‘We make the difference because we’re also living founder lives’

In 2019, the Financial Times acquired media company The Next Web (TNW). Zach Butler from TNW Events explains how they ensure ROI for sponsors and highlights the benefits of this partnership.

In 2006, co-founders Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten and Patrick de Laive launched The Next Web as a conference to celebrate technological progress. The launch of the eponymous tech website was centred around the same goal.

In 2019, the Financial Times acquired a controlling stake, becoming the owner of the news site and the events. TNW currently consists of four pillars: events (including the ones in Amsterdam and Valencia), knowledge (TNW is an incubator, community and matchmaker with investors for start-ups), media (about one million readers a month read about tech news), and buildings (co-working spaces in Amsterdam, where more than 100 start-ups are located). The company currently employs 60 people.

We spoke to Zach Butler, Director of TNW Events, about TNW’s future ambitions. “I’ve been working in the event world for a long time, and TNW hired me to further professionalise the events and launch new TNW events in the rest of Europe.”

Journalistic approach

FT journalists’ performances during the events were particularly noteworthy. Last year, the author of this story attended several TNW lectures, and the journalistic approach worked refreshingly well. Speakers clearly couldn’t get away with dull sales pitches, as fairly tough journalists asked critical questions on stage.

“It’s nice that we get the real information out of people on stage,” says Butler. “That’s because we know through our media channels what people want to hear, and we also put a lot of time into preparing so that people don’t give a corporate story but a real story. That’s why there are speakers who sometimes tell boring stories elsewhere but have fun on stage with us. The point is that after two days of visiting the festival, our audience can read more about everything they saw on stage on the TNW site.”

Big change

The integration between events and content on the site is a big change compared to the past, Butler explains. “We’ve brought together the content on the site and what happens at the events.”

And it’s an interesting change because only when media and events have a joint mission can they strengthen each other. “The site’s content was a lot about game companies and small developers, while the events were more about fintech, innovation and AI. We had to realign that by returning to our core mission: helping start-ups grow their businesses. Not by giving money, but by acting as a platform between start-ups and investors. That’s what the event should be about, and the content as well.”

Have you distinguished yourself by adding a journalistic element?

“I truly believe in the power of events, and the post-corona period has shown that there’s a great need for them. TNW is more than an event company; it provides knowledge and inspiration and connects start-ups to investors. If there were a better means than through events or media, we would do that, too. We make the difference because we’re also living founder lives. As a result, we have a special bond with our audience.”

So the conferences are only a means?

“Yes, they are. In the co-working spaces, we also organise about 50 mini-events a year for our community, from drinks to a round table. We’re always building relationships, and that’s exactly what happens more intensely during our events, giving people new energy and connections to tackle another year. It’s actually a way to celebrate that hard work.”

So the audience also expects proper content from you during events because you’re start-up specialists?

“Of course we also have sponsors who speak on stage, but we always keep an eye on what the audience needs, and that’s the content. Sure, there’s always a sales motive behind a story somewhere, but it’s up to us to help speakers shape a proper story so that people really learn something. What matters is that we always make an effort to turn a good event into a great experience that people will remember.”

You indeed work with a lot of sponsors. What do they want nowadays?

“The importance of the ROI of every euro that companies spend has definitely increased. Sponsors like to associate themselves with our brand but also have bigger, more direct goals, such as generating leads and building thought leadership. We help companies with this by organising events such as round tables. We also help our clients produce reports so that they have hard data. It’s still difficult to measure effects, but we now have customer success teams to help us do this.”

Can you give me an example of a successful collaboration?

“What we do more and more is advise clients not to reserve a standard spot on the exhibition floor but rather to develop a sound programme. We work more proactively because if you always just send an invoice without looking at the effects, the relationship will dilute. In the case of a specific client, we focused more on a certain part of our audience and started building a sound programme. These types of programmes are now growing along with events. I just want to say that we need to know the sponsors’ goals and link them to the audience that we know better than anyone else.”

Does good data help with this?

“Of course, we know a lot, but we have to adhere to the GDPR.”

Are you still able to grow?

“We think that this year’s Amsterdam event will have a big audience like before the corona period. However, it’s not so much about the quantity; it’s about the quality of the people who attend. My mission was always about the right mix of visitors, not just launching a large event.

For instance, it’s important that many corporate professionals come because it makes it interesting for start-ups to speak. Last year, about 40 percent of visitors worked at a corporation, and that has doubled since the corona period.”

What impression of your brand do you want visitors to get?

“Our motto is ‘the heart of tech’ because technology is important, although in the end, it’s always about people. A ticket is quite an investment, and we hope to inspire visitors with stories that have the potential to change their lives. There are so many stories of connections between people that have happened during TNW, from new businesses to marriages, and those connections are much more important than the business part.”

What are the key moments of the 2024 line-up?

“This year, we have many top speakers again, such as Glenn Fogel, the CEO of Booking.com; David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done; Blythe Masters, a founding partner at Motive Partners; and Sadira E. Furlow, the Chief of Global Brand and Communications at Tony’s Chocolonely. There are many more fantastic speakers within themes such as Ren-AI-ssance, Next in Tech and Finance Disrupted. And once again, we have a great festival site, a programme full of side events, and many other experiences because that’s what we’re known for.”