TL;DR

How to use crypto side events to attract the right Web3 audience without competing for attention at crowded conferences by designing experiences that drive measurable marketing impact across brand awareness, engagement, and community growth KPIs.

Many major Crypto events are now simply battlegrounds for attention. Over 100 brands can be competing to reach you, and in many cases, to reach other attendees, all on the same floor at the same time. On top of this competition, attendees will typically visit each booth and collect swag, as well as hand out or collect business cards; the cycle is repeated every hour.

These interactions rarely become meaningful relationships. Conversations stay surface-level because the environment doesn't support depth. Loud music competes with neighboring booths. People are distracted by constant movement around them, a challenge clearly outlined by this Web3 marketing research.

Brand recall suffers in this chaos. Attendees meet dozens of brands in one day. Most blur together by evening. Follow-up opportunities vanish when the conference ends.

Side events eliminate this problem from a structural standpoint. Side events provide a way to take the conversation away from the chaotic exhibit floor into a controlled environment where attendees can engage in meaningful discussions about their interests, a shift increasingly executed by projects through this online and offline event growth reference.

The shift matters. You're no longer one booth among hundreds. You become the host of an experience people chose to attend.

What Makes Side Events Different

Side events are invite-only gatherings held offsite during major conferences. They give hosts complete control over guest lists, format, timing, and experience design.

This control is the key difference. You don't hope for quality conversations. You architect the conditions that make them likely.

Perception of brands shifts immediately. Brands are viewed as an ecosystem participant rather than a promoter, a repositioning informed by this community-building guide. The value in what you are doing is through your ability to host valuable conversations versus simply distributing merchandise.

The new position in relationship development will allow for a deeper connection with founders, builders, investors and partners. When you have created this intentional environment, the conversation begins with trust rather than skepticism.

Five Types of Crypto Side Events

1. Community Meet-Ups

Meet-up's are small informal get-togethers, where community members can interact with the project team. Meetup's typically succeed when there has been an established user base prior to the meetup. Meetup's purpose is to strengthen the relationship between you and your user-base.

• Format: 15-30 people, informal setting (casual), team member(s) will walk the room interacting one on one with attendees.

• Duration: 2-3 hour(s) of flexible arrival times.

2. Workshops & Hands On Sessions

Hands-on learning sessions using a product in "real-time". At the end of the workshop attendee(s) will have hands-on knowledge/ability with the product that they did not have previously.

• Format: Laptops required, 20 person max, step-by-step instructions provided by support staff.

• Duration: 90 minute(s) of learning, followed by 30 minutes of networking.

3. Experience Based Brand Events

Brand events where attendees can directly experience your brand as opposed to being told about it. Examples include art showcases, gaming night, interactive demo, product popup, etc.

• Format: Open flow through event space with stations/activities, very little if no formal presentations, attendees are free to roam and interact with stations/activities.

• Duration: 3-4 hours allowing attendees to arrive and depart at their own leisure.

4. Community Roundtable

Community roundtables consist of a group of attendees who discuss topics related to your product/service and provide feedback to show your company is actively listening to the needs of your customer base.

• Format: 12-15 people seated in a circle or around a table, use structured questions to start the conversation then allow for open discussion.

• Duration: 90 minutes, attendees will be engaged and providing feedback throughout this time period.

5. Brand Summit

A private gathering of your top users, creators and partners. Your objective is to build loyalty among those who are most involved in your product/service ecosystem.

• Format: 4-6 hours of either a full day or half day, combination of presentations and discussions, exclusive announcement(s)/preview(s).

• Duration: 4-6 hours of content, including food and beverage..

Choosing the Right Main Conference

Side events only work when the main conference attracts your target audience. Execution quality cannot fix a misaligned conference choice.

Start by defining your ideal customer profile. Be specific. "Crypto users" is too broad. "DeFi protocol founders raising Series A" is actionable.

Review past conference data systematically. Check speaker lineups from previous years. Read attendee recaps on Twitter and LinkedIn. Look at which companies sponsored booths.

Analyze the sponsor list carefully. Sponsors signal ecosystem composition. If your competitors sponsor, the audience likely includes your targets. If completely different sectors dominate, reconsider.

