The Next Web Stephen Wolfram

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Be amazed by our speakers
Find new partnerships/customers
Network like never before
Get valuable feedback
Become the authority
But are these benefits actually achievable at an event where your eyes and ears are too short to keep up? My mission during the event was to find out if there is really something to be gained for (starting) entrepreneurs.

Be amazed by our speakers
And was I impressed by the level of the speakers at The Next Web. I was pleasantly surprised that The Next Web is really about the content and not about the sponsors. This is in contrast to many other (Dutch) events where sponsor talk seems to dominate the program these days. The speakers were of a high level and very inspiring. The vibe is comparable to that of the Dublin Web Summit , which I went to in October.

I have gained a lot of inspiration from the various keynotes for my own company. Jonathan MacDonald in particular has given me valuable input. According to MacDonald, it is good news that we can now find out very well what people like. But customer loyalty is not self-evident and as a company you have to work hard for it (continue to work hard). You can get closer to your customers, but they also have access to information about your company. This means that as a company you really have to convey your values ​​and not have double standards.

For example, if your company stands for sweden phone data sustainability, it is not wise for the CEO to drive an energy-guzzling car. In this era of social business and microjournalism, it is also important that the staff works from the same motivation as the management. If your internal organization operates as optimally as possible, you will also get more value out of it. In other words: practice what you preach. A good lesson for starting entrepreneurs. Now that you hardly have any staff, you can still organize it well. Make sure you have your affairs in order before you lose focus in a possible growth spurt.

Find new partnerships and customers
For companies that had purchased a stand space, it was a bit easier to interest partners and/or customers than when, like me, you only have an entrance ticket at your disposal. You are less visible. Of course, you can do something about that yourself. For example, by contributing to the event on Twitter by sharing inspirations and insights, but also by networking with other entrepreneurs.