Advice to Alpha Startups going to Web Summit

I talked with a couple of founders in the past couple of days about Web Summit, and I've finally summarised my thoughts into a post. If you're an Alpha startup looking for advice, here's a couple of insights. 👉 Plan Your Pre-Game: Web Summit isn't just a one-day sprint; it's a marathon. You'll be literally making 20K steps a day, so choose your battles wisely. Web Summit is the central event, there are conferences before and after. Consider attending other pre and post-conference events that might align with your startup better. 👉 Start Early: The Summit buzz kicks off at least a month before the main event. Figure out your goals—investors, users, customers—and start sliding into those DMs on the Web Summit app. Create hit lists of peeps you wanna meet and lock in those meetings in advance. 👉 Squad Goals: Going solo is no-go! Bring a squad of three to rock the Summit. There's a lot to take in, and you'll need the backup - you'll need someone to bring you water at least on THE day. Plus, the founder community is real. I had an amazing community and support during Web Summit, and I'm forever grateful for meeting some of them. (Hvala za kocku, znate ko ste 😁) 👉 Sign up to pitch. Everywhere. Don't be shy, sign up to pitch your genius. You've got something cool, right? Why not shout it from the rooftop? 📢 If you're not sure how to pitch, film a Loom and send it to other founders for feedback and PRACTICE. We've all been there, you're not that special. 👉 It's okay to party: The real magic often happens at side events, parties, and corporate shindigs. You'll meet fascinating folks who can be your startup's biggest cheerleaders. Visit the meetups, corporate events and NETWORK. 👉 THE day: The exhibition day is all about attendee activation. Think of ways to drive as many qualified attendees as possible to your booth. Is it something on your booth? Is it a chance to win some swag and what swag it should be (Web Summit is eco-friendly, no papers allowed)? Remember, you're fighting for attention on a very busy event! 👉 Skip the Sightseeing: Sorry, but if you're hoping to play tourist, you ain't ready to be a founder. 👉 Learn from the Best... and Worst: Observe like a ninja. Web Summit is the perfect place to see how to ace a pitch and how NOT to blow your cash. Now let's turn this post into a networking opportunity. Share your Alpha startup and booth # in the comments and meet some people in advance!