How I Built Europe’s Largest SaaS Conference: A $5M Journey

Transforming a simple blog into Europe’s largest SaaS conference generating $5 million in annual revenue might seem like an impossible feat, but that’s exactly what happened through strategic community building and persistent dedication to delivering value. This remarkable journey from zero to a thriving global conference business demonstrates how authentic community building can lead to extraordinary business success.

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The Humble Beginnings

After spending eleven years in sales, primarily selling other people’s products, my interest in the SaaS industry grew significantly during my final three years in cloud computing. The desire to become a better SaaS salesperson led to an unexpected entrepreneurial journey that would change everything. With limited knowledge but abundant curiosity, I started a blog focused on SaaS topics, aiming to position myself as a trusted advisor to potential clients.

Initially, writing proved challenging as my expertise in SaaS was still developing. However, this limitation sparked an innovative idea – creating a community-driven blog where industry experts could contribute content to help other SaaS companies and founders grow their businesses. This pivot from personal blogging to community content creation would later prove instrumental in building what would become a global phenomenon.

Building the Foundation Through Content

The community-driven approach resonated immediately with industry professionals. Within three months, the blog attracted 30,000 monthly visitors, demonstrating a clear market need for quality SaaS-focused content. The success prompted expansion into podcasting, with the first episode featuring a prominent industry figure who had recently published a book on sales acceleration.

Expanding the Community Footprint

The natural progression led to creating a Slack channel, where hundreds of founders gathered to share insights and experiences. This digital community laid the groundwork for what would become a transformative step – organizing physical meetups. The first SaaS meetup in London attracted 120 people from across the UK, revealing the tremendous appetite for in-person connections within the SaaS community.

The Pivot to Events

While the content platform grew steadily, monetization remained a challenge. With 30,000 monthly visitors, traditional advertising revenue proved insufficient. A suggestion to organize a larger-scale event sparked the next phase of evolution. Despite having no prior event management experience, the decision to venture into conference organization would prove pivotal.

The First Conference: Learning Through Challenges

The inaugural event generated approximately £350,000 in revenue but resulted in a £90,000 loss due to inexperience and overambitious production values. This setback, while initially devastating, provided valuable lessons and actually contributed to future success. Within a month of the first event, £150,000 in sales were secured for the following year’s conference, demonstrating the market’s strong demand despite initial financial challenges.

Scaling to Success

Today, the business generates $5 million in annual revenue, with the European event contributing 75% of total revenue. The expansion into the US market, choosing Austin as the base, accounts for nearly 20% of revenue and shows tremendous growth potential given the larger market for both SaaS companies and events.

Diversification Through Membership

A new membership product, designed specifically for B2B SaaS founders, has been introduced to help companies scale to $10 million in revenue and beyond. While currently generating around $200,000 in revenue, this recurring revenue stream shows promising growth potential with 90 CEO members and counting.

Evolution Through Customer Feedback

Recent customer insights revealed a shifting landscape in what attendees value most. While speakers were initially considered the main draw, networking and meetings have emerged as the primary reason people attend. This led to significant changes in event structure, reducing the number of speakers from 250 to 100 and prioritizing networking opportunities.

The Power of Location

The choice of Dublin as the event’s home has proved strategic. Unlike larger cities where attendees might disperse after sessions, Dublin’s intimate setting facilitates continued networking and relationship building throughout the entire conference period. This environment has led to numerous success stories, including a $60 million Series C funding deal that originated from a chance meeting at the event.

Keys to Community Building Success

The success of this community and conference business stems from consistent engagement and authentic value creation. Regular meetups in 30 different cities worldwide, managed by passionate local evangelists, maintain community momentum between major events. This distributed approach to community building creates a network effect that’s difficult for competitors to replicate.

Looking Ahead

With plans to expand local meetups to hundreds of cities and grow the membership program into the thousands, the future holds tremendous potential. The focus remains on engineering meaningful connections rather than relying solely on serendipity, ensuring each attendee derives maximum value from their participation.

Lessons for Aspiring Community Builders

The journey from blog to global conference empire offers valuable insights for anyone looking to build a community-driven business. Success requires genuine passion for community building, consistent value delivery, and patience to allow organic growth. Most importantly, it demonstrates that starting small with authentic community engagement can lead to extraordinary business opportunities.

The transformation from a simple blog to a $5 million conference business underscores the power of community-driven growth and the importance of evolving with customer needs. As the SaaS industry continues to expand, the opportunity to create meaningful connections and facilitate business growth remains stronger than ever.

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