Calling all crazy ones: The Next Web's formula for success

[jrineakter]

2016 is set to be the year for The Next Web. They are organizing their biggest conference yet. Expectations are that 20,000 visitors and 500 startups will be in Amsterdam. During an interview with Wytze de Haan , Director of Events at TNW, I find out how you, as a 'Dutch local business', can get thousands of people from all over the world to visit an event. Because what does that all entail?


The Next Web has managed to develop into one of the most successful (tech)blogs in recent years . And they didn't just stop at the blog. In 2006 they organised their first event. This year it will be more than an event: the edition has the allure of a festival, where they will pull out all the stops. Spread over five days: a two-day conference, more than 140 workshops spread across the city and their own festival in the park, there is something for everyone.

Appropriate theme
This year TNW specifically chose the theme ' Calling all crazy ones '. Because as Wytze explains: "we went looking for a good tagline that really suits us. We always do crazy things. For austria telegram number list example, we once had a cow on stage."

That they do not approach it in a standard way is evident from an example that Wytze gives. They had a speaker bar for four years , where a speaker made cocktails for his 'bar guests' after his keynotes, and who in turn could ask questions while enjoying a mojito.

Another great example I am given is that Boris and Patrick get a few beers during the conference around four in the afternoon to hand out in the room. "Then you really see the visitors looking: "Wow, the founder of The Next Web is giving me a beer!". They didn't think about it, Wytze tells me. They just do it. "They just want everyone to have a good time, from the speaker to the visitor." They don't take themselves too seriously as organizers, these kinds of actions should be possible. This year's theme is therefore tailor-made for them.

Technology is no longer a cult
Where many visitors from the 'tech side' such as Airbnb, Uber and Google used to come to the event, the organization is seeing more and more visitors from established companies such as PostNL, KLM and Heineken this year. A few years ago, technology was still a kind of cult. A group that was busy with exciting things that most people didn't know about. "That's really different now. Nowadays, everyone is busy with technology in their own way," Wytze indicates.

The Next Web Conference 2016

The value of a ticket, times ten
As a visitor, you go to an event to learn (practical) things that you need to be able to apply the next day. Whether you are an investor, marketer or student. At The Next Web they have a golden rule: a visitor should get 10 times the value of the ticket back. “That was the approach for the startups a few years ago. If they joined the event, they had to be able to get an investment that was at least 10 times more than the invested value.”

That rule really stuck with Wytze and it is still the approach to how they approach everything. “Years ago, we still had on our event page that if you felt like you had missed something after the event, you could get your ticket money back.” They don’t do that anymore, but the idea still prevails.

What I am very proud of is that we continue to focus very much on quality.

What you often see at other events in Europe is that everything becomes much bigger. The Next Web is doing that themselves this year, but they are looking very specifically at a number of points that they can do much better qualitatively. For example, towards the startups.

Boost program
For example, two years ago The Next Web developed the Startup Boost program . The idea is that they do not give everyone stand space, but that they use a pre-selection to determine which startups get a place at the event.

Wytze says that the approach is not to pass judgment on the company, or to be the one who says: this startup is going to make it and this one not at all. “We mainly look at the phase a startup is in: whether it already has users and what the initial traction in the market is. This way we can properly assess which startup is ready to present itself to the general public, which needs an investment and is also really relevant to visitors. In this way we try to prevent startups with only a business plan and no working product but with money, from approaching us for a stand. That does not necessarily benefit the level of your event,” Wytze explains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XpXRzvPIA0

The program appears to be a success. The organization could easily admit around 700 startups, but really keeps it at 250 startups. And Wytze finds that difficult sometimes, because it also means that she has to disappoint a number of startups. But here too, it appears to work well to focus on quality instead of cramming as many providers as possible into one hall.

How to stay innovative every year
Every year The Next Web reinvents parts and on the other hand they also scrap some parts. And every year around this time Wytze has another discussion with management because he wants to go bigger and spend more money.

We invest about 75% to 80% of our turnover in event production, so it is a discussion I like to have.

Of course, you could also say: never change a winning team , or event in this case. And you could conclude that the concept works well as it is now. But at The Next Web, they do everything with passion. Wytze states firmly: “We just really want to create something beautiful. On the other hand, you also have to deal with shareholders. They would also like it if we had a slightly larger profit margin.”

More than €120,000 spent on technology
People who have been to The next Web Conference more often know that they go all out in terms of production. What Wytze himself is looking forward to this time are the LED strips that they are mounting across the entire roof of the Gashouder. “We went all out and spent more than 120,000 euros on the main hall alone, by mounting those strips and placing a 25-meter wide screen. That takes a lot of time, money and effort, but that is also part of our concept.”