How to prepare for dmexco as a startup
The do’s and dont’s for you — tested by us at #DMEXCO 2017.
Dmexco — It is Europe’s absolute biggest Media Conference. With 6+ large exhibition halls and more than 50,000 people from 92 countries, it is the center of the media universe in Europe for a couple of days every year.
We attended Dmexco with high hopes and retrospectively, not enough planning. Overall, we had a blast. We came, we saw and we learned.
From one startup to another, here are some things we learned that you should consider before, during and after attending dmexco.
Before
Make a plan, break it into priorities and start hitting your goals weeks in advance. I am a believer in goals. With that being said, dmexco is too large to “just attend.” You need to know what outcomes you want from attending and set goals accordingly.
Plan your path
Dmexco is a mad house. With more than 1,000,000 square feet of Expo surface and packed full of people like sardines in a tin can. If you have no game plan, stay home. Attending with no plan means you will end up confused, stressed and exhausted by the tempo and size of the fair.
Book your meetings 4–5 weeks in advance 📆
Everyone has an agenda (for the most part) that is going. Speakers are getting bombarded with business inquiries weeks in advance and as a startup you can’t afford to be lose opportunities because you didn’t plan.
Block a day or two each week at least a month prior to prioritize meeting your goals. 2 days before is too late.
Figure out your flight and accommodation ASAP ✈️ 🏨
Imagine 50,000+ people flocking to Cologne for 3 days of business and fun. That is a lot of people. And the hotels and airlines are no dummies. The hotels are overbooked and the prices for flights are sky high. A single night at a 2 star hotel can cost 400+ Euros if not booked 1-2 months in advance.
Consider AirBnB as an option! Tip: Don’t book it far away from Cologne. We stayed at a lovely Airbnb. But we weren’t expecting the distance to be so far. Lesson learned.
Again with the huge influx of people gathering in Cologne the traffic is a nightmare. 20 minutes on Google Maps translates to 60+ minutes during dmexco. Those little highways weren’t designed to handle that sort of traffic.
During
CALL to make contact ☎️
Step away from the keyboard. Have your list, get their numbers and call them! Emailing is a nightmare during dmexco — 99% of everyone has their automated emails going and it has no impact. So just call.
Socialize to meet the people behind the business
Go to the dinners, have drinks (or not, up to you) and make an effort to socialize with your network. We’re a social bunch so this was particularly enjoyable after the busy days. We had a great time.
At the exhibition you are ON. At dinners, the vibe is more relaxed and you can connect with people on a more human level. The CEOs of the biggest names out there mingle amongst smaller companies and entrepreneurs, simply enjoying a good conversation.
Arrange an afterwork. This is a popular event amongst us Scandinavians where you wind down after work with colleagues and friends with an ice cold beer or beverage. It’s really a great way to get to know your customers and the people behind the business.
Pack a Rescue Kit 🏥
Speaking of afterwork…pack a rescue kit. At dmexco, alcohol comes into play. The #PureParty & unofficial official afterparty is a wild. Alcohol of course, makes your performance levels go down. Drinking alcohol drags my performance down the next day and I’m sure most people can agree.
So, limit your intake and pack a rescue kit to stay above the kill-me-now feeling. My rescue kit, if I had one 😵, would’ve had a large bottle of ice cold water, some painkillers, and some sort of effervescent tablet with caffeine. Like TREO or Alka Seltzer.
Block out time to explore
Use that game plan I talked about earlier to walk through. Block 3–4 hours to walk around. It will take you that long. There are so many things to discover like a new software for your daily ops or a new partnership around every corner. Book the time to walk, investigate and discover all the exciting new things out there.
After
Make a follow up strategy that works
You’ve attended the exhibition and you’re back home. If you’re anything like me, you’ve easily spoken to 100 plus people and received massive amounts of contacts. Time to connect!
Get in contact with people that make sense. No need to waste your time with contacts that don’t fit with your goals or company. I connected with all of them via LinkedIn, sent an email and already have blocked time to call them in a few weeks.
Final thoughts
Dmexco was a learning curve the entire time. We did some things well and could’ve done things better. Next year I will come more prepared with my team, aim to speak with more meaningful opportunities long before, during and after. Dmexco is a great event and experience but is a massive exhibition that demands preparation, action plans and budgets!
// Mike Radoor
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