Two weeks ago, our AI Product Expert, Rui, and I attended Slush in Helsinki, Finland, one of the largest startup events in Europe.
This was a natural outcome of many of our 2024 marketing efforts aimed at ramping up our digital presence while expanding offline activities to connect with hubs that attract our ideal customers and build strong relationships with key players in the ecosystem.
The entire week was filled not only with the main event but also with dozens of side events and spontaneous encounters. The city was buzzing with entrepreneurs, all eager to learn how to build better products and conquer markets.
Of course, we had our own goals for Altar, but I realized our presence at a startup event like Slush could also serve as a valuable playbook for other startups considering whether to invest in this kind of go-to-market strategy. The bad news? This approach isn’t for everyone. The good news? If done right, it can be well worth the investment.
Here, I’ll share our playbook for Slush, which we plan to use for many future startup events. It’s still a work in progress (and likely always will be as we continue to learn from each experience).
My goal is to help answer this key question: “How can my startup make the most of events like Slush?”
Let’s dive in with why attending a startup event can be beneficial in the first place.
Contents
Why Attend Startup Events?
Before committing to any startup event, you should first ask yourself why you want to participate. “Because others are doing it” is not a valid reason—and can even be dangerous. Similarly, attending just to show off your presence at every event isn’t wise. This principle applies to every channel, tactic, or experiment: you need to be intentional and always able to answer why you’re doing it.
For most startups, the primary goal of marketing should be to generate a qualified pipeline. While efforts like building a brand or contributing to a community are valuable, they only matter if you have a sustainable business—i.e., paying customers. Different activities support different goals, with some focusing on short-term outcomes and others on long-term objectives.
For Altar, we had three clear goals for Slush:
- Have direct conversations with founders/companies actively seeking our services.
- Engage with key players from major European startup hubs to build long-term relationships.
- Showcase Altar’s value proposition, particularly our unique approach of partnering with a team like ours to build an MVP instead of relying on a technical co-founder.
These goals represent a mix of top, middle, and bottom-of-the-funnel efforts, which is appropriate for Altar as a nine-year-old company with the resources to target various stages.
However, this may not apply to you—it’s essential to define your specific objectives for attending events.
Which Startups Should Attend Events?
Attending events is often more effective for startups with:
- Long sales cycles
- High-touch sales models
- High-value deals (typically B2B-focused)
These factors increase the likelihood of achieving a return on investment, as high-ticket sales can justify the cost of attending. Startup events are also valuable in industries where relationships matter or where educating the market is essential.
That said, even B2C startups might benefit from attending events—if, for example, their goal is to create a large volume of content featuring their ideal customers. Your goals will define whether this channel makes sense for you.
Do you have a brilliant startup idea that you want to bring to life?
From the product and business reasoning to streamlining your MVP to the most important features, our team of product experts and ex-startup founders can help you bring your vision to life.
Why This Startup Event in Particular?
Once you’ve defined your goals, selecting the right startup event becomes clearer. However, it’s still critical to research and prioritize. While I’m a fan of experimentation, significant investments of time and money require data-driven decision-making. We can’t just try every event on the list.
For us, attending Slush was an informed decision. I attended a few years ago and followed its growth in the European startup ecosystem, which gave me a good gut feeling.
Still, I backed this intuition with research, answering these key questions (you can use them as a template) with quotes pulled directly from Slush’s website:
- What is the event, and who is it for? Slush brings on stage the most successful tech entrepreneurs, iconic investors, and key ecosystem players to share their honest advice on the art of building generational companies.
- How many attendees are there, and how is the audience segmented? Over 70% of our 13,000 attendees are either startup founders or investors, making Slush the most concentrated startup gathering globally. Our in-house Matchmaking Tool facilitates 20,000+ meetings during the event days for this crowd.
- What’s in it for me? Our team works year-round to build the highest quality selection of hyper-curated activities for all attendees during both event days (Nov 20–21) and Day 0 (Nov 19). From Founders Day to roundtable mentoring, from Slush 100 to office hours with top investors, it’s all at Slush and curated just for you.
