Takeaways from the SaaStr Annual 2018 Conference

Rob and I just returned from our annual pilgrimage to San Francisco for SaaStr Annual, and below are our observations from the conference this year:

1. There are now hundreds of SaaS vendors selling to other SaaS vendors, and many of them are at SaaStr. If your SaaS business has a scaling need that might be solved through software, chances are there is a SaaS vendor who has built that product, and SaaStr is a good place to meet with them face to face. You may also benefit from browsing the different offerings for things you did not know about before.
2. Based on our many conversations with attendees, the content quality was “mixed.” If you have been to SaaStr in the past, and are pretty knowledgeable with the core metrics and road maps of the SaaS model, then this is an every other, or every third-year event for you. If you are new to the SaaS business model or have not been before, you should go.
3. As always, it’s a logistically challenged event. We only mention this so those who attend in the future be sure to plan ahead, register early, arrive at non-peak hours, and understand that you will need to push and shove to see the sessions you want. It’s just the way it is, and you should know that going in. Like Dreamforce, it’s also now too large to “bump into” people. Networking needs to be pre-planned.

All that said, and despite its flaws, SaaStr is a good thing for the SaaS ecosystem and it will clearly be the conference of choice for years to come. Plus, the t-shirts are cool.

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