Trade shows can feel like a blur. You spend five figures on a booth, fly half your team out, hand out 200 badges. And leave wondering what, if anything, moved the needle.
But done right, events like IDC don’t just raise brand awareness. They fill pipeline, build trust, and put your name in deals you didn’t even know existed.
Here’s the founder playbook for making every event count.
Before the Event
Book meetings early. Don’t rely on foot traffic. Reach out to existing prospects and customers two weeks ahead. “We’ll be at IDC—want to meet?” A 15-minute coffee beats a cold booth visit every time.
Align your team. Everyone should know the pitch, the one-liner, and the one ask. Whether you’re a founder or an SDR, your message should sound like it came from the same room.
Prep content for follow-up. Bring something worth sending after. A one-pager, a short demo video, or a “what we showed at IDC” email kit. Most deals close post-event. Be ready.
During the Event
Don’t pitch. Ask. Instead of monologuing about features, ask what they’re solving for. What’s broken? What’s clunky? Then show how you solve it.
Tag and qualify live. Use a CRM or shared doc to log conversations in real time. Note who’s a lead, who’s a maybe, who needs a nudge. Don’t wait until you’re back in the office to start sorting.
Be present. Booths are fine, but some of the best deals start in hallway chats, panels, or late dinners. Show up. Be human. The founder card goes far.
After the Event
Follow up fast. Within 48 hours, send personal notes—not just the newsletter blast. Reference the convo. Link the material. Suggest next steps.
Book the call, not the close. Your goal post-event isn’t to sell. It’s to keep the conversation alive. Convert interest into time.
Review what worked. Which channels brought leads? Which pitch landed? Use the feedback to sharpen your next event—don’t rinse and repeat blind.
Events are expensive. But they can be leverage—if you treat them like a campaign, not a vacation.
Plan like a founder. Show up like a seller. Follow up like it matters. Because it does.
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