Earlier this month, we attended one of the largest entrepreneur / startup conference in the southern hemisphere - Sydstart - held in Sydney, Australia. There were around 1,000 attendees (including current and aspiring entrepreneurs, angel investors and VCs) and the speaker list included an awesome mix of startup luminaries from Australia and around the world as well as entrepreneurs pitching their ideas!

The event was a huge success. It has also 10-fold in size since it start in 2010 with around 100 attendees. So, in this blog, we'll share what, in our opinion, made Sydstart such a success and enabled 1000% attendee growth in just 2 years.

Need a custom design now? Start a custom design project now! Save 50% on Posting Fees

Here are 8 Startup Event Lessons from Sydstart ...

#1 - Get a Killer Venue

Sydstart went all out and hired the Sydney Convention Centre (Sydney's premiere event venue for business). It's big, shiny and fancy and provides extra credibility and helps attract good speakers, attendees and (hopefully) sponsors.

#2 - Get Cool Speakers Lined Up

Modelled on TechCrunch's Disrupt conference series, SydStart also offers a generous $25,000 prize to startups that win the pitching battle (and saw over 30 entrepreneurs pitch their ideas on stage).

#3 - Get a website and a logo

Sydstart has its own website www.sydstart.com and logo (which was conveniently crowdsourced via DesignCrowd). This will give you more credibility and attendees (and build brand for return attendees in the future).

TIP: browse event logo design ideas on DesignCrowd or use an event logo creator to make your own logo.

Need a custom design now? Start a custom design project now! Save 50% on Posting Fees

#4 - Use online Tools to Organise and Promote

Sydstart used eventbrite to manage tickets, provide updates and send announcements. Techy people love Eventbrite (and similar tools).

#5 - Give People Free Internet

Allowing the audience to access the Internet will let hit websites people are talking about, hitup Techcrunch when they're bored and Tweet about what they're seeing (see tip #7 re social media)!

#6 - Hold a Panel

Everyone loves a panel or an engaging roundtable discussion. Laid back, off-the-cuff, honest and fun. Sydstart held various panels with big hitters including Atlassian's Mike Cannon-Brookes (pictured below).

#7- Use Social Media (Heavily)

Naturally, Sydstart had its own Twitter hashtag #sydstart. 3,000 photos were snapped at SydStart Spring 2012 and they're all online.

#8 - Have an after party

Geeks and high achievers love to party. Hard Rock Sydney proved the perfect venue for Sydstart attendees to cut loose.

Consider partnering with an event agency to help you handle logistics, branding, and audience engagement for your own after party.

Bonus ... #9 - get DesignCrowd involved!

DesignCrowd loves startups and startups love DesignCrowd. Here's a pic of our founder and CEO (Alec Lynch) speaking at Sydstart. Got a startup event? Then please get in touch!

According to SydStart blog, 10 hours of video from speakers and pitches was recorded; 30 on-stage pitches and 2,000 'mini pitches' were conducted on the day; 150 exhibitors and their delegates from around 30 exhibiting firms (including DesignCrowd!). We loved SydStart and in our opinion the SydStart event was a text-book example of a 'killer' startup event!

What's happening in your local startup community? What startup events are on your radar? Let us know in the comments below!

Need a custom design now? Start a custom design project now! Save 50% on Posting Fees

Written by Jo Sabin on Friday, September 21, 2012

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.