Check previous side event listings. Conferences publish these or attendees share them. The types of side events tell you what worked and who attended, a process commonly guided by crypto marketing strategy.

Conference Selection Examples

• Token2049 is for institutional investors and existing projects. It has strong potential for B2B partnerships and fundraising discussions.

• Consensus has a broad audience of both enterprise and traditional finance in cryptocurrency. Has good potential for mainstream positioning.

• EthCC is focused primarily on Ethereum developers and builders. This has the most potential for technical products and infrastructure plays.

• Devcon is the core Ethereum community and research-focused. Has the most potential for protocol-level innovation and for very technical conversations.

Match your product and goals to the conference's natural audience.

Building a High-Quality Guest List

Guest selection determines success more than any other factor. Quality beats volume. Relevance beats reach.

Get Officially Listed First

Get your event registered with the official list for the conference, submit an event to the conference's official side events web page and create an official event page on Luma, this is one of the best ways to provide an anchor point for your event inside the overall conference ecosystem. This is where your event will gain credibility, organically discovered by conference attendees and social proof that your event is part of the official conference experience as opposed to just a separate gathering.

The process to get officially listed as a side event follows:

• Find the official side event submissions page/web-form through the main conference website.

• Fill out all required fields for your side event listing early (clearly indicate a Title, Description, Date/Time and Venue).

• Match your side event details in Luma to those you used for your submission to ensure the data is consistent across both platforms.

• Configure your side event registration & approvals for Luma based on your desired guest curation model.

• Verify your event has been properly displayed on the official conference website and Luma after being approved.

After being officially listed as a side event, you will have organic exposure to potential guests who are browsing the official side event pages to organize their agendas leading up to and at the conference. Visibility here increases attendee confidence in attending your event and makes them more willing to RSVP prior to receiving any personalized invites/promotional emails.

TOKEN2049 Singapore is a good example of how side events that were listed on the official website and held on Luma received immediate visibility and credibility. Daily agenda planning created an organic source of RSVPs to side events listed on the official website and Luma before any personalized invites/promo emails were sent.

Use Conference Apps for Selective Outreach

Most major conferences provide attendee apps with search functionality. Download it as soon as available.

Browse registered participants systematically. Filter by job title, company, and speaker status. Speaking at the conference signals thought leadership and influence.

Create a shortlist of high-value profiles. Then invite them personally through the app's messaging feature or their listed contact information.

Timing matters here. Top-tier attendees receive dozens of invitations. Start outreach 4-6 weeks before the conference. Their calendars fill quickly.

Invite Your Existing Audience

Send curated invitations to your email list. Share in community channels like Discord or Telegram. Reach out to partners and portfolio companies directly.

These people already understand your brand. They're more likely to attend and more likely to bring valuable connections. They also help fill the room if new outreach underperforms.

Balance how many new people you meet at events to how many you already know. The goal is to have about 60 percent new contacts and 40 percent contacts you've seen before. This will create a network effect as they connect with each other during the event.

Controlled Registration Protects Brand Quality

Opening up registration for an event causes it to be less likely to go well. Since anyone can register for the event, regardless of if they are relevant to what the event is about, you don't have any control over who is going to attend.

Registration that is controlled by you makes sure that everyone attending the event is aligned in terms of the type of people you want to interact with. Everyone attending is exactly who you want them to be and therefore the event remains on focus.

Implementation Details

Create an application form that specifically asks the applicant to identify their role in their organization, what company they work for and their current focus of work. Include "What are your reasons for attending this event?" as a mandatory question.

This will allow you to determine why someone wants to attend. Those looking to get into events for free will provide vague answers. Those attending because they actually have an interest in your industry will provide well thought out answers.

Manually review all applications. Accept those that obviously meet your target profile. Reject the rest politely (or at least, put them on a waiting list for one of your future events).

Manual acceptance will take some time but protecting the value of your event and position of your brand is worth the investment. One attendee who does not align with the intended audience could disrupt conversations for the remainder of your attendees.

Platform Selection

Luma handles controlled registration well. It shows pending approvals, sends automated confirmations, and manages waitlists. The interface works smoothly.

Google Forms also works if you manually track approvals in a spreadsheet. Less elegant but functional for smaller events.

Typeform creates professional-looking forms with conditional logic. Good for complex qualification criteria.

