Alex Revich’s Post

Experts talk to experts. Experts, listen to experts, because we have to continue to build on our knowledge. Some of us started three years ago, and some of us started eight years ago, and some of us started 10 years ago. As I reflect on being at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference this week, I notice a very small percentage of people of color in attendance. It could've been the price of the tickets, because they were pricey. But I'm pretty sure everyone who paid for a ticket was exposed to enough knowledge and able to network with the right people. They gained so much from that experience that it was worth the money. When you buy tickets to events and spend your money, you are investing in yourself. I remember eight years ago I paid $1200 for some classes to learn about cannabis and this business I wanted to get into. So when people come up to me and ask how do I get started or where do you start? My first answer is always to network - go to events, make new friends, schedule meetings. I went to Benzinga on a mission. I wrote myself a list of folks I wanted to talk to. I wrote some goals. I achieved some, some I didn’t achieve, but overall that experience is needed in this industry. I listened to one panel on pre-rolls, and I happen to be a pre-roll lover. The founders were there, the CEOs were there. So I’m sitting in a crowd learning from another CEO and taking notes so I can perfect what I’m doing in business. You have to show up for yourself. You have to invest in yourself if you want to thrive in any business. It’s going to require education, it’s going to require knowledge, and it’s gonna require you to spend some money on yourself. I hope this post will encourage you to invest in yourself. When you see me host an event, make sure you’re there. Most of my events are free. We want you to have this knowledge. We want you to share our stories. We want to prevent you from making the same mistakes we made. But if you ain't there, there’s nothing we can do about it. It's hard seeing Black people say they've been shut out of the industry when they don't show up to the different free events I host. If you don't come to the free events, if you don't come to the paid events, do you think this knowledge is going to fall from the air? Come on people, let's get it together. Let's invest in our knowledge and let's move in this fast growing industry. I regret not going to any after parties. I definitely thought I would be able to but Mommy duties called. I hope everyone gained something from this experience. I certainly have. Goodnight my good people Your She-E-O

When history meets networking: How Vienna's balls offer more than a dance. 💃 Many might think that my work revolves around numbers and startup pitches. It does! But it also includes a lot of great events like conferences, investor & founder meet-ups and dinners. Add one more event category: Balls! ✨ Saturday night at the TC ball, I was reminded that Vienna's balls are more than just grand events. They're a cultural dance with networking. Here's what makes these balls special: - The atmosphere is breathtaking. Imagine being surrounded by history, with every corner telling a story. - It's a networking haven. Different balls are organized by specific business and social clubs, making it easy to connect with like-minded individuals. - Connect with your peers in a very special setting, yet vibrant atmosphere. So if you're in Vienna during the ball season, don't miss out on this unique tradition. It's where the past meets the present to create a future full of possibilities. Thanks Marco, Hannah and Martin for this special night! 🪩 Are you planning on going to any balls this year? The next one for me is the "Ball der Wiener Wirtschaft" on Friday. 🙌 #ViennaBalls #Networking #VentureCapital

Heading to NYC bright and early. Lithuanian and US VCs making some new friends. I will be running a workshop for Lithuania founders discussing lessons learned building international companies in the US. Will be covering topics of regulatory compliance, taxation, communication and cultural differences, and other topics important to my brothers and sisters from my Homeland. #PatrioticCapitalism #važiuojam!

No money? No problem. Here's how I attended some of the biggest conferences like SXSW, Inbound, and Cannes this year for FREE. Conference season is upon us, and the opportunity to network, learn, and grow is at its peak. And for most people it's also a big investment of time, energy and resources like..money. This year, so far, I attended CES, SXSW, Real Screen, Essence Festival, Cannes Festival Of Creativity, Small Ad Agency Conference, ABFF and Inbound at no cost. All tickets are collectively valued at $14,635.00. And now my knowledge of the industry is greater, my network is stronger and I've tapped into career opportunities I once dreamed about. This all balls down to the power of relationships. Human currency is the greatest currency! Here's how I did it... 1. Value Exchange: I engage in mutually beneficial arrangements with event organizers, offering my skills or resources in exchange for a ticket. This not only granted me access but also forged valuable connections. The world thrives on value, and it's a two-way street. 2. Leveraging Relationships: Nurturing relationships is an investment that pays dividends in opportunities. In the business world, relationships are gold - much more valuable than money. I leveraged existing connections, built over time, and made the ask. 3. Strategic Alliances: I'm a part of a lot of industry groups, associations, and spaces which often provides discounted or even complimentary access to events. These alliances not only save money but connect me with like-minded professionals.

Last week, I got 8 QUALIFIED LEADS from 4 different niches in just an hour. ↓ How? I attended a live event. We often overlook the power of live events in our pursuit to building an online presence. Here's the breakdown of the event👇 : 1️⃣ Attended a Networking Event in Spain ↓ The event was organized by the Association of Romanian Entrepreneurs in Andalusia Attendees: Entrepreneurs and Romanian Government representatives 2️⃣ Networking and Discussion ↓ Insights: Learned about their businesses, struggles and needs and realized how many niches need help with their online presence (other than tech businesses) 3️⃣ Brainstorming Session ↓ Goal: Come up with ideas to bring more visibility for the association Opportunity: Presented my idea for a digital transformation for the association Proposal: Turn the association into a proper brand with online visibility, a website, and a networking platform Reaction: Everyone was super excited about my ideas 4️⃣ Immediate Results ↓ Impact: 12+ entrepreneurs approached me during the first break Requests: They wanted to connect and improve the digital presence of their own businesses Note: I didn’t have a business card, but my ideas were the best business card ever 5️⃣ Key Takeaway ↓ Insight: You need 7 hours to build trust online (social media, videos, emails, etc.), but only 1 hour in person Lesson learned: I'll be attending many more live events from now on 🌟

