Part 1: Start above the conference list

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback on my hackathon post. - It was on another channel, but I feel like this information is more relevant here. I had a thought to share information on event strategy, as many of you start planning for 2027 and possibly, beyond. I’ll share a short blurb here, every few days, on building an event strategy that drives growth, with notes for all stages from Pre-seed to Growth. My hope is that each one turns into a conversation like the last one did. This information actually is helping to connect with my local ecosystem and help them build a more connected scene through meetups, Citywide conventions, city sponsored events, and now Hackathons. So here it goes: Part 1: Start above the conference list A pattern I see a lot: the event calendar gets built from a list of conferences, and the strategy gets written afterward to justify it. It works better the other way around. Start with business goals, then your ICP and target accounts, then map where those people actually gather. Only then choose the mix of events and set the budget. What that looks like by stage: • Pre-seed/Seed: goals, ICP and a short list of where your buyers show up. Attend before you sponsor. • Series A: two or three anchor events, plus an agreement with Sales on what counts as an event-sourced meeting. • Series B: the full plan, with pipeline measurement built in from the start. • Growth: the plan becomes your annual operating rhythm. Does this topic seem good for next week: The difference between renting an audience and building one. If it would help, I’m happy to share my Founder Toolkit with the full framework. Just reply in thread. In the meantime, I’m curious how others are approaching it: is your 2027 plan starting from goals, or from a list of events?