Web Summit is one of the best-known tech conferences in the world. For us at Last2Ticket, it’s a thrill that this giant tech conference is in our home country Portugal and our team has been attending Web Summit, both as exhibitors and attendees, for the past years.
Over time, we found that to make the most of Web Summit you need a strategic plan. That’s why we gathered some pieces of advice to help you make the most of it. Read on!

1. Preparation is key (but stay flexible)

Don’t undervalue the importance of planning your days at Web Summit. The venue is enormous, so knowing what you want to see and who you want to talk to is priceless. But how to start can be a challenge by itself, so here’s our first tip:
define your major goal and use the event app to stick with it!
What you do you really want to take out of web summit? Whatever your answer, choose the speakers and topics that are aligned with your goal, and add your must-see talks to your app’s schedule. Don’t forget to look at the roundtables, workshops, and exhibitors – the content away from the stages is a highlight for a lot of people.

2. Going with the team? Strategize!

If you’re going with company colleagues, our second tip is for you: Define secondary goals for the company at web summit and give one to each of the team members! Divide and conquer the conference floor, covering as much ground as possible aligned with the goals. A big team means that you can attend to more meetings, talks, workshops, and events – so don’t stick together, bring as many distinct experiences as you can back to the office.

3. Know your audience

Are you going to pitch at web summit? Let us give you a hint: everyone is pitching at web summit, and so will you! Our third tip is dedicated to the art of delivering the exact amount of information in a super busy environment. Who are you pitching to? The instinct may be to prepare a pitch for investors, but that’s what rookies do (and we know you’re no rooky, so let’s get through it): be bold and think bigger. Your next partner, big client, a company that will acquire you, they can all be there. But how do we differentiate them? You’ll be amazed by the amount of information you can get from asking first about them and talk latter about you!

Once you understand who is in from of you, group your targets into categories and adapt the pitch:
• Possible clients: Don’t limit your pitch to those who are a direct fit as a customer. Who are the customers of tomorrow? Get on their minds early and be ready for when your company grows.
• Possible Investors: Always in high demand with the attending companies. Some of the busiest people at the events, so if you achieve investor meetings, be wise and prepared with data that will make them remember your company in a week after the web summit’s end.
• Media: They’re always on the hunt for a unique perspective or story approach that makes you stand out. Tailor your pitch to address what they’re looking for.
• Key hires/mentors/partners: The perfect fit for your head of sales, or a founder that has the advice you need. Focus the conversation in the person you’re talking to, and soon you’ll know if there’s room for further conversation

Our exemple on the media:
Interviwed by Euronews, Dinheiro Vivo, Jornal Económico, Enterprise Europe Network:

4. Dominate the app

The Web Summit app allows you to reach anyone at the event. When it comes to messaging potential connections, short and simple is the name of the challenge. Tell who you are, what you do, and what you want. The app can recommend people or companies you should talk to based on your interests, job title and company, but since many of the attendees will have their calendars fill up weeks before the event, reach them out through the app and get your name on their list.

5. Follow-up or die

Work fast, you can sleep after the event is over! Process your contacts as soon as possible, prepare proposals, send follow-ups. You will lose the contacts otherwise.
Use also the event “buzz” to generate traffic, you have a chance to get a lot of traffic to your website after posting material about the event. Finally, plan for Night Summit. It’s your chance to take the networking to a more casual mood and to relax after a long day.