Choose based on your team's workflow preferences and technical comfort.

Venue Selection Shapes Conversation Quality

The venue directly influences how attendees experience your brand. It also determines whether meaningful conversations actually happen.

Critical Criteria

Proximity: Walking distance from the main conference venue. Attendees won't travel 30 minutes for a 90-minute event. They have back-to-back sessions all day.

Capacity: Smaller feels intimate and focused. Larger becomes another crowded room but still manageable based on the event’s purpose.

Acoustics: Quiet environment where people can hear each other. No blaring music from bars next door. No echo-heavy rooms.

Seating: Comfortable chairs or couches, not standing-only. Seated conversations last longer and go deeper.

Ambiance: Lighting matters. Too dark feels like a nightclub. Too bright feels corporate. Aim for warm, professional.

Venue Types by Audience

For institutional or high-profile audiences

Use a venue that is of premium quality for an institutional or high-profile audience to demonstrate that you are at their level. Use a five-star lobby, a private dining room, or a rooftop area for this type of event.

For developer-focused events

If your event is developer focused, use a tech-savvy co-working space or a modern office lounge. Developers do not place as much emphasis on "flash" as they do on functionality.

For community events

Use a casual restaurant with a private room, a brewery that has event space available, or a local cultural center for a community event. This will make it seem like you are trying to be inclusive, not exclusive.

For VIP summits

Use a private home, an exclusive club, or a unique location (i.e. the top of a skyscraper) for a VIP summit. Using something that is scarce and unique reinforces that you are inviting people who are part of a select group.

Book your venue 6-8 weeks prior to your event. Spaces that are close to major conference centers can become booked quickly. Also, have some backup plans.

Designing for Interaction, Not Broadcasting

Side event failure often occurs when it becomes simply an opportunity for presentations rather than a way of creating meaningful interactions as opposed to just being an audience to listen to someone speak.

People didn't come here to see your slide show; they came here to meet people that are important to the

Effective Structure

Begin by introducing your host. Explain why you are organizing the event and how you envision attendees gaining from it. Don't reference a product; just provide context.

Avoid showing your slide deck altogether. Slides (and by extension, PowerPoint) are likely to destroy your conversation momentum. They typically create an impression that we will be talking, but you will be listening.

Create an opportunity for participants to have either a structured group discussion or facilitated, open-ended networking. Provide participants with both permission and structure to participate.

Example: "We have all created products in DeFi. Go around and tell me one problem you are experiencing today." This would immediately begin the conversation among attendees.

Format Matching by Audience Type

DeFi Projects

The best way to do roundtable conversations is to sit in a seated circle and have a structured conversation, with every one participating.

The topics of discussion are: liquidity challenges; navigating regulations; understanding market trends.

Infrastructure Brands

Meet up as builders with demonstration areas to show what you've built. People will be able to test your products hands on. Engineers want to look at code (not marketing).

Consumer Web3

Casual networking with some type of activity. Gaming tournaments, NFT minting stations, etc. Make an experience out of it.

Investment Focused

Fireside chat with a notable founder or investor. Followed by open question time. Then break into smaller groups for more specific conversations.

What to Avoid

• No sales pitches. Attendees can see a mile away when it's just another sales pitch and tune-out fast.

• Do not have lengthy executive speeches. A speech that is short is an indicator of respect for your attendee’s time.

• Do not force people to network at designated tables or use speed dating style formats. Allow for natural organic connections in structured time frames.

• Do not aggressively scan badges or capture leads. It communicates that you are concerned with metrics rather than building relationships.

Capturing Value While It Happens

Documentation matters during the event, not just after. Side events generate insights that shape future strategy.

This isn't about vanity metrics. It's about capturing context your team can use later.

What to Capture

The data generated from side events is used immediately, and will be used in future planning, as well.

It is not a vanity metric; it is a record of the context, for future reference by your team.

1. Attendee tracking

Track those who attended versus those who registered. Attendance patterns help you plan better for future events. There are patterns that emerge regarding which attendees (roles, etc.) tend to attend most frequently.

2. Tracking interaction

Who spoke with whom? If two founders interacted with each other, there may be a partnership opportunity emerging. If competitors are talking, there may be an acquisition opportunity.

