Honestly, this takes me back to some really rough memories from when I worked for a Hong Kong-based company. Picture this: I left a string of old-school corporations to join what I thought was a super cool startup that had just raised $125 million. They were growing like crazy, and I was thriving in sales—so much so that they moved me to the marketing team. Sounds great, right? It was, at first.

Then the co-founders decided they wanted more. They dumped the responsibility of organizing a global roadshow—30 countries, 100 attendees per event, over six months—on me and a team of mostly inexperienced, scattered twenty-somethings, plus a few McKinsey consultants who, frankly, were only good at making Google Slides and Sheets look pretty. It was chaos. Management was constantly on my back about attendance numbers, lead gen ROI, and event costs.

But here’s the worst part: there was zero love for the events themselves. It was all corporate, industrial, rushed—an uninspired box-ticking exercise. We spammed random databases with half-baked invites, slapped together ugly marketing assets, threw anyone we could find on stage as speakers, and made promises to partners we couldn’t keep. The result? A total mess. I was part of the problem, no doubt. When events are driven purely by ROI and not by creating something people actually enjoy, the results are always bad.

If I had to do it all over again—and honestly, companies like Clay or Thursday are nailing this today—I’d hand over the entire operation to agency or consultant partners with strong LinkedIn presence or local customer networks. Let them handle the organization. You just provide funding, product discounts, and branding if needed—not forced.

Here’s the pitch I’d give to management: “Dear Management, I’m not focusing on leads from attendees anymore. Instead, I’ll track the leads our partners generate. The goal isn’t just for us to close deals—it’s for our partners to grow their business using our product alongside their services. Subtle difference, but a total game-changer.”‍

Now, let’s talk logistics because this was the most stressful part:‍

‍Minimizing No-Shows‍

Start with this question: Do you have people talking about your product that aren’t you or your team? Do you have a WhatsApp, Discord, or Slack community buzzing about your industry or product? If not, your event will struggle. No solid community = low engagement = high no-shows. Posting it on LinkedIn and throwing money at ads won’t magically fix this. Without organic traction—likes, comments, and shares—you’ll either attract ghost attendees or no one at all.‍‍

‍Quality Over Quantity‍

If your goal is volume and targeting lower-tier pricing plans, host a partner-run masterclass. Let them do the how-tos and tips, which will attract larger crowds, improve product usage, and nudge people toward upgrades.

Here's a cool example

But if you’re after high-quality, high-MRR leads, ditch the big gatherings. Go for intimate dinners designed to close 100% of the prospects at the table. Here’s the blueprint:

• ‍SaaS Team (2-3 people): Bring the founder/CEO, a product or ops expert, and a content creator for social and coordination.‍
• Partner/Organizer (3-4 people): A single, well-aligned partner with strong credibility in the market.‍
• Influencers/Advisors (1-2 people): Niche experts who bring clout without selling.‍
• Existing Clients (2-3 people): Ideally ones whose success mirrors the MRR you’re targeting.‍
• Prospects (3-4 people): Your VIPs, ready to mingle, ask real questions, and hear authentic success stories—not your sales pitch

With just 3-4 prospects per event, my goal would be to close all of them. Forget aiming for a small percentage of a big crowd—I’m chasing a 100% success rate.

Here's a cool example:

It’s 2025. Go big or go home.