6 ways to get the most out of networking at The Next Web Conference

Each year we make a promise before the start of The Next Web Conference Europe – to give you an ROI of at least 10 over the value you’ve invested in the conference. It’s why we put a great deal of effort into creating a fun and inspiring atmosphere, one where you can easily bump into people and connect.

Good preparation can make all the difference in helping to find your potential next business partner, the funding you need or that golden business deal. Besides confidence, a big smile and a stack of flashy new business cards, here are six ways that could help you get the most out of networking while you’re at the conference.

1) Find out who is coming

Find out which companies are interesting for you to talk to at the conference. We update this list of companies every week, which makes for a great place to start planning your meetings in advance. You can find every company that is attending on there, even including those of the speakers, sponsors and press attending.

2) Make your first appointments

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As soon as you’ve established your short-list of interesting companies, it’s time to start making appointments. To take the difficulty out of connecting, we’ve built a mobile business network that lets you search and browse through all the attendees and enables you to plan meetings with them. The TNW2013 business network connects via your Linkedin profile and works on any phone, tablet and laptop, but is only accessible to attendees of The Next Web Conference Europe 2013 (check your registration e-mail for the link).

3) Make an impression

You will only have one shot at making first impressions, so it makes sense to practice your pitch extensively before the conference. These ten tips to a perfect pitch by Boris can help you fine-tune your story.

We also encourage you to come up with imaginative ways that will help people remember you, like bringing unique merchandising swag, showing interactive demo’s of your product, or coming up with remarkable contests.

4) Sign up for the Investor Open Office Hours

This year we’re bringing back the 10-minute meetings for startups and investors with a dedicated meeting spot in the business area. You won’t need to worry about the planning, we’ll match you for several meetings based on your interests. It’s the fastest, easiest and most convenient way for investors and startups to connect in a short period of time!

As of today, investors and startups can sign up for the open office hours.

5) Join our Digital Media Center

Getting your story out to tech journalists is not always easy, but to help out we manage a centralized online press room for all conference-related press releases. Do you have important news to share, such as the launch of a new company, product or feature? Find out how to add your press release to our TNW Conference Digital Media Center!

6) TNW Side-Events

Tired after the first full day of networking? Remember that some of the best conversations often start whilst sharing a cold beer or a hot meal during one of the many side-events in the centre of Amsterdam. Check out this full list of side events during the conference.

Tickets to The Next Web Conference Europe 2013 have almost sold out, you can still grab one of the last tickets here.