Most founders don’t realize it, but they could be wasting thousands of dollars attending conferences — and getting very little pipeline to show for it.
In this episode of The Drafting Table, Amy Holtzman (CMO at CHEQ and former marketing leader at Splash, AlphaSense, and Conductor) breaks down the exact prep, playbook, and post-event tactics her team uses to turn conferences into real revenue.
🎙️ Covered live in this episode:
- How to decide which conferences are worth it
- Creative ways to show up if you don’t have a booth
- How to book meetings before the event even starts
- Why most teams get the conference pitch totally wrong
- Swag ideas that actually cut through the noise
- How to follow up after the event and land real meetings
- Why your conference ROI is made or broken before the event even begins — with real examples of prep docs and playbooks
🛠️ BONUS tactical playbook (shared after recording):
After our recording, Amy shared even more detailed tactical advice that her teams follow at every conference:
- Set clear activity goals for the on-site team — or scans and meetings will fall flat:
- 🔹 100 booth scans per day
- 🔹 25 on-site demos per day
- 🔹 5 REAL trial requests per day
- Use lead scanner questions to balance quantity and quality:
- Customize your lead scanner with key qualifiers (e.g., “Did they see a demo?” “Which product were they most interested in?” “Did they ask for a trial?”) to prioritize post-event outreach.
- Scan everyone you talk to — even if they’re a customer, partner, or competitor:
- Having a full record helps track engagement across audiences, makes reporting easier the next year, and avoids missing hidden opportunities.
- Don’t trust memory — demand detailed real-time notes:
- Every attendee interaction should have notes logged immediately, or you’ll forget who you met after a whirlwind 3-day event.
- Post-event success starts pre-event:
- Prep the team on how to take notes, set daily performance targets, and treat the scanner like gold — not an afterthought.
- Persistence matters after the event ends:
- Personalized, thoughtful follow-up — even weeks after the conference — is what converts conversations into real deals.
- Mentality matters:
- Without daily goals and a scanning plan, “the drift” happens. Activity drops. Set expectations early and rally the team on-site to hit their numbers.
If you’re betting on in-person marketing this year, this is the episode to listen to first.
📍 For early-stage B2B founders building go-to-market
📍 Hosted by Jessica Lin, General Partner at Work-Bench
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
3:00 What founders get wrong about conferences
6:45 Conference prep templates + why 37 slides isn’t crazy
10:30 How to pick the right conference
14:00 Hacks to attend without breaking the bank
20:15 What to say in your outreach before the event
24:00 Nailing your 3-second pitch at the booth
26:30 Swag ideas that actually work
32:00 Why follow-up is where the real value is
39:00 Amy’s #1 rule: Don’t go if you’re not going all in
