Conference Matters 142

ROI & PARTNERSHIP

'We make the difference living founder also

That’s what the event should be about, and the content as well.”

author of this story attended several TNW lectu res, and the journalistic approach worked refres hingly well. Speakers clearly couldn’t get away with dull sales pitches, as fairly tough journalists asked critical questions on stage. “It’s nice that we get the real information out of people on stage,” says Butler. “That’s because we know through our media channels what peo ple want to hear, and we also put a lot of time into preparing so that people don’t give a corporate story but a real story. That’s why there are spea kers who sometimes tell boring stories else where but have fun on stage with us. The point is that after two days of visiting the festival, our audience can read more about everything they saw on stage on the TNW site.” Big change The integration between events and content on the site is a big change compared to the past, Butler explains. “We’ve brought together the content on the site and what happens at the events.” And it’s an interesting change because only when media and events have a joint mission can they strengthen each other. “The site’s content was a lot about game companies and small developers, while the events were more about fintech, inno vation and AI. We had to realign that by returning to our core mission: helping start-ups grow their businesses. Not by giving money, but by acting as a platform between start-ups and investors.

In 2019, the Financial Times acquired media company The Next Web (TNW). Zach Butler from TNW Events explains how they ensure ROI for sponsors and highlights the benefits of this partnership. In 2006, co-founders Boris Veldhuijzen van Zan ten and Patrick de Laive launched The Next Web as a conference to celebrate technological pro gress. The launch of the eponymous tech web site was centred around the same goal. In 2019, the Financial Times acquired a control ling stake, becoming the owner of the news site and the events. TNW currently consists of four pillars: events (including the ones in Amsterdam and Valencia), knowledge (TNW is an incubator, community and matchmaker with investors for start-ups), media (about one million readers a month read about tech news), and buildings (co-working spaces in Amsterdam, where more than 100 start-ups are located). The company currently employs 60 people. We spoke to Zach Butler, Director of TNW Events, about TNW’s future ambitions. “I’ve been working in the event world for a long time, and TNW hired me to further professionalise the events and lau nch new TNW events in the rest of Europe.” Journalistic approach FT journalists’ performances during the events were particularly noteworthy. Last year, the By Bas Hakker

Have you distinguished yourself by adding a journalistic element? “I truly believe in the power of events, and the post-corona period has shown that there’s a great need for them. TNW is more than an event company; it provides knowledge and inspiration and connects start-ups to investors. If there were a better means than through events or media, we would do that, too. We make the dif ference because we’re also living founder lives. As a result, we have a special bond with our audi ence.” So the conferences are only a means? “Yes, they are. In the co-working spaces, we also organise about 50 mini-events a year for our community, from drinks to a round table. We’re always building relationships, and that’s exactly what happens more intensely during our events, giving people new energy and connections to tackle another year. It’s actually a way to cele brate that hard work.” So the audience also expects proper content from you during events because you’re start-up specialists? “Of course we also have sponsors who speak on stage, but we always keep an eye on what the audience needs, and that’s the content. Sure,

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