3. Identifying major conversation themes

What were the primary subject areas of conversation? Which specific questions were asked repeatedly? Which issues were mentioned multiple times?

4. Follow-up requests

Was anyone requesting an introduction to another person? Were they asking for documentation? Would they like to set up a deeper technical conversation at some point?

5. Engagement/ Sentiment indicators

How engaged were the attendees? Were they present for the entire event? Were their conversations continuing when the event officially concluded?

Capture Methods

Have one person on your team serve as the official note taker (they should not be interacting/networking). The note taker observes, documents all that is happening at the event.

Voice memos can be used to quickly capture an observation about the event while you are there. Later transcribe those memos.

While taking photos of attendees is fine, do not take too many. Capture a good 10-15 that show the event's atmosphere, not the attendees. Taking too many photos creates an intrusive environment.

Record the name and contact info of every person you meet immediately after meeting them. This eliminates confusion about who is who, and prevents you from losing potential contacts. Teams have also used simple Notion templates with fields for each attendee and their top talking point(s), or Google Docs with timestamps for each note taken. Choose the system your team will actually stick with.

Post-Event Follow-Up Finalizes the Impression

How you're remembered gets determined after the event ends. Not during it.

The quality of follow-up separates brands that build relationships from brands that host one-off events.

Follow-Up Timeline

Within 24 hours: Thank you personally with an email reference to one of the conversation topics discussed during the meeting. The example above ("I really enjoyed our discussion about MEV protection") is better than simply saying "thank you for attending".

Days 2-3: Send a few (max. 8) curated photos from the event. Sending too many photos can be seen as spam. Add a short summary of what were the most important points of discussion.

During Week 1: Continue any conversations you had with people in person at the event. For example, if someone said something was challenging, send them a relevant resource. If someone asked you for an introduction, do it.

Weeks 2-4: Ask attendees to participate in future events, private meetings, or exclusive offers. Don't let the momentum slow down.

What Works in Follow-Up

Personal messages beat mass emails every time. Even template messages should include one personalized sentence referencing your actual interaction.

Offer value before asking for anything. Share insights, make introductions, or provide exclusive access to something useful.

Use the channels people actually check. Telegram works well in crypto. LinkedIn for professional connections. Email for formal follow-up. Match the medium to the relationship.

Keep messages brief. Respect that everyone is busy processing dozens of connections from the conference.

What to Avoid

• Generic bulk emails that could have gone to anyone. They get ignored or deleted.

• Immediate sales pitches. You just met these people. Build relationship first.

• Too many follow-ups too quickly. One follow-up per week maximum unless they respond.

• Failing to follow up at all. This wastes all the effort you invested in the event itself.

Sharing Internally

Pass attendee insights to your sales or partnerships team. Include context about what each person is working on and why they attended.

"John from Protocol X attended. He's focused on institutional custody solutions and mentioned wanting better MEV protection. Potential integration partner."

This enables aligned follow-up across your organization. Marketing isn't making promises that partnerships can't deliver.

Real Example: OKX at TOKEN2049 Singapore

The multi-day event was strategically scheduled during the TOKEN2049 in Singapore. The event demonstrated strategic event sequencing by creating an opportunity for each attendee to experience a different part of the OKX ecosystem.

Day 1

A private, invite-only networking event was held for OKX's current partners and top ecosystem players (Day 1). The focus is on deepening relationships rather than expanding them.

• The venue was an exclusive rooftop area, limited to no more than thirty guests per evening and a formal seated dinner format.

• The purpose of the event was to build upon the partnerships that have already been developed by OKX and to be able to communicate new initiatives to these same stakeholders on a private basis.

Day 2

Hands-on workshops were presented to the developer community (Day 2) on the tools used for trading on the OKX platform, such as the APIs.

• A tech-focused co-working space was selected as the venue for the event, which included approximately forty attendees who would need their laptops with them.

• The goal of the event was to enable the developers to work with the tools provided by OKX and to understand how the OKX tools can be integrated into their applications.

Day 3

A broader community event featuring panels discussing the trends in the markets and the future of the industry was conducted for the developer community (Day 3).

• The event took place in a central hotel conference room, where there were approximately sixty attendees participating in a combination of presentations and open forums.

