From an ExecEvent alumni – in his own words.
/greg
“Getting” the ExecEvent
George Crump, Senior Analyst – Storage Switzerland
As my American Airlines Advantage statement will attest to, the storage industry has more than its fair share of events to attend. There are the big storage focused shows like Storage Networking World and there are the industry or platform-specific shows that do well for storage companies because of their high degree of storage ‘drag along’, like vmworld or NAB. The downside of these events is that they effectively have the word “show” attached to them, which usually means a frenetic, distracted environment. If you are a vendor and you are trying to attract hundreds of end users, those shows are OK, but if you are trying to spend some quality time with a few key influencers or make a few strategic contacts with synergistic companies, these events provide less than ideal venues. In other words, what do you do if you just want to make some key contacts and get the word out about your technology?
That’s what the ExecEvent is all about, learning about new companies, making the connections and spending time with key influencers who are either analysts, media people or some combination of both, like Storage Switzerland. For us, comparing the quality of briefings between a high paced show and a more intimate event like the ExecEvent
is like night and day. At the shows, while trying to give your presentation to an analyst or press person sitting across the table, you are surrounded by 5 to 10 other groups of people at other tables trying to accomplish the same thing. It’s like presenting your product and company in a crowded lunchroom, instead of in a conference room. As an alternative, at the ExecEvent you have the option of meeting with people one-on-one in private meeting rooms, or in a more formal presentation room (where you are the only one doing the presenting). This is a much more effective solution for participating vendors.
Personally, I comprehend far more of a company’s products and technology in an environment like at the ExecEvent, compared to one of the big shows. I hate to admit it but I don’t multi-task well and background noise causes me to lose focus and miss important details. The briefing format used at the ExecEvent leads to a better quality write up when we do our briefing reports – and a better relationship with the tech companies we talk with. At the shows, thanks to the pace and the number of briefings, my mind is like mush by the end of the second day and is almost useless by the third day, something that also impacts the quality of the briefing write up.
Getting the most out of the ExecEvent
Like any other event, the ExecEvent represents an investment of dollars. That investment needs to be put to good use to show a positive ROI. I’ve been to many events where vendor “A” said the event was terrible but vendor “B” said it was fantastic. The difference, in large part, was how much effort they put into it. With any event you just can’t let the event ‘come to you’. You have to ‘bring yourself’ to the event. By that I mean you have to work it – get meetings set up with key influencers and members of the media, secure key speaking spots and sometimes give a little consulting away. Although I think the ExecEvent does a better job of bringing that out of people, you still have to put the investment in and not just let it happen to you.
What should you do at the ExecEvent? First, reach out to key people that you want to meet with – weeks in advance. The folks at the ExecEvent will even help you with this if necessary. This starts with members of the media and analyst communities. Approach these meetings a little differently than you would at a show. Allow for a two-way conversation. Pick the brain of the person you are speaking
with to understand what they think about your approach to the market. They talk with a lot of companies throughout the year and may have some useful information about companies in similar situations and what made them successful.
Beyond making sure that analysts and the press know about you, meet with synergistic companies. The networking and business development possibilities are one of the ExecEvent’s most valuable and unique characteristics. With those companies make sure you communicate what you can do for them and what they can do for you. Don’t be shy, this event is partly about business development, so develop some business.
The final suggestion I would have would be to slow down. Unlike the shows, at the ExecEvent you have time. The volume is not turned up as high; you can actually communicate with people and understand where the mutual areas of interest might be. The ExecEvent is the best deal in the industry for getting your message out and finding key people to partner with. That said you have to be prepared and have a plan for how you are going to maximize the opportunity that this event provides.
