This guide is based on Mixergy’s interview with Frank Gruber.
After he saw that Chicago didn’t have a forum connecting entrepreneurs with established businesses, Frank Gruber built a company whose events draw 30,000 guests. It was all done by hosting events, so we invited him to teach you how to do it.
Frank is the founder of Tech Cocktail, which hosts events and conferences for startups and publishes tech news.
Here are the actionable highlights from the interview.
Frank contacted everyone on his email list and wrote a blog post inviting people to his first event, and 250 people showed up.
The venue for Frank’s first event didn’t get its liquor license by the day of the event, so Frank asked his family members to serve the wine.
Frank began charging $10 to attend his events after 1,200 people came to a free event.
Frank asked AOL, which was his employer, to sponsor his events, and they agreed because it would allow them to market their brand to startups.
Frank blogs about tech companies in the news and profiles entrepreneurs who participate in Tech Cocktail events.
Frank publishes five to seven new posts every day.
Frank used a hashtag on Twitter to see guests’ reactions when his sponsor Sprint launched a new product.
Watch the full interview now
Written by Sarah Brodsky, based on production notes by Jeremy Weisz