• The goal of the event was to position OKX as a thought leader in the crypto space, while also engaging with a larger portion of the overall community.

Strategic Impact:

OKX had the ability to target different segments of the community with each day of the event. First, the partners, next the builders, and finally the entire community. This allowed for multiple points of contact to occur without creating fatigue due to overlapping audiences.

As well, the sequence of events helped to build momentum. The partnership announcements made on Day 1 helped to generate interest in the technical aspects of the OKX tools on Day 2. And, the technical knowledge gained from working with the OKX tools on Day 2 helped to inform the discussions regarding the direction of the market and the industry as a whole that occurred on Day 3.

Additionally, OKX established itself as a leader within the ecosystem, not simply an exchange operator. The focus of the OKX strategy has always been on building relationships, not solely on driving foot traffic to booths.

Finally, the total number of people reached with the OKX multi-day series exceeded the total number of people reached through a single event, as each of the individual events resulted in spikes in attendance. With a single event, you are limited to being able to be present in the minds of your audience for a short period of time. However, with a multi-day series of events, you are able to maintain a level of visibility throughout the duration of the entire event.

In conclusion, the multi-day coordinated strategy that was implemented by OKX required significantly more planning and coordination than a single event, but it produced significantly greater returns.

Why Side Events Build Long-Term Brands

Side events build trust through presence and shared experience. Not through promotional messaging.

When you host a valuable gathering, attendees remember how they felt. They remember who made it happen. This shapes reputation in ways booths cannot replicate.

The mechanism is simple. People trust those who bring value without immediate ask. Side events demonstrate investment in the ecosystem itself.

Relationship Compound Effects

First side event creates initial connections. Second event with same people deepens them. Third event turns connections into genuine relationships.

Consistency matters as much as execution quality. Brands that host quality events regularly become known for showing up. Others remember this.

Network effects multiply over time. Attendees introduce others to your future events. "You should come to their next one, last time was valuable."

This sustained presence builds the trust Web3 brands need for long-term success. Quick wins fade. Relationships compound.

Positioning Benefits

Side events position you as ecosystem participant rather than vendor. The distinction matters in Web3.

Vendors extract value. Participants add value. Hosting demonstrates which category you belong to.

This positioning opens partnership conversations that would never happen from cold outreach. You've already proven alignment through actions.

Industry respect follows from consistent presence at the right events with the right people. No amount of marketing budget can buy this. You earn it through sustained effort.

Measuring Side Event Success

Traditional metrics don't capture side event value well. Attendee count tells you almost nothing about quality.

Better metrics focus on relationship quality and business outcomes.

During-Event Metrics

Attendance Rate: (Registered vs Actual) A healthy event will have a 60-70% Show Rate. An elevated rate is a good indicator that there are many interested parties. A lower rate may indicate guest list or timing issues with your event.

Average Stay Time: How long does each person attend for? If everyone attends all of the way through to the end of the event, it is a good sign that they were very engaged in the content. However, if there is an early departure from the event, it may be indicative of some issue with the format.

Conversation Depth: Is the conversation going on for a long time or is it just a quick hello/goodbye? The length of the conversation is a great indicator of the quality of the conversation that is taking place.

Number of Attendees Requesting Follow Up: How many attendees request further information about the next steps at the event? A large number of attendees requesting follow up would be a great indicator of their interest.

Post-Event Metrics

Response Rate for Follow-Up Outreach: Percent of people who respond to your outreach efforts. A good response rate for follow-up outreach is 40% or higher; a low response rate (less than 20%) indicates that you do not have a very good connection with your audience.

Conversion of Meetings: The number of people who convert from meeting requests to actual scheduled calls/meetings. A good conversion rate for high-quality meetings is 10-15%. This represents the number of attendees who are engaged enough to take the next step in your relationship-building process.

Partnership Discussions: Number of attendees who begin having active partnership discussions. Two to three high-quality partnership discussion opportunities justify the time and effort you put into hosting an event.

Growth of Your Community: Number of attendees who opt-in to receive information about your community by joining your Discord, Telegram, or newsletter. People who opt-in represent those who are genuinely interested in learning more about your community.

Long-Term Metrics

Relationship lifespan: Track how long connections remain active. Quality relationships last quarters or years.

