Whether you go to conferences regularly or this is your first one, maximizing your growth at a global event like SubSummit requires planning and preparation in order to create as many opportunities for your business as possible.
Establishing a successful networking strategy ahead of the world’s largest direct-to-consumer conference will empower you to expand your network, grow your subscription business, and become a part of the subscription community!
Be sure to know what your priorities are before heading to the conference.
Are you about to launch a new subscription business and are looking for insightful advice?
Is your acquisition rate plateauing?
Do you need help converting and/or retaining customers?
Could your ads perform better?
“[The] most important [thing] is to first focus on what your goals are before attending,” Derek Dickow, Executive Coach and Keynote Speaker, told SUBTA. “Then, understand that for every goal we set for ourselves (personally or professionally), there is someone who can help get us one step closer to attaining it.”
Read on to learn how to make the most of your SubSummit experience.
Top 3 Networking Tips for SubSummit
Networking Tip #1: Do Your Research
Going to a large conference should be treated like going into a big meeting: You must be prepared. If you’re looking to make the most of your time at SubSummit, then spend time familiarizing yourself with the conference, its speakers, and exhibitors.
“If a keynote speaker is addressing a topic you are convinced can help you, my best advice is to invest about an hour researching their area of expertise and what drives them,” says Dickow.
Find something you and the speaker can relate to, “common threads to build on,” as Dickow explains.
Once you’ve done your homework on your soon-to-be connections, start reaching out to them. Let them know you’ll be attending SubSummit via LinkedIn or email, that you’re looking forward to their sessions, and that you’d love to connect with them during the conference.
If you can’t introduce yourself to a speaker directly after their session, be sure to keep them in mind during networking breaks.
Oftentimes, networking can lead to great partnerships, especially with the connections you make in the SubSummit Exhibitor Hall. This year, there will be more than 100 suppliers available to help you grow your business.
Many of them are also SUBTA Partners! John Haji, Co-Founder of SUBTA, suggests reaching out to them prior to the conference through their partner pages.
Be strategic about your subscription’s needs.
- Do you need support with customer relationships management?
- Are you looking for help in tracking and decreasing your churn?
- Is it important for you to get your orders fulfilled faster?
Find out which suppliers have the tools to help you unlock the next phase of your business and be sure to stop by their booths when the SubSummit doors open.
Networking Tip #2: Attend the Right Sessions
Look at the schedule in advance and identify the sessions that best fit the needs of your business stage.
The following are some of the sessions that you may find most beneficial based on where you are in your subscription business journey:
Startup Stage
- How to Boost Your Brand Through a Modern PR Approach — Lindsey Palmer, CEO of Palmer Public and Anna Kopsky, Sr. Community Strategist of BuzzFeed
- It’s Playoff Time! — Sarah Williams, Founder of Launch Your Box
- You will learn how to execute your 2022 goals and prepare for the holiday season.
- SBB Top 10 Countdown – Retention Tactics Biggest Hits — Julie Ball and Renae Gonzalez of Sparkle Hustle Grow
- Launch for Less – Creative Marketing Tactics for Entrepreneurs on a Budget — Eliza Maroney, Co-Founder of Lucky Box Club
Growth Stage
- The Science of SEO — Michael King, Founder of iPullRank
- Email Marketing Workshop – How to Convert & Retain — Stephanie Ristow, Founder of Ristow Marketing
- The Subscription Death Curve – What It Is and How You Can Avoid It — Jay Myers, Co-Founder of Bold Commerce
- From Shark Tank to Crowdfunding: How to Pivot Your Subscription Box to 10x Your Growth — Kimberly Lewis, CEO of CurlMix
- A Game of Inches: The Data-Driven Approach to Winning with Retention —Patrick Campbell, CEO of ProfitWell
Established Stage
- Encouraging People to Cancel: A Fireside Chat with Truebill — Haroon Mokhtarzada, CEO of Truebill, and Christopher George, Chairman of SUBTA
- The True Impact of Consistency — Tobi Oluwole, CEO of 3Skills and Team Lead at Shopify
- Build Yourself Up Through Collaboration Marketing — Travis Chappell, CEO of Guestio, Inc.
