at CES. Why do you think that it went exceptionally well there? Did you have any special stand or the target group was more willing to pay for things?
I find smaller group gatherings more useful than big conferences - unless you are the speaker. Problem with big conferences is that you don't know who's who. Some conferences organize it really well - by launching apps with social feature, allowing people to connect online and meet offline - such as Techcrunch conferences. Those are really helpful.
@kissonlin The concept of apps is really good (it's a pity that some apps weren't executed well so it had terrible UX and lagged). Anyway, I will check that Techcrunch conference. :) Thank you for the tip. :)
I have been to events for networking, learning, and sometimes selling, but direct sales rarely work. It’s all about building relationships and following up later. Industry-specific conferences (like SaaStr or Web Summit) usually have more serious buyers.
um, Have you found any events where direct sales worked well?
@hamza_afzal_butt TBH, not. Usually it happened after the event via DMs.
@terabitcoins True – at least have friends but having customers is still questionable.
To get customers you may need to attend those events as a sponsor or having some kind of stand to expose your product or service. By joining as a guest, the best return that you can get are new contacts to follow up.
@terabitcoins I think that there should be something like list of active buyers so those would have a priority ticket for such event (higher chances they purchase something in the future).
If done with proper CTA adherence and with all necessary marketing awareness not solely to sales.
Oh, I love going to conferences! It’s one of my favorite things—I truly enjoy attending them and networking.
But what I’ll say is that events like these aren’t about selling, they’re about meeting people and being friendly. The vibe at most conferences is very open and social, not purely sales-driven. That’s why I use these events for networking, not immediate sales. Of course, I always exchange contact info—taking photos with attendees, swapping social media, and if possible, phone numbers.
The actual sales part happens later, after the event. That’s when you can follow up and try to convert those connections into business opportunities. But during the event itself, the focus should be on building relationships, not pushing a sale. Just be cool and smiley.
P.S. Check your X inbox.
@byalexai That's true. After each conference I had a full inbox about inquiries to jump on a quick call :D OKay, I will have a look! :)
@busmark_w_nika yep
don't miss deals because you don't know the game xD
@busmark_w_nika When I was working in the fashion domain, I traveled extensively to cities like Paris, Italy, and Hong Kong to attend fashion shows, business meetings, and networking events, which helped me build connections and convert them into leads. Recently, I joined Mindtide and had the opportunity to visit Silicon Valley. Our current focus is on our product, and moving forward, I look forward to attending more events and traveling to further expand our network and opportunities.
@sonu_goswami2 That's pretty cool. If you have any additional tips on how to make the most out of such events, it would be great to learn from you! :)
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