Deal attribution: Which partnerships or customers originated from side events? Follow the thread from introduction to close.

Repeat attendance: Do people come to your next event? Repeat attendance proves value delivery.

Referral rate: How many attendees bring colleagues to future events? Referrals signal trust.

Focus on these indicators rather than vanity metrics. One strategic partnership outweighs 100 business cards collected.

Common Side Event Mistakes to Avoid

Problem 1: Open Registration

When all comers can register to attend your event, you risk destroying the overall quality of that event. This is because one, or two, poorly aligned participants can ruin a whole conversation for the rest of the participants.

Solution: Set up a manual registration system where potential attendees have to be approved before they get into an event. Be ruthless about protecting the quality of your events.

Problem 2: Venue too far from main conference.

When it takes 20+ minutes for attendees to arrive at the venue from the main conference, it's unlikely they will attend. The schedules of conferences are already so full.

Solution: Pick a location for your venue that is within a five to ten-minute walking distance. It has a dramatic effect on attendance.

Problem 3: Using Your Event as a Sales Pitch

You'll break trust immediately if you turn your event into a sales pitch for your product. That's why people came; they want to learn about value, not listen to a pitch.

Solution: Value delivery, not pitches; value delivery is also the way to start a real conversation. And if those conversations continue naturally in a sales process after that - so much better.

Problem 4: Poor Follow Up

It would be wasted effort if you host an amazing event and fail to follow through afterwards. All of that work will have been for nothing if relationships don't get nurtured.

Solution: Send personalized follow ups within 24 hours of the event. Use the event as a starting point for the conversations that happened.

Problem 5: Incorrect Event Style for Audiences

Developer audiences do not want a party like a cocktail party. Investor audiences do not want to attend a technical workshop. The wrong style of an event can kill the interest of attendees.

Solution: Match the style of your event to how you believe your particular type of audience wants to be engaged with.

Problem 6: Over Inviting

When you invite 100 potential attendees for the hope that 30 will attend, it is very possible that you will end up having 60 attendees at your event. Your 40 attendee venue is now too crowded.

Solution: Manage the amount of attendees for your events to ensure there is enough space. It is better to have a wait list than to have too many attendees for the space available.

Problem 7: Lack of Clear Purpose

An event that does not have a clearly defined purpose or theme may seem to lack direction. The attendees may leave thinking about why they attended the event.

Solution: Clearly define the objectives of your event and communicate this objective. For example, if the topic is "MEV protection strategies", it communicates what the event will cover.

Budget Considerations and Cost Control

Side events don't require massive budgets. Strategic spending beats lavish spending.

Essential Budget Items

Rental of venue: $500 to $3,000, based upon whether the client is in a major or exclusive market; cities such as Singapore and Miami are the most expensive, while cities such as Bangkok and Lisbon are the least expensive.

Catering/food and beverages: The food and beverage costs can range from $30 to $80 per attendee; a light refreshment will be significantly cheaper than a full dinner.

Printing/marketing materials: These may be minimal; you'll likely need a simple name tag and possibly one page of an agenda. Total printing/marketing material expense should be in the range of $100 to $300.

Photography: If you hire a professional photographer at your event, the cost will typically be in the range of $200 to $500. It is worth the investment for use in post-event content.

Optional Budget Items

Premium venue upgrades: Rooftop versus ground floor, private room versus shared space. Adds $1,000-2,000 but improves perception.

Swag or gifts: Small, high-quality items appreciated more than cheap bulk items. $15-30 per person for quality.

Transportation: Shuttle service from main conference for venues slightly farther. $300-600 depending on distance.

Entertainment: Live music, art installation, or interactive elements. $500-2,000 if it fits brand.

