Startup events are a great occasion to let the world know about your startup, make awesome connections with potential investors and partners for your business, and get a real feel for the competition out there.

However, if you don’t use your time wisely and plan ahead they can be a huge waste of money and time for your startup. And let’s face it, if there is something startups aren’t rich in, it’s money and time. 

Here are a couple of things to make sure you do to make the most out of your event.

1. Pack your schedule and plan it right

A large portion of the work that goes into getting the most out of a startup event is done before the event itself. Here is a guideline to pre-plan your event.

• Look over the different talks and sessions that will go on. Select those that are key to your startup and book them right away so you have a better understanding of your availability.
• Most startup events will have a public list of companies/people attending and will allow you to sort by sector. Scan it for relevant startups (both competitors and potential partners), search their details (including social media) and add them to a spreadsheet.
• Check which Angel investors and VC’s are attending. Perform a background check on them and only look for details from investors who are active in your area. In other words if an Angel specialises in B2B and you are consumer app, don’t waste your time!

After doing all of this, try scheduling 30 minute meetings with the key members of your list. Organising all of this can be quite a hassle, so try finding apps to make your life easier.

We created CatchApp to help you organise all of your schedule seamlessly. Instead of chasing and texting people and trying to get them to agree on a time, with our app you can set up all kinds of meetings and propose different availabilities with ease. And the best part is, they don’t even need to be on CatchApp. Simply use their phone number or email address to set up the meeting. Our beta is about to go live, so sign up to our waiting list HERE.

2. Get on top of your Social Media!

Make sure you have a social media plan to announce your participation at the event. Find out what the official hashtags for the events are and start tweeting a couple of days ahead so others can see you will be there. Also engage in conversations with attendees and give a couple of @ shoutouts to other startups you want to meet there.

Once you are in the event have a couple of posts ready ahead of time to keep the hype around your startup going and if you can take a couple of pictures of different events to upload and give a shout out to, make sure you do so!

3. Narrow down clear objectives.

Ever heard about objectives having to be SMART? Yep, as it turns out our fellow MBA experts teach us that for objectives to work they should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.

While this may sound a bit cliche, in the context of a startup event, where you need to get results fast, applying this can be very helpful.

Before attending the event, figure out what exactly you want to get out of it and force yourself to achieve it. Make sure there is a specific purpose for your attendance. Startup events aren’t exactly cheap, and if you are just going there to do some “networking” then please save your money back and stay home.

So get your notebook and list everything you NEED to get out of this event. If it’s getting 500 emails for your BETA launch then come up with a way of doing that, and focus on achieving that above everything else. If it’s building your investor network, then get cracking on your elevator pitch and swallow your shyness.

What matters most is making sure you have a clear plan of attack and for your expectations to be REALISTIC. No, you won’t get Mark Zuckerberg to endorse your app, but you can successfully lay the foundations for your startup to grow if you plan it right.

4. Set some time aside to meet new, random startups

While you want to make sure you pack your day (or days) with relevant meetings with investors and to set up partnerships, it’s always wise to leave some time to just stroll around the event and meet startups of all kinds.

The biggest danger when working in your startup is getting TUNNELLED VISION, that dreary state when you are so caught up in your own work that you lose perspective. Meeting other startups of any kind can act as a great a source of inspiration, help you get a feel of what the startup community is up to, and in many cases lead to surprising and useful connections.

5. Follow up on your connections

A huge factor in your startup’s success is actually down to seizing opportunities and making the most of your network.

After a startup event, if you’ve done your work properly you will have made a number of meaningful connections with many people, make sure you follow up with all of them individually. This may seem a bit tedious but it’s worth it, and will 100% pay off in the future. You never know what kind of opportunities may arise in the coming months.

And no, sending an email 3 months down the line when you actually need the person doesn’t count!

We hope these tips will help all you fellow startupers out there!