The peak of the crypto conference calendar has arrived. For many teams, this is one of the most hectic parts of the year, juggling plans for Token2049, Korea Blockchain Week, EDCON, Devcon, and more.
Beyond booking your flights and hotels, you’re coordinating social content, on-site logistics and of course, branded merch! But whether you have a booth or are just attending panels, strategic preparation is key to maximizing your ROI. When the booths are packed up and the lights go down, you should have something valuable to show for it.
We’ve supported teams at virtually every major crypto conference you can think of, from EthDenver to Paris Blockchain Week, the Token2049s, and of course, Korea Blockchain Week. Throughout the busy crypto events calendar, we’ve conducted exclusive press room interviews, hosted epic side events, pitched journalists in real-time, and turned branded booths into big business breakthroughs.
No matter if you’re a CMO, Founder, DevRel, Sales Lead/BD, or Press Lead, you have a unique goal at these crypto events. At MarketAcross, we know what works, what’s a waste of your time, and what separates merch-hunters from deal-makers. We’ve Got You Covered with this role-by-role guide to conquering blockchain events.
Here’s what we’ve learned works best for each role on your team.
CMOs and Press Leads: Think in Outcomes, Not Optics
As a CMO, you’re attending blockchain events to achieve significant outcomes from securing high-impact media coverage to demonstrating an undeniable return on your crypto events budget. Your presence can make all the difference in driving visibility and shaping your project’s narrative.
Nail Your Angle Early
Before the big event, work with your PR team to identify 2–3 key angles. Are you announcing a major launch or highlighting a new feature? Having a focused narrative is crucial. At Token2049, we used this tactic to secure over 30 targeted media interviews for clients who came in with a clear, focused story. Media relations is all about building relationships, and many events publish a media list well in advance. Use this to your advantage: reach out to your target journalists, pitch your stories, and organize interviews ahead of time. A media strategy created months in advance can make the difference between a successful event and a missed opportunity.
Set Clear KPIs
Before you pack your bags, define success. What wins are you looking for, and how can you make them quantifiable? From our experience, setting measurable goals is highly recommended. Here’s some advice we provide to our clients: set yourself targets about how many on-site meetings you’d like to book at the event itself, define a number regarding how many valuable new contacts you hope to secure, set yourself a figure for how many proposals you aim to send out (and how many you can close) post-event, establish how many media interviews or thought leadership pieces you want to generate to boost your brand visibility and industry positioning and set social media engagement goals like target impressions from your event content or new followers gained from your conference presence.
Coordinate Interviews for Your Top Attendees
Coordination is key. Use the official conference media list to get warm introductions to key journalists, editors, and contacts. At Paris Blockchain Week, for example, there were over 100 top journalists from top-tier media, and everyone was keen to get featured. Remember to block out time slots for interviews ahead of the event. Just ten minutes talking to a journalist in your niche is an ultra-high value interaction that provides an additional chance to get your name featured in the press.
Keep the Momentum Going
The work doesn’t stop when the crypto events end. You need a content strategy that gets behind-the-scenes, grabs clips of your team (especially the founder), and captures the energy of the event. This raw content is social media gold, but can also contribute to case studies, internal reporting, and justifying the event costs to your CTO!
Talk to the Official Press Team
One of your biggest allies at any crypto conference is the official press team, who will open doors that may otherwise be impossible. At every event we work at, we liaise early, nurturing strong relationships with the organizers and press officers to give our clients a distinct advantage. We’ve found that this helps us to secure interviews, speaking opportunities, and valuable media attention.
“The teams who show up with a plan leave with wins, meetings booked, interviews secured, partnerships in motion. The ones who don’t usually just end up with a bag of swag and a list of missed opportunities” — Leora Schreiber, Account Director.
Securitize Founder and CEO Carlos Domingo with MarketAcross Co-Founder and Managing Partner Itai Elizur at Consensus 2025.
Founders: Own Your Narrative
You don’t need to be everywhere, you just need to be memorable. Your primary job at crypto events is to make people realize they want to know you and your project, even if they don’t know it yet. Remember, people invest in founders, not just their code. A well-prepared narrative is a powerful asset.
Use the Press, Media and Speaker Rooms
Don’t be shy, use the Press and Speaker rooms to your full advantage! These rooms are where you can easily meet some of the biggest names in crypto, and they’re an absolute goldmine for networking. We suggest that before the event you make a shortlist of all the journalists and reporters you want to meet. A handshake and face-to-face conversation can help you form invaluable bonds with other crypto leaders.
