Prepared by Yuliia Shvetsova

Events can either be a massive cashburn or a stable reliable source of leads for high-ticket sales.

If you approach with with the mindset “We’ll go, talk to people, see what happens” → that’s expensive networking. If you prep well ahead of time and do diligent followup → that will generate pipeline.

Read more on how to prep for tradeshows.

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Before you decide to go at all

Events cost more than the ticket. Add flights, hotel, prep time, follow-up time, and the opportunity cost of being heads-down for 3–5 days. For a solo founder or a team of two, that's a real decision.

The single question worth asking before you register: can I identify at least 15–20 specific people who will be at this event and fit my ICP?

If yes — go. If you're going because "everyone in the industry goes" or because it's a good city — don't. That's not a strategy, that's tourism with a lanyard.

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How to pick the right event

What to do 3–4 weeks before the event

During the event

After the event — the part 90% of people get wrong

On realistic expectations

Events are one of the riskier channels — not because they don't work, but because too many things are outside your control. Political moments affect attendance. A badly placed stend location can cost you half your meetings. The biggest conference in your space might be a room full of salespeople, not buyers.

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The honest benchmark: At a well-prepared event with pre-booked meetings, a realistic conversion to MQL is around 0.5% of the attendee base. From a 2,000-person conference with 20 pre-set meetings — if 1–2 become real conversations worth pursuing, you've done well. If you're expecting 5–10 new opportunities per event without preparation, adjust the expectation.

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👋 Who’s behind this?

Hi, I’m Yuliia! Your Fractional CMO & GTM Strategist

8+ years in B2B marketing. Last 3 — focused on GTM strategy and working as a fractional CMO.

I help founders figure out positioning, ICP, and messaging — especially when:

• the product is hard to explain
• the market shifted and the old narrative stopped working
• you’re selling to one audience, but a different one is actually buying

Mentor at Techstars and Unicorn Factory Lisboa.

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Your “channel problem” might be a symptom

If you feel like you’re doing everything right and still getting nowhere, you might actually want to brind a second pair of eyes to see what’s up.

Book a call 👉

Or follow me if you want more frameworks like this.

Connect with me:

https://calendly.com/yuliia-shvetsova/fractional-cmo-1-1

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