Jessica Livingston’s Pretty Complete List on How Not to Fail

Seems I understood the subject matter perfectly clearly. You on the other hand are best described by the numerous references listed below.

Here's my advice regarding conferences and events in general, out of experience running a enterprise software startup with a decent marketing budget:

- Most of large conferences and shows are not worthy it, especially the expensive ones that "everyone goes to". People are too overwhelmed, busy and disperse. So both branding and lead generation is ineffective.

- Mid-sized ones are better, I mean, the more targeted ones, which focus on a special professional-groups with only a few booths and a cozy space you can network like crazy.

- Always try/pay to get a speaker spot. Negotiate a deal so it's "included" in the price. That's what gives you most visibility, draws people to your booth and kicks off lots of conversations.

- Don't grab speaking slots right after meals (lunch usually), otherwise you'll get a drowsy audience.

- The opposite is true too. If you have a speaker slot, try to get a booth so attendees can find you to extend the conversation.

- Put up the largest screen you can get in your booth or stand, close to the edge, so that passers-by can stop without fear of being harassed.

- Try to get a booth close to the speaker/conference area so that you can quickly draw people into your booth. Here's a trick: have different slide decks, focused on each of the talks being given (prepared in advance) relating your tech with that subject matter. Then run your decks in synch with the talks. After listening to a talk (ie "Mobile app churn"), many people want to stay in the momentum, they'll be immediately interested if they see "Churn Management Strategies" in big letters on your booth's screen.

- Focus on demoing the technology continuously instead of approaching people asking if they'd like a demo. People stop by when they see you demoing to someone (even if it's an accomplice). They want to listen in, but they don't want to be sold to.

- Don't spend money on swag. People that come for swag just want swag (or food). But have something handy (ie. a simple card-seized mini brochure that's not bulky) so people that stop by to see your tech but don't want to interact have something to grab on to that has your website on.

- Alcohol, if the conference allows it, at the end of the day is actually a great weapon for hearing out your (potential) users. Offer beer at the booth or sponsor a happy-hour. Don't expect to get leads or do serious branding. And don't over do it! (like building a whole Vodka bar with DJ music at the booth). This is more about doing F2F and socializing with people that want to share a drink with you after you take off your salesperson/marketing mask.

- Have your local reseller/partner (or salesperson) in the booth with you, as co-sponsor. Not just for costs, but they can do a follow up locally much better than your marketing team.

- Rent the badge reader option, so you don't have to clumsy exchange emails or biz cards. Also works great with antisocial attendees that are just watching your deck from afar. That's an instant email distribution list for doing a great follow up.

- And don't forget about the follow up email. To all attendees, offer a post-conference webinar where the same content is discussed again so they can share the link with their colleagues saying "you should hear this talk".

Measure everything (cost vs. leads). Make sure you repeat at the good conferences and don't insist with the bad ones. Good marketing is all about consistency.

Tangential, but your two questions struck me as isomorphic to computing the gradient and finding a maximum in the mathematical optimization sense. There to, there is a huge difference in the amount of work between the two: one is a for loop, one is nonpolynomial.

Twice in the past, I have been "the guy" that one of the investors brought in to walk around and do a look-see. Among my recommendations, one of them, both times, was to fire every top level manager that wasn't you. There is no reason that current and potential future investors can not be kept in the loop with a one-page email once a week or once a month.

Despite my personal record for failing to do so 5 times out of 10, the core recipe is not that hard: build a product that solve a problem that people would be willing to pay to have solved and get them to hit the "buy" button.

I'm assuming based on your use of pronouns that you are a "woman in tech" (if that is incorrect, please correct me). IF that is wrong, then my eventual stated question later is pointless, but I am forging ahead on that assumption...

I am an old white straight male. When I started out in my employed career - semiconductor design - Motorola - Tokyo Japan in the late 80s, I had to spend a year in the US for "training", but in both the US and Tokyo it was about 70%~80% males and 20%~30% females. Systems. Circuits. Layout. Fab. Prequal. I guess more females in layout, but ... in general that was about how it was.

We all worked together, raised barns together, drank together, went to funerals together. We were mates. Co-workers.

It wasn't until recently that I was told that this was wrong. That I needed to show more concern about female issues in a male dominated world. And maybe this is right - I don't know. I wasn't educated enough to know that treating a talented female engineering co-worker as a talented co-workers wasn't enough.

I guess my question is this: Is ignoring gender when interacting with co-workers wrong? Should I be doing something different when I interact with female co-workers?