From Barcelona and Paris through the UK and all the way to Chennai, the SaaStock audience keeps our partners coming back. We asked four of them to tell us more specifically what brings them back.

Hitting the sweet spot: TravelPerk

Big things often start small. Travel company TravelPerk, joined us as a Startup sponsor at SaaStock17. What started as an exploration for them became a treasure discovery as they saw who the people dropping by their booth were. Founders and VPs from modern companies experiencing explosive growth who were innovating business models, processes, marketing tactics and technology stacks. Open minded and curious to try out completely new solutions.

These were the new kids on the block any SaaS company would want to work with. Names like Intercom, Typeform and Asana that are far more prized logos, gracing SaaS websites.

“You are not going to find better customers to SaaS solutions” says Gideon Pridor, VP Marketing.

These people had come with the perfect disposition: with focus to learn. That focus and attentiveness transferred from the conference stages and on to the expo, the hallways and every conversation that was had. They wanted to be pitched to and listened.

They were the sweetest spot customers to Travelperk. The Barcelona-based company had mostly exhibited at big trade shows and industry events. Places where they had been a drop in the ocean and few noticed them.

SaaStock was different. It was relevant.

“When you sit in a workshop with 4 people at SaaStock, chances are you will end up leaving it with 4 deals. At other events I would need too speak to 400 people to get 4 deals.”

When all was done and dusted at SaaStock17, Travelperk would leave with 20 deals in the pipeline. One of them was yours truly. We loved their solution so much that we are now using it in SaaStock as well as piloting an integration and is official SaaStock Travel partner.

For SaaStock18, they have upgraded to Silver partner and are supporting us at six SaaStock on Tour events.

Showcasing to the masses with just one contact: Aircall

For French cloud-based phone system Aircall, events have always been the best place to showcase their product and its UI and UX. It’s why finding the relevant events to partner up with has almost been a full-time job for EMEA Marketing Manager Carmel Schetrit. Making sure European Country Managers have a good pipeline of leads is one of her most important roles.

Through events leads are able to see how flawlessly the product works, and how easy it is to set up a number. Because of this, SaaStock has been an obvious contender for Aircall. It is a place to engage people who may not have even been looking for such a solution or hadn’t even realised their need. Carmel says “leads often times see the live demo and end up falling in love with the product and making the switch. This is why we continue to sponsor time after time”.

When SaaStock on Tour was announced and even before a word on the agenda was given, Carmel decided to sign up for a package of three further events.

The added access to local ecosystems such as London, Helsinki, Tel Aviv and others, through the same contact at SaaStock was priceless. So much so that the contract was signed before year end of 2017.

“In my experience, the SaaStock team is easy-going, clear and responsive. There has always been the willingness of the team to help, without any unwanted surprises.”

Carmel knew how SaaStock worked, who the people were that were going to be attracted and that it was going to be a successful ordeal. The decision was easy and gave her much needed headspace to focus on making sure Aircall is recognised as the best phone system brand in Europe and beyond.

Unmatched access to the community: Chargebee

In the world according to Chargebee founder Krish Subramanian, cold calls are unacceptable. The billing company hailing from Chennai never communicates to anyone without explicitly asking for permission first. Building trust is essential and in an ideal world that means meeting everyone face to face. However, at a $100–1000 price point, Chargebee rarely can do that.

Warm introductions and community engagement become essential. When SaaStock was born in 2016 coming over to Dublin and supporting it was a no brainer. It was a chance to meet in person all those people that Krish had exchanged emails with. People that would become partners and customers.

He couldn’t have anticipated the warmth with which the community greeted him. From the high-five that Patrick Campbell of ProfitWell gave him from across the hall for a blog post he had loved reading a year before, through to the chat with ChartMoguls’s Nick Franklin over breakfast ending up with an agreed integration between the two solutions all the way to Nicola Anderson’s convivial warmth that would result not simply in an integration with GoCardless but also a series of co-hosted dinners and parties between the two companies.

Bringing the Chargebee team to SaaStock17 and nurturing the partnerships into friendships felt truly fulfilling. Having specifically asked to be beside each other with GoCardless, they supported one another, pitched for each over and mixed all that with a good bit of banter.

Having the chance to meet customers was priceless. At the booth but also at fringe events, they talked and connected.

“When you have made the effort to go meet them in their hometown, either in Dublin or in one of the On tour cities, they are so delighted to see you.”

The rapport Chargebee would build was incredible. It was krish’s dream to cross the boundary of him simply selling and them simply using the product. The relationship would be transformed forever.

“You cannot put a dollar value to that relationship and what it’s going to do to your customer interactions. “

And then there were the deep conversation Chargebee had with people about their challenges. That began before the doors of the RDS even opened, by hosting one of the infamous Dublin pub crawls. Many of the people they met on the night would drop by the Chargebee booth the following days. It was unmatched to any prospect profiling, a term Chargebee never uses anyway.

“There is no way to have proxy for direct contact. The dynamic and sincerity of the conversation when someone walks over to you, open and willing to share what their challenges are, is fundamentally different. The validation that comes from such a personal interaction, changes the entire team.”

Beyond SaaStock18, Chargebee is now joining us for five SaaStock on Tour events.

Being with the family for all the right reasons: Youcanbook.me

Here is what CEO of YouCanBook.me Bridget Harris who first partnered with us for SaaStock17 and then did so again for SaaStock on Tour London, had to say about a day spent at SaaStock