We’ve just spent the week working with the 13 Irish companies at the Enterprise Ireland Stand at Microsoft’s World Partner Conference in LA. That’s not counting the 20 or so other Irish Software companies that also attended the event. It’s a big conference (about 15,000 attendees from around the world) and the quality of the people that we met was equally impressive.
From an ‘Ireland Inc’ point of view, what struck me how many people that knew about our current economic situation, but also how many people knew about the shining star that is the Irish Software sector. Invariably, these conversations were followed by a question ‘how can we help?’.
On a more personal note, I wanted to capture my thoughts on what worked, what didn’t work for the companies while it’s still fresh in my mind;
- Know why you’re going; Going to an event like WPC isn’t cheap – a week of your time, even before conference ticket and travel costs. Be very clear about why you’re attending and who you need to meet. Answers ranged from Market Research, to initial partner contacts, to seal relationships built online in the previous 12 months. (more…)