- The Business of Diversity & Inclusion: Why It Matters — Anthony D. Mays, Founder of Morgan Latimer LLC
Expansion Stage
- Investing in Innovation — Brian Mac Mahon, Head Honcho at Expert DOJO
- DashPass Dominance: Fireside Chat with DoorDash & Butter Payments — Max Nimaroff, GM Subscriber Experience at DoorDash and Vijay Menon, CEO of Butter Payments
- Notification Strategies For Payment Issues — Max Mautner, Sr. Software Engineer at Netflix
- Prove the Subscription Skeptics Wrong — Anthony Napolitano, Founding Partner of Triple C Consulting
Networking Tip #3: Leverage the Networking Breaks
Networking breaks are designed to give you dedicated time with attendees, speakers, and exhibitors.
Cassie Padgett, CEO of Owl Post Books and a SubSummit 2022 speaker, was able to make impactful — and unexpected — connections by leveraging these times.
Prior to attending last year’s conference, she admits she had given up all hope on influencer marketing… Until she met Samantha Foster of The Pink Envelope.
“I had been burned so many times,” Padgett told SUBTA. “But then I met [Samantha] and we became friends. And we talked. And now we’re back into influencer marketing because of that.”
Padgett will be speaking more on influencer marketing alongside Foster in a panel at SubSummit this June! Get your ticket today!At SubSummit 2021, Padgett also connected with a Klaviyo representative. That conversation ultimately made her decide to switch from MailChimp in order to optimize email marketing for her business.
There are designated networking breaks peppered throughout the conference schedule to ensure you have the opportunity to interact with as many attendees, speakers, and exhibitors as possible, and make meaningful connections just like Padgett:
Wednesday, June 1
- 2:30pm-3pm EST
Thursday, June 2
- 10am-11am EST
- 2pm-3pm EST
- 3-3:30pm EST (Women in Subscription Event)
Friday, June 3
- 10:30am-11am EST
While the times above are dedicated to networking, there are plenty of other opportunities for you to connect with your fellow innovators.
The 2022 SUBTA Cube Awards
Nothing brings people together quite like an awards ceremony. In the subscription industry, SubSummit proudly hosts the SUBTA Cube Awards each year to celebrate the achievements of the DTC community.
Prior to the ceremony, the event’s happy hour facilitates conversations and laughs. Choose either to reconnect with those you’ve met during the first two days OR mingle with new attendees.
Once the ceremony ends, go congratulate the winners at the after party where you will also find the rest of the subscription community celebrating.
Women in Subscription
This mini-event — which takes place on Day 2 — is dedicated to facilitating networking opportunities with amazing women entrepreneurs who constantly push the subscription space forward.
Jessica Principe of All Girl Shave Club and Becky Hoy of Brave Crate will kick off the hour. Their session focuses on the unique challenges involved in starting a business and offers a simple system for managing your subscription box.
Following them is a conversation between Ellyette Gheno of BootayBag and Jennifer Cline, Director of Marketing at SUBTA, that shows you the recipe for subscription success (spoiler alert: One of the ingredients is being scrappy).
5 Quick Networking Tips
Follow these five networking tips to maximize your time when attending SubSummit:
- Don’t burn out on the first day.
- Research sponsors, speakers, and attendees to develop a plan of action.
- Find a group of people to enhance your experience.
- Ask for advice.
- Make connections ahead of time.
One final tip: Be yourself. You’ve made it this far for a reason, and being true to who you are will continue opening doors for you as you grow your brand. With the right approach, you will be able to unlock the next phase of your business and have a strong support system ready to cheer you on!
Looking for more opportunities to market your business? Get professional advice on how to better your brand by attending SubSummit, the world’s largest subscription conference.
