On March 12, 2024 we ran the second Meet&Deal at Václavák 22. It was intense.
Nearly 200 people, an eight-hour programme, a panel on personal branding, a charity raffle, hundreds of drinks and networking that simply worked.
The numbers? CZK 55,000 (approx. EUR 2,200) for a boy named Tommy and his rehabilitation, 600 plus drinks, a 76 percent email open rate, 21 percent CTR and 60 plus Instagram stories. And, more to the point, a lot of real meetings and real deals.
Let's take a closer look.
Panel: personal branding and PR in e-commerce
Three people on stage who know PR and personal branding beyond the theory:
Zdravko Krstanov, editor-in-chief at Forbes. Someone who knows how a publication works from the inside.
Martin Žufánek, distiller, who built his brand mainly through social media and authenticity.
Ondřej Křivka, managing director at Media:list and an expert on dealing with the press.
The conversation stayed practical. How do you build a personal brand? When is PR an investment and when is it money burnt? How do you talk to journalists?
Martin talked about connecting distilling with a personal story. Zdravko broke down what makes a good pitch and why most PR agencies send nonsense. Ondřej explained how a long-term media relationship actually works.
It wasn't a theory lecture. It was the real experience of people who either do PR or judge it every single day.
Raffle and auction: CZK 55,000 for Tommy
The part of the programme I was genuinely proud of.
Together with the non-profit Srdce na Pravém místě, we put together a raffle and an auction of a painting by David Čáp. The goal was clear: help a boy named Tommy with his rehabilitation.
Martin Kůs won the painting at CZK 17,000. In total we raised CZK 55,000 (approx. EUR 2,200).
For me this isn't a nice-to-have part of the event. It's proof that networking can mean something beyond business. When 200 people who want to help end up in one room, you can do good things.
And for Tommy it means concrete help. Real impact.
Numbers that speak for themselves
After the event I sat down and went through the data, because numbers tell you whether it works or not.
600 plus drinks. The bar at Václavák 22 was full all evening. People wanted to network.
76 percent email open rate. Send relevant information to people who want to be informed and they read it. The business average is 20 to 30 percent.
21 percent CTR. One in five people who opened the email clicked a link. That isn't spam, that's engagement.
60 plus Instagram stories. People shared what they were experiencing. Organically. Nobody had to ask.
38k social media impressions. The reach went well beyond the people physically in the room.
What attendees said
The feedback was a mix of praise and constructive criticism, which is exactly what I need to hear.
Pavel Klein praised the organisation. He said everything ran smoothly and liked how the programme was timed.
Imrich Kovaľ highlighted the networking and particularly the wine from Vinařství Svoboda. He found the whole thing relaxed and natural.
Roman Dušek noted that people left early. That's something I take seriously. Eight in the evening is the point where part of the room simply has to go. But another part would happily stay longer and keep going.
Lesson learned for future editions: how do you hold the energy and give people a reason to stay for the afterparty?
The partners who made it possible
Meet&Deal isn't a one-man show. It's teamwork and collaboration with partners who believe in it.
Václavák 22, the venue that gave the event its atmosphere.
Alkohol.cz, the drinks that kept the networking moving.
Ecomail, a long-term partner and the technical backbone for our emails.
Vinařství Svoboda, quality wine that people noticed.
Cook For Life, catering that kept the energy up.
Startitup.sk, media support that helped put Meet&Deal on the map.
Each of them contributed something specific. Without them vol2 wouldn't have been what it was.
What I take from it
Meet&Deal vol2 was an upgrade on vol1. Bigger space, more people, better programme, stronger charity element.
But mainly it confirmed this isn't a one-off. People want quality networking. They want to meet people who are serious. And they want it to mean something beyond business.
Want to be there next time? Join the waiting list at meetdeal.cz and you'll be first to know when registration opens.