Big changes for TOA20
Dear friends of TOA!
The more the merrier, right? Well, not really. Which is why we decided to make some big changes for next year’s TOA20 (23–26 June 2020).
Let me explain.
What is success?
(Loaded question, don’t expect an answer in the next few lines.)TOA has grown YoY. In fact, TOA19 was our most “successful” event. Not just in terms of ticket and exhibitor sales. We’ve also received the highest rating ever in terms of speakers, the Haus of Tech, the registration process, networking opportunities, value for money and much more. Thanks to the hundreds of people who who shared their feedback in our survey!
So why change a seemingly “winning” horse?
We dug deep and carried out a series of qualitative interviews with past attendees to better understand what made them come back and how we could further increase the overall attendee experience.
The bottom line: You all value meeting new people who are relevant to your business. But more than that, you value re-connecting to known peers and deepening those ties.
We kept hearing that TOA was great for serendipitous encounters.
However, we also had feedback that she “has gotten too big” “with too much stuff going on” for you to design an experience geared at building out existing relationships.
Community matters
As Europe’s first crowdfunded event and with close to 1,000 past satellite events, TOA has always been a community effort.For a community to benefit from one another, continuity of its members and their relationship among each other is key.
As Naval Ravikant rightly says, relationships “carry compound interest”. The deeper they get, the more value they bring. (Tell this to your partner tonight for an easy win! ;-))
Long story short, we decided that it was time for a more streamlined TOA. One that builds closer connections among its members.
TOA20: A new location
At our past venue, the ratio between indoor to outdoor space meant that getting the right density everywhere was challenging.For TOA20, we will move into a new, more compact location that allows for a more balanced density.
We will also slightly decrease the number of attendees which will allow you all to make easier and more meaningful connections with an overall stronger community feel.
TOA20: A snug programme
We will reduce the number of main stages and speakers to build a more concise program around your core interests which will allow an easier navigation.TOA20: More interactive formats
At TOA19, we introduced “TOA Business Matchmaking” and it became an instant success:* 285,802 Recommendations
* 11,945 Matches
* 1,970 Meetings scheduled
* One attendee had record-breaking 63 meetings!
You wondered who on earth would hold 63(!) meetings via the “TOA Business Matchmaking” feature?
This guy!
(who randomly approached me at the SAP Satellite event to tell me about it. Since we did not take his name: If “Mr. 63 Meetings” reads this, please reach out to us for a free ticket!)Tl;dr: At TOA20, we will offer a new venue and more interactive formats for you to connect with others and build more meaningful relationships.
The End ;-)
Oh wait! Ticket sale for TOA20 is now open and you can grab yourself one of our limited 2FOR1 tickets. Click here and use the code BETTERTOGETHER to bag that extra free ticket.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on TOA20 — let us know if there is anything you’d like us to know!
Y’all be safe now!
Niko
