Boston is hosting its first Tech Week in 2026. It’s gonna be some of the best networking you’ll do all year, but…. finding the right people will be tricky because the format is totally unfamiliar from what we’re used to, . So here are 5 Things I’m doing to Meet the Right People at Tech Week
The biggest surprise to people who have never done a Tech Week….. it’s not a typical conference where ……everybody’s under one roof at a convention center.
Tech Week is decentralized…..Hundreds of events scattered across the city. … Each one is independently hosted by different companies. What that means is that networking is a moving-target game.
1. Plan which events to attend in advance
So #1…. since the people I want to meet are gonna be constantly rotating between different venues, I’m planning which events to attend in advance.
The official schedule is live so you can browse by topic. Are you interested in…. (fundraising, Healthcare, HR?)
Go to where you have a better chance of crossing paths with your people
You can even look at events geared toward Students vs. Engineers, Founders, or those of you interested in VC and investor-focused programming.
Here at Valere, we’re hosting an event called Becoming AI First in 2026.
2. Aiming for experiential events.
Sure there will be plenty of your normal keynotes and panels…but this is the only conference I’ve ever heard of that encourages creative events to build community. so look for stuff like ice cream trucks, drone shows, Casino Night, Basketball games, even a yacht party.
That’s where you build rapport with people through making shared memories thats where you can have some of the best networking conversations.
3. Applying to more than I think I should.
Tech Week uses the Partiful app as the official platform to register for events.
A lot of these events will say Invite Only or Get on the List.
But those waitlists are more flexible than you think.
So even if something looks full, I’m still applying.
Most hosts plan for a 50 to 70 percent no show rate because people double book themselves to overlapping events.
Events that say invite only or full rarely reflect actual turnout.
4. Once you’re on the list, review the guest list ahead of time and start connecting
As soon as I get notifications that I’ve been accepted to events, I’m looking at the guest list.
You can see not only the host, but the attendees, their bio, and their social media handles.
So I’m sending DMs and pre connecting with people who I think there will be synergy with.
5. Follow up within 72 hours
Most importantly, follow up within 72 hours.
Build in an hour a day, preferably last thing before bed or first thing before breakfast the next morning while you’re fresh, to follow up and make contact with every person you connected with each day.
Don’t wait to do this after the week once momentum has died down.
People will remember you by how fast you followed up.
I’m scheduling all my follow ups for the week of June 1.
Do not let connections go cold over the weekend.
Bonus tip, link them to a Calendly or your Google Calendar sign up page where they can make an virtual coffee with you in one click.
Less friction makes it more likely they’ll meet you.
The real ROI of Tech Week is captured in the 72 hours post event.
