Meeting request before a conference
Writing a week or two before an event to ask someone who will be there for a 15-minute coffee or stand visit. It works because you are both going to be in the same place anyway.
- Category:
- Meeting request
- Length:
- 60 words
Subject line options
- Coffee at {{event}}?
- 15 minutes at {{event}} on {{topic}}
The email
Hi {{first_name}},
I saw you're {{speaking_or_attending}} at {{event}} on {{dates}}. I'll be there too.
I'm {{your_name}} from {{company}}. We work with {{customer_type}} on {{problem}}, and I'd like to hear how {{their_company}} approaches it.
Could we grab 15 minutes for a coffee? I'm free {{option_1}} or {{option_2}}, or tell me what suits you. I'll come to wherever you are.
{{your_name}}
{{phone}}Highlighted {{placeholders}} are the parts to replace. If you cannot fill one with something true and specific, cut the sentence rather than leaving it generic.
When to use it
Send it one to two weeks before the event, when calendars are being filled but are not yet full. Only write to people who have said publicly they are going (speaker lists, posts, the attendee app). Do not guess.
A phone number in the signature matters here. Plans change on the day and email is slow at a busy event.
Why it works
- The shared event lowers the cost. Fifteen minutes in a venue they are already at is a much smaller ask than a call.
- "I'll come to you" removes friction. At a big event, finding each other is half the effort.
- Two specific slots make it easy to say yes in the middle of a busy schedule.
Before you send
Pre-event outreach lists are often built from speaker pages and guessed addresses. Confirm each one with the free email checker, or check the whole list with the free list check, before your sending domain fires off a batch of guesses.