OMR 2024: Was it »worth it« as a Founder? 🧐 OMR is over and once again they managed to turn Hamburg upside down for two consecutive days. But there has probably never been a year where opinions have been so mixed about whether attending the event is worth it or not. As a founder you have to carefully think about how to spend your time, and sometimes it’s worth it to invest time in things that don’t have an immediate tangible business effect. For me, the event is all about personal interactions. ✅ Seeing as many business partners as possible. ✅ Connecting with new people. ✅ Having a good time with friends. OMR had all of the above, so it was definitely worth attending for me. Another fun thing this year has been the side-events. There were a lot of pre-event activities, after-shows and community meetings which gave all of us more chances to connect. It was great having exciting conversations and meeting new people. Impressive what the OMR team put together once again! 💥 Have you been to OMR? What was your highlight?

Trade associations have a reputation for being monolithic organizations—they represent the whole of a major industry, busily advocating for its member companies but not looking far beyond that. A new survey, though, suggests that trade associations have been compelled to stretch more, and recognize that they’re just one piece in a larger value chain. The report, released earlier this month by Potomac Core Association Consulting, found that leaders are feeling generally more confident about their standing: 58 percent say they feel better about their association’s “overall situation,” compared to 51 percent in 2022. They’re more upbeat about their finances as well, with 66 percent saying revenue will improve compared to 2022. But to arrive at those good feelings, trade associations need to approach their work differently. According to the survey, 68 percent of executives are planning substantial new initiatives in the coming year, and strategic partnerships are among the most popular of them; 29 percent say it’s important to become “a strategic partner w/organizations to advance the industry,” just behind advocacy and awareness-building. That trend echoes the findings of a similar in 2021, which showed trade associations dedicating more energy to education, research, and awareness-building on top of their traditional advocacy role. Today, associations are building on that experience to develop partnerships throughout the supply chain that their industry operates in. By convening more organizations together, an association can develop a show of strength that is more likely to make headway in today’s partisan legislative environment. The study suggests that trade associations are also feeling more optimistic around meetings: 32 percent of respondents say that businesses in their association’s industry will send more employees to their flagship meeting, an 18 percent jump from 2022. But as with those good feelings around revenue, there’s some anxiety bubbling under the surface. “There are definitely more people going to conferences and more associations getting back to the way things were, but it’s not going to be the same as four or five years ago,” “There’s a higher requirement to get [travel] funds approved. Before, somebody might go to one meeting for networking, another for training and education, and a third one for sales. Now employers are looking for one that does all three. That’s one reason why some trade association execs are concerned and trying to make sure that their event is a go-to event. Because there are going to be some that are in trouble.” Dr. Monica Sood Bhatia Prasant Saha Novotel & HICC Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre Jio World Convention Centre Singapore Tourism Board Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre Glue Up Marina Bay Sands Shangri-La Bengaluru Prithvi Anand Monica Edara Sarah Wang Gaurav Bhatnagar Sri Lanka Convention Bureau Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center Hosted by #JWCC #IAC2024

How are you leveraging to maximize opportunity & growth🫢

UK Diaries 🇬🇧 ....100 Days in the UK: British networking is more fun and the London e-com community is more vibrant than Berlin! 🎨 Don't have to wear a tux every day but there certainly is something exciting happening in London every single day - far ahead of other cities like Berlin, Paris etc. It's been 35 days here now and I'm impressed with how open people are to connect, push intros, jump on spontaneous opportunities of meetings, hosting events etc. Just one example: Earlier this month, Peter-Paul Jr. Sasse-Brenninkmeijer and me decided to host some drinks for D2C investors and founders without any marketing, LinkedIn publicity or similar ... and within 48h + some Whatsapp messages, we had a cool crowd and meaningful conversations with brands and industry experts (Thanks Millen Wolde-Selassie Jimmy Dietz Luca Cartechini and others for bringing in your perspectives...and Benedikt Pestel, see you next time! 😊) What's different here? My hypothesis is that both the structure of the UK with London as super centralized hub with key people being 1 bike ride away + the maturity of the startup ecosystem (people move fast, pace through intros / contacts to see who's relevant, try new SaaS solutions etc.) really make the difference. Germany is much more dispersed with Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, NRW etc all being relevant hubs... Last but not least, British banter just makes conversations more fun and there's always an open pub nearby... if I wouldn't be on a strict fitness diet right now, I likely would have turned into a full time drinker and would have felt productive doing so 😅 Looking forward to attend eCom Collab Club™ 🥞 London and Bolt Digital & D2C Live next week to meet some more folks! Also considering to host another casual evening of drinks with D2C-focused investors + founders in November, by invite only. Would you be interested to join? ...feel free to comment "Cheers" 😉 P.S.: Thanks to GP Bullhound for the opportunity last night to wear a tux at their "Allstars Awards" Gala and nominating me for the Young Entrepreneur award, and thanks to Frederik Filz-Reiterdank for borrowing me the tux! (Day 35 / 100)

It's been a whirlwind few days for UK politics, and the impacts on businesses cannot be ignored. However, the events industry often seems to be the forgotten trade, despite playing a huge role in propping up the UK economy. Our media partner, Conference News, has articulated what a new Labour government could mean for the industry we know and love. What does a new Labour government mean for the events industry? 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e6NiBXpm How are you feeling about the recent changes? Curious, optimistic, nervous? #UKPolitics #EventsIndustry #LabourGovernment #BusinessImpact #ConferenceNews