Three Things I Learned In SaaS, Sports Tech & Live Events: How To Run A Great Customer Conference
We hosted our customer summit yesterday. What we've learned about running customer summits in our 9th year
Three Things I Learned In SaaS, Sports, Tech & Live Events:
TicketManager Summit edition.
Yesterday we hosted our annual customer conference, our ninth time doing so. What we learned about hosting a customer meeting which can help your company - leaning on 15 years of experience as a guest or speaker at every kind of conference there is.
Do whatever it takes, and spend what it takes (within reason), to get great guests. Quality over quantity. Too often, conferences are focused on the speakers and trying to use them to pull in guests - like they're bait of some kind. I don't know anyone who goes to conferences to see the speakers anymore. We can see them online. For us that means no admission costs, a location many have need to travel to for other reasons so they can attend and get other business done, guest speakers who add significant value and are approachable to talk to after they speak, a late start to allow for everyone's day job, and lots of time and help in networking. Nobody stands alone at any point. Too many shows we're left on our own to try and meet people. Not here.
Provide a safe environment. Conferences have long been loaded with salespeople and vendors. It's a bad experience for most guests and speakers. A guest will come, speak, and then be inundated by guests there to pitch them their wares. So they don't want to go and won't return. When they do return, it's for the Prestige of being on a panel, not to participate in the conference itself. Create a place where guests can be honest and vulnerable without having a salesperson lurking in the shadows. Where they can meet friends and prospects without having to do it outside of the show itself.
Nobody stands alone. Ever. Years ago, as we were coming up, we were a growing customer of one of the larger SaaS companies. As such, they invited me to a "hyper VIP" party at their annual event. I didn't know anyone. And I'm a pretty extroverted person. I spend 45 minutes wandering around alone and eventually left. What was supposed to be a positive experience, which I'm sure cost quite a bit, wasn't. We never went back to any of their events. Guests come first. Always.