Budget Ranges by Event Type

• Community meetup: $1,500 - $4,000; 30 attendees

• Workshop session: $2,000 - $5,000; 25 attendees

• Experiential event: $3,000 - $8,000; 40 attendees

• Roundtable discussion: $2,500 - $6,000; 15 attendees

• Brand Summit: $8,000 - $20,000; 50 attendees

Planning Timeline for Side Events

8-10 Weeks Before Conference

• Define event purpose and target audience

• Select main conference to align with

• Begin venue research and outreach

• Create initial budget estimates

6-8 Weeks Before Conference

• Secure venue booking and confirm details

• Get listed on official conference side events page

• Set up registration form and landing page

• Create initial guest list from conference app

• Design event format and rough agenda

4-6 Weeks Before Conference

• Launch registration and begin promotion

• Start direct outreach to high-priority attendees

• Confirm co-hosting partners if applicable

• Plan menu and finalize catering

• Arrange photographer and any A/V needs

2-4 Weeks Before Conference

• Review and approve all registrations

• Send calendar invites and detailed information to approved guests

• Prepare name tags and any materials

• Conduct venue walkthrough if possible

• Finalize agenda and speaking points

1 Week Before Conference

• Send reminder emails with venue details and parking/directions

• Confirm final headcount with venue and caterer

• Brief team members on roles and responsibilities

• Prepare note-taking templates and documentation tools

• Pack any materials or swag being brought

Day Before Event

• Venue setup and final checks

• Team briefing on goals and logistics

• Confirm photographer arrival time

• Review guest list and notable attendees

Event Day

• Arrive 45 minutes early for final setup

• Greet attendees personally as they arrive

• Facilitate introductions and conversations

• Document key moments and insights

• Capture photos throughout

Day After Event

• Send personal thank-you messages to all attendees

• Share highlights and photos

• Debrief with team on what worked and what didn't

• Begin follow-up conversations

Week After Event

• Continue specific follow-up based on individual conversations

• Share event recap in newsletter or social media

• Schedule meetings with high-priority connections

• Document learnings for next event

How TokenMinds Helps with Your Crypto Side Events

Our goal at TokenMinds is to help Web3 brands create impactful Crypto Side Events that help you build your brand and grow long-term. With your team we will identify the best conferences for your goals, clearly define what you are looking for in an event, invite the right people to be there, and design a format for the event that allows for meaningful conversation instead of just surface level connections.

In addition to supporting the execution of your side events, Token Minds provides support throughout all stages of the event process (from registration to post event follow up and tracking) to transform side events from single use marketing initiatives to a repeatable and scalable growth engine that builds trust within your community and ultimately creates compounded value for your brand over time.

Conclusion

Side events outperform traditional conference marketing because they give brands control. Control over who attends, how long conversations last, and what impression remains. In Web3, relationships and alignment drive success more than surface-level exposure. This control is strategically valuable.

When executed well, side events create conditions for real relationships to form. They position brands as ecosystem participants rather than vendors. They enable deeper conversations than conference floors allow. They generate insights that shape future strategy.

This makes them a strategic brand investment rather than a short-term marketing tactic. The brands that win in Web3 are the ones that show up consistently, add value genuinely, and build relationships patiently. Side events enable all three.

Schedule a complimentary consultation with TokenMinds to explore how your Web3 brand can design and execute crypto side events that drive meaningful relationships, strategic partnerships, and lasting ecosystem presence.

FAQ

Why are crypto side events more impactful than exhibiting at conferences?

When you exhibit at conferences there are too many competing voices, and therefore you have very short conversations that may be easily forgotten. On the other hand, with side events you create an environment for attendees to participate in, and they have the opportunity to discuss topics more in-depth which leads to better brand recognition.

How can side events result in long term brand equity as opposed to a short term marketing hype?

With side events, brands generate trust through the common experiences created by the side event as opposed to simply selling themselves. As a result of continually hosting relevant side events, brands are viewed as participants in their ecosystems and this creates lasting relationships and repeat engagement.

What is the single most important element to creating a successful side event?

Quality of guests is much more important than the number of guests or budget of the event. Smaller groups provide better opportunities for focused discussion, whereas, open registration typically dilutes the relevance and value of the event.

How can brands determine the correct conference(s) to hold side events?

The primary conference needs to draw your target audience. Researching past speakers, sponsors, and past side event activities are good ways to evaluate whether the attendees are the right fit.

What is the largest mistake that brands can make when hosting side events?

Converting the side event into a sales pitch can be damaging to trust quickly. Brands are able to foster longer conversations when they focus on creating an environment for meaningful dialogue, rather than using it as an opportunity to sell.

How can the success of side events be evaluated?

Conversation depth, follow-up response rates, repeat attendance, and potential partnerships are all better metrics for evaluating the success of side events than just the number of attendees.