You Collected 50 Cards at Web Summit Lisbon. Now What?
The average attendee follows up with zero people from a conference this size. Not because they don't care — because they don't have a system. Here's the day-by-day plan with templates.
The 7-day follow-up plan
Day 0 is the flight home. Day 7 is when the trail goes cold. What you do in between is the difference between "I went to Web Summit 2026" and "I closed three deals from Web Summit 2026."
Sort. LinkedIn-connect. Sleep.
On the plane: open NexaLink, sort everyone you scanned into three tags — Hot, Warm, Cold. Send LinkedIn requests to the Hot tier with a one-line personalized note. Save the email drafting for tomorrow morning.
Personal email to every Hot contact.
Reference where you met. Reference what you talked about. Propose one specific next step. Use this template:
Hi [name] — Great meeting you at [Cube Lounge / Day 2 morning] at Web Summit. Loved your take on [specific thing they said]. Following up on what we talked about — would [specific next step: 15-min call / intro to X / share that doc] be useful this week? — [your name]
LinkedIn note + soft email to Warm contacts.
Lower energy than Hot, but still personalized. Reference one detail from your conversation. Don't propose a meeting — just offer help: "happy to share more on [topic] if useful." Acceptance rate on these is lower; the goal is staying on their radar for Q3.
LinkedIn-only for Cold. Bump non-replies.
Cold tier: LinkedIn connection request, no email. Anyone in Hot or Warm who didn't reply by Day 5 gets one bump email — short, low-pressure, easy to ignore. After this, drop them. The follow-up window is closed.
Re-surface every contact you tagged Web Summit 2026.
NexaLink filter: tag = Web Summit 2026. Scroll the list, send 5-10 no-pressure check-ins to people who didn't convert in week 1 but are still relevant. This is where year-over-year compounding starts.
How NexaLink runs the 7-day follow-up for you
- → Every card you scanned at Web Summit 2026 is auto-tagged. Filter by tag and you have your follow-up list ready.
- → AI drafts the personalized first email per contact, referencing the session you tagged at scan-time.
- → Reminders are set for Day 5 bump and Day 30 check-in. You don't have to remember.
- → When Web Summit 2027 happens, the same tag tells you which 50 people you already met. That is your warm list for next year — without lifting a finger.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after Web Summit should I send follow-up emails?
Within 48 hours, while the conversation is still fresh in their head and yours. The single highest-leverage thing you can do post-Web Summit is sit down on the flight home and draft a one-line LinkedIn note to every person you exchanged cards with. Then queue the longer email for Day 2-3.
What should the first follow-up email say?
Reference where you met (Day 2 morning, Cube Lounge), what you talked about (their YC W26 round, their latency-vs-cost tradeoff), and propose one specific next step (15-min call, intro to a peer, share a doc). Generic 'great meeting you' notes go straight to the trash. Specific notes get replied to.
How do I follow up with 50 contacts without it feeling like spam?
Sort them into three buckets: hot (clear next step, 5-10 people), warm (good conversation, 15-20 people), cold (just exchanged cards, 20-25 people). Hot gets a personal email Day 1. Warm gets a LinkedIn note Day 2 with a soft 'happy to chat more if useful.' Cold gets a LinkedIn connection request only — no follow-up email.
What if I forgot what I talked to someone about at Web Summit?
Be honest: 'Hey [name] — we connected at Web Summit but the days blurred together a bit. Refresh me on what you are working on and let's grab 15 minutes.' Honesty outperforms fake-specificity every time. Better still, scan cards into NexaLink during the event with a one-line note attached so this never happens.
When should I send the second follow-up?
Seven days after the first if they did not respond. Keep it short: 'Hey [name] — bumping this up. Would love to chat if you have 15 min next week.' If still no reply, drop it. Two emails is professional. Three is pushy.
Don't lose the connection.
Free on iOS and Android. Scan cards, tag by event, and follow up without dropping a single name.