Building your brand at your next big conference or trade show

About 20,000 people are showing up at Web Summit Vancouver in the next few days. I'm going - but I'm using a very different playbook from previous conferences and trade shows (And to be honest, it's already working).

Some context, since most of the topics I cover here have to do with PR tactics and building up your brand by getting yourself into the news. For conferences, business development at your booth, or lead generation from in-person chat-ups is more of the focus. You're working on sales, partnerships, investment... and yes, wouldn't it be nice if you could get some roving reporter to talk to you at one of these big events? Well, we're going to get to that. But first, some context.

I showed up to Web Summit (then called Collision Conference) in Toronto in 2022. After three years of pandemic-induced screen staring, we were finally back to real-life meet-ups and, boy, the buzz was real. My playbook for the conference was so far tried and true: chat up a storm, snag a boatload of LinkedIn connections, chuck some emails into our CRM and newsletter and use this as a brand-building extravaganza.

After countless conversations and amassing 400 new leads, I was feeling pretty darn awesome as I walked away from North America's biggest tech conference.

I had a lot of meetings with people, in person, on Zoom after the conference, etc... but only one client actually bought what we were selling after all that effort.

Two months later, I'd realized that from all my running around and chatting up anyone who would look at me, just two of those leads ultimately turned into a piece of business.

Not a total loss. But I wasn't exactly feeling like I'd gotten a ton of ROI from Web Summit.

That sting was a wake-up call. I had to switch things up, refine my approach, and get smarter about my conference game plan. Going to Web Summit? Or headed to some other big conference to help get sales in the door and build brand like a boss? Read on.

Do your research before you get there (for Web Summit or any other tech conference or trade show)

There are plenty of people using AI to try to automate their outreach. I've already had some samples hit my email inbox and LinkedIn messages. Most kind of suck. Pretty generic stuff. I'm not saying that you shouldn't use AI for this kind of thing. But before you get too fancy in Claude, maybe cover the basics first.

Just like on a dating app (or so I hear) it's best to be honest about what you're looking for. Looking for business leads? Referral partners? Investors? Some buzz in targeted media outlets? Do your targeting accordingly.

The Web Summit app has an aptly-named 'Discovery' section where you can try to find particular people or companies. I know what wading through a giant list can be intimidating. But from experience I can tell you it's far better than trying to lock in a conversation randomly on the floor with people zipping all around you.

By targeting job title or industry, you can rapidly whittle down the list to something manageable. Connect with people you're curious to reach. But TBH, the conference app is probably not your best bet to reach out to people. Email and LinkedIn, or maybe (I know it's sounds crazy but) a phone call might be the way to go.

Introduce yourself, note that you'll both be there and point out something you have in common. I didn't reinvent the wheel with this approach. But already, it's got my conference calendar about two-thirds booked (leaving me enough flexibility to still attend events and -- I know this sounds crazy -- maybe even go to a main stage panel and learn something.)

The art of the conference schmooze, from a professional networking nerd

Here's my battle-tested playbook for networking:

Seize the moment: Spot someone alone or winding down a chat. But, pro-tip: don't crash deep convos.

Build rapport: Kick off with a sharp observation: "Bet you're strategically placed for that upcoming snack break!" or "That tie’s a conversation starter!"

Identify prospects: Ask the classic, "So, what do you do?" At a tech event, anyone can be a door to opportunity.

Build the relationship. Ask: "How did you get into that line of work?" People LOVE to talk about themselves. Give them a sense that you're really interested in what they do.

Pick a path. If you’ve struck gold with a potential lead, they'll be curious about you too. Share your story, and don't forget to connect on LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

Meet reporters at the conference and build your brand

Web Summit knows the value of public relations for their brand. That's why they've given away about a zillion press passes. Roving reporters, podcasters, bloggers and influencers shall descend upon the conference in search of stories.

Maybe... talk to them? I know this might sound a little crazy coming from a PR pro who represents innovative companies that don't have the skills or time to do it themselves. But hey, you're literally at the event? Flag them down and tell them about your startup.

You can't just wander into the press section of Web Summit (where reporters have a section of desks to upload videos, record podcasts and do their news write-ups of the day). But journalists will be attending panels and stage events all day long and will be reporting on what they hear. You can identify them by their badge (and quite possibly, camera equipment, a big microphone or an old-timey press cap).

So, you've got two main strategies, here.

Help the reporter flesh out the story they're already writing. Planning on attending the talk about 'Physical AI & digital twin for agritech'? You're not on-stage, yourself, but you've got a startup that creates digital twins, for agritech or anything else? Talk to the reporter and either give them a great example of how the things being said on stage were true... or go the other way. Help them provide 'balanced' coverage with a spicy, counterintuitive take that refutes or simply creates nuance for what the main speakers or panelists were saying.

This could get you included in the story the reporter was already writing. Or maybe they'll hold onto that info and ask to interview you about something related in a week or so, after they've run out of stories from the conference. Now you're on their 'trusted experts' list.

Pitch the reporter head-on about your company. First, a caveat: if you're a founder and you hear the word 'pitch' you're probably thinking about an investor pitch. But a media pitch is different. You're not there to explain to a well-heeled VC why your product already seems to have product-market fit and revenue velocity that indicates they can 10X their investment.

You're speaking to a reporter, so your news pitch will probably have to use newsjacking (ie. Think of what's already happening in the news, not necessarily just at the conference that day. General news trends, tech trends, business trends... something big that people are already following. Now add in the most important part of the news pitch: "what's new" from from your company, that fits into that already-urgent news stream? Did you just launch an AI-powered security governance capability just as a major bank got hacked? Are you hiring at a rapid clip, while a lot of other companies are doing layoffs? What's the angle? And can you rapid-fire provide facts to answer all of the questions they'll have?

A lot of founders trip themselves up taking a reporter down memory lane to when they first thought of the idea for their startup, 5 years ago, or how they've pivoted 5 times... The reporter is there to find a relevant story in the here and now, so give them the goods, fast.

Those kinds of conversations can lead to a fast story, or maybe a further interview days or weeks later that leads to a bigger feature. The reporters are going to be at the conference. Take advantage!

Ready to build your brand during or after your next conference or trade show? Let's make it happen. Connect with Mind Meld PR today.