Events as a communication tool: a conversation with Michał Ratajczak
Just a few years ago, organisers were not very keen on combining their events with online. The pandemic forced us to organise digital events, but… that is exactly when Gridaly was born. Today it is one of the most interesting event management tools in Poland, and its founders were named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
I talked to Michał Ratajczak, founder and CEO of Gridaly, about how the role of events is changing, how to combine offline and digital, and why the event of the future is an experience, not just a date in the calendar.
Watch the conversation (in Polish).
Full episode of the SUURowo o marketingu podcast.
From streaming to an event CRM
Gridaly was created when the market already needed a tool to digitise conferences.
That was the beginning of a company that handled over 250 projects in a few months while investing… just a few thousand złoty in marketing. Soon, however, it turned out that online events were not enough. Organisers wanted to get back to live meetings.
Instead of abandoning the product, Gridaly pivoted, turning the streaming app into a comprehensive event ecosystem. Today its solutions combine registration, a mobile app, a ticketing system, sponsor modules and analytics, all tied together in an event CRM that lets companies manage dozens of events a year.
Events as an effective communication tool
For a participant, an event is a few hours. For the organiser, it's half a year of work. That is why Gridaly treats events not as one-off projects, but as tools for communication and relationship building. This approach lets companies think of events as a marketing strategy rather than an expensive one-off project.
From tickets to gamification: how to build value in events
Michał stresses that a conference ticket is not just a transaction, but a product with its own user experience.
"A ticket is not a pair of shoes. It can have different roles and add-ons: lunch, merch, premium access. The participant chooses how deeply they want to dive into the event experience."
Gridaly also helps sponsors increase their ROI with features that combine exposure with real engagement, such as Scan for Lead, gamification, personalised networking tables and integration with the mobile app.
The event of the future: zero friction, maximum purpose
Michał has no doubt: "The event of the future is one where you focus only on what you came for."
You don't think about queues, the cloakroom or a lunch voucher. The whole experience, from registration to networking, is personalised to your goal: learning, relationships or simply having a good time.
Lessons from Gridaly
Want marketing that works for your business?
We design and deliver B2B marketing - from strategy, content and social media to personal branding and marketing outsourcing.