Be Ready to be Interviewed
At an event like Paris Blockchain Week, where we facilitated over 75 speaker interviews per day, for speakers, sponsors, and event organisers, you can expect to get in the spotlight at any moment. Practice your soundbites, bring your talking points, and be ready for last-minute opportunities with top-tier media. To help you truly dominate your powerful narrative and deliver your message with sheer confidence, we also offer comprehensive media training sessions.
Have Some Flexibility
While almost everything will be scheduled and planned in advance, it’s always smart to keep some room for spontaneous opportunities. Your PR team’s efforts can be seriously hindered if you are chronically overbooked with meetings, leaving no availability for last-minute interviews or impromptu chats. If you want to be seen and heard, you need the flexibility to take advantage of unexpected moments.
Arrive With a Point of View, Not Just a Roadmap
People don’t just care about what you’re building; they care why you’re building it, why you want to solve this problem, and why you are the person to deliver the solution. Your unique insights, opinions, and background set you apart. You need to be able to explain how your project connects to the broader, more important narratives in crypto, whether it be decentralization, digital ownership, or banking the unbanked. Link your roadmap to wider industry trends and themes, so that the next you are approached, you can answer the most important question: “Why you?”
Side Events Drive Results
Some of the most authentic conversations and breakthroughs often happen at VIP dinners, happy hours, and intimate panels, far away from the main stage. At events like Token2049, we’ve helped countless clients land high-value connections at side events, often seeing the ROI of these gatherings outweigh the main crypto conference tenfold. To succeed, you need to be strategic. We recommend monitoring side events on platforms like Luma and overbooking to give yourself options. Side events fill up fast, so it’s smart to secure your spot early and then play it by ear on the night of each event. Once you’re in, be more than just a name tag. Share insightful opinions on major industry friction points, or make a visionary prediction for the future. People are naturally drawn to unique perspectives, and a spontaneous, authentic conversation at a VIP dinner with other leaders can spark an invaluable connection that moves your project’s needle.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from crypto conferences is that preparation beats networking frenzy every time. Know why you’re building what you’re building, practice your story, and leave room for spontaneous opportunities. That’s where the real magic happens” — Elad Mor, Co-Founder and CEO.
MarketAcross Co-Founder and CEO Elad Mor at Paris Blockchain Week 2025 MEXC.
Sales & BD: Make It Count, Literally
How do you turn all this networking into a healthy pipeline? It’s very easy to get lost in the noise of the main hall, the bustling booths, and all the merch-hunters. Trust us when we say the real wins happen when you move past the chaos and create an opportunity for a real connection. Your vibe is your tribe, so make a real effort.
Pre-Booked Meetings
Look at your blockchain events calendar and reach out to prospects, partners, and key industry contacts weeks before the event. Leverage your participation as a great way to connect. Then, even if the in-person meeting doesn’t happen, you’ll have a reason to follow up later. Many events have their own apps that even simplify this process. Consensus and Token2049 are great examples of crypto conferences that make coordinating meetings easy.
During the Event
Focus your energy on creating genuinely memorable connections, not just quick transactional conversations. Beyond the standard “I’ll send you a proposal,” try to build an authentic rapport with people. Take a funny selfie together for your follow-up message, share a joke, or tell a personal anecdote to make the interaction more human and memorable.
Strategic Follow-ups
Don’t contact your new connections right away. Pause, reflect, wait a few days, then reach out with a specific and personalized message. The goal is to connect as a peer, not just a salesperson. Consistency is key, while a friendly, informal tone can help keep the conversation going.
Send Clips, Not Cold Intros
Don’t rely solely on cold intros to get attention. Instead, use all the earned media you secured as part of your new sales deck! When your project is featured in a top-tier publication like Cointelegraph or Bitcoin Magazine, that article or video becomes your proof of traction and social validation. Use it to follow up with new contacts, tagging them on LinkedIn as a way to re-engage the conversation (your BD will thank you for it!).
We’ve Got Just the Ticket for You
Crypto events are largely what you make of them. Be seen, or make things happen. The difference is in your intention, your planning, and hitting the event with a defined mission.
We’ve been behind the scenes at some of the biggest events in this space, turning our clients’ presence into real, measurable traction — not just attending, but also helping organizers drive real outcomes. From managing press rooms to securing global coverage, our media partnerships deliver real reach where it counts.
Want help navigating your next event like a pro?
We’ve got you covered.