- What happens outside the main event? Q&As with leaders in your industry. Bar-hopping. Intimate gatherings with your peers from around the globe. Ice swimming. During Slush Week, there will be a wealth of industry and theme-specific gatherings all adding onto your Slush experience. Side Events are organized by our partners and the wider startup community.
These answers validated my gut feeling. Since we weren’t planning an official presence (like a booth or speaking slot), we sought a startup event that prioritized networking—and that’s precisely what Slush delivered. Thanks to its matchmaking tool, our schedule was packed with productive meetings.
4 Steps to Plan for a Successful Startup Event
Now that you have identified your goals and researched the events that make sense for your startup, it’s time to strategize your presence there. While specific events may require tailored approaches, you should have a general strategy applicable to all events.
1. Pre-Event Targeting and Outreach
- Identify Key Attendees: Use the event’s app, attendee lists, LinkedIn, or other channels to pinpoint target attendees, especially decision-makers who fit your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile).
- Set Up Meetings: Reach out before the event to schedule one-on-one meetings. Pre-scheduled interactions ensure focused conversations and reduce reliance on chance encounters.
- Leverage Warm Introductions: If you have connections attending the event or can use your network for introductions, secure warm introductions to increase the quality of interactions.
For this step, consider leveraging automation tools to manage custom invites, reminders, and follow-ups. While I’m not a fan of eliminating the human touch, these tools can streamline finding the right people and organizing information. Slush’s matchmaking tool, for instance, is one of the best I’ve used, but not every event offers something similar.
2. Strategic Networking at Sessions and Meetups
- Attend Relevant Tracks: Identify sessions that attract your target audience and plan to attend. Actively network after these sessions, as attendees are often more open to conversations following inspiring talks.
- Be Present at Side Events and Social Gatherings: Many large events host informal side events that can be as valuable as the main event. Research relevant gatherings (founder, investor, or industry-specific events) to deepen connections.
Personally, I prefer smaller side events over the main event when my goal is to network, as it’s easier to gauge who’s attending and to engage face-to-face in casual conversation. That said, opportunities exist everywhere if you prepare beforehand!
3. Mobile Content & Branding
- Leverage Social Media for Updates: Share key takeaways from the event on LinkedIn or other platforms. Tag speakers, companies, and attendees to boost visibility and encourage follow-up conversations.
With AI tools, there’s no excuse not to create more content. While I don’t think you need to post during the event itself (since being fully present is more valuable), you shouldn’t take weeks to craft and share your insights. Remember, it’s just a social media post, not a book. AI tools can help you efficiently share while the content is still relevant.
4. Post-Event Follow-Up and Thought Leadership
- Personalized Follow-Ups: After the event, promptly follow up with personalized messages to your new contacts, referencing specific insights or pain points discussed during your meetings.
- Publish an Event Recap: Share an event recap on your blog or LinkedIn, highlighting your biggest takeaways and industry trends. This positions your startup as a thought leader and reaches both attendees and those who missed the event.
I prioritize following up with individuals I met one-on-one since they dedicated time for direct interaction. Often, these meetings generate actionable follow-ups (pro tip: jot down notes immediately after each meeting to avoid mixing up details). Then, there’s the 99% of attendees you didn’t connect with deeply—like those you spoke with briefly at a side event or shared a ride with and connected on LinkedIn later. LinkedIn serves as a convenient CRM for tracking connections made at events, but it’s meaningless if you don’t follow up.
An event truly ends only after you’ve completed all your follow-ups and repurposed any content created around it. Consistent and intentional post-event actions are critical to maximizing the value of your participation.
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Conclusion
Attending startup events without an official presence might seem daunting, but it forces you to engage actively and intentionally. This approach can yield higher ROI than many other channels, offering unparalleled access to your ICP and opportunities for brand exposure.
While immediate results are possible, this strategy works best as a long-term investment. Over time, you’ll see compound benefits as you refine your approach, try different events, and build relationships. Remember to reflect after each event, measuring metrics like meetings booked and new leads identified, to continuously improve.
If done thoughtfully, attending events like Slush can become a cornerstone of your go-to-market strategy.
