4 ms·

Conferences don't exist for the majority of the people who attend them. They're a sales tool for converting B2B decision makers, usually C- or VP-level, for wh

Conferences don't exist for the majority of the people who attend them. They're a sales tool for converting B2B decision makers, usually C- or VP-level, for which the acquisition cost helps justify the conference expenditures. This is from all sides, whether hosting or sponsoring the conference. Developers and 'practitioners' are typically background noise to the main purpose, unless of course they have influence on the decision makers.

ido 7y ago
That’s the real answer. Even as a mere self employed consultant I’ve been to conferences where I’ve gotten deals worth many time the cost of attending (e.g. spend $2k to land a $120k contract). This is even truer in the scale of the really big players closing deals in the millions+.
- pas 7y ago
  Could you elaborate on this a bit please? How, when, which sector, is this specific to that sector/field of IT, how hard it is, who are the usual suspects, what's the success rate, do you have to pre-arrange meetings, book a room where you showcase your whatever...?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - ido 7y ago
    Why? The only way to replicate it is basically "do good work and network". I'm not going to be able to give you any secret sauce (because there is none, not because I don't want to).
    - pas 7y ago
      No, no, I'm not interested in the secret sauce, just ... I find it hard to think it through in my mind how deals are made at conferences.
      - ido 7y ago
        Quite often it's not the deals that are made in conferences but the relationships (the "network" part). You hang out with a lot of people in the same industry as you, you get to know & be known by them. And invariably when you know dozens/hundreds of people in the same field somebody usually needs some work done & is more likely to give that work to somebody they met in person vs someone anonymous off of the internet. The "do good work" part is where you turn this into a snowball & get recommended around.
czbond 7y ago
Thank you for saying this, before I had a chance to. And to add to it - many companies also make vendor purchase decisions for tools/technologies not on a strategic vendor analysis, but on which ones they see at conferences.

ido 7y ago

That’s the real answer. Even as a mere self employed consultant I’ve been to conferences where I’ve gotten deals worth many time the cost of attending (e.g. spend $2k to land a $120k contract). This is even truer in the scale of the really big players closing deals in the millions+.

pas 7y ago
Could you elaborate on this a bit please? How, when, which sector, is this specific to that sector/field of IT, how hard it is, who are the usual suspects, what's the success rate, do you have to pre-arrange meetings, book a room where you showcase your whatever...?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- ido 7y ago
  Why? The only way to replicate it is basically "do good work and network". I'm not going to be able to give you any secret sauce (because there is none, not because I don't want to).
  - pas 7y ago
    No, no, I'm not interested in the secret sauce, just ... I find it hard to think it through in my mind how deals are made at conferences.
    - ido 7y ago
      Quite often it's not the deals that are made in conferences but the relationships (the "network" part). You hang out with a lot of people in the same industry as you, you get to know & be known by them. And invariably when you know dozens/hundreds of people in the same field somebody usually needs some work done & is more likely to give that work to somebody they met in person vs someone anonymous off of the internet. The "do good work" part is where you turn this into a snowball & get recommended around.

czbond 7y ago

Thank you for saying this, before I had a chance to. And to add to it - many companies also make vendor purchase decisions for tools/technologies not on a strategic vendor analysis, but on which ones they see at conferences.