Storyblok, a leading headless content management system (CMS) provider, has established a strong presence in the tech industry by empowering developers, content creators, and businesses to create and manage content efficiently and joyfully. Since 2021, Storyblok has been actively sponsoring developer conferences organized by GitNation, a prominent organizer of tech events. 

Written with William Giacomolli, Global Campaigns Marketing Manager at Storyblok, this case study outlines our approach, execution, and the measurable outcomes of our sponsorship efforts at GitNation events, including Remix Conference, React Day Berlin, React Advanced London, Vue.js LIVE Conferences, React Summit Amsterdam, JSNation Amsterdam, React Summit US and JSNation US. By sharing our journey, we hope to provide insights into how strategic sponsorships can drive meaningful results for tech companies.

Event Selection and Sponsorship Approach

At Storyblok, we believe in aligning our brand with events that resonate with our target audience—developers, engineers, and tech decision-makers. GitNation’s events are renowned for their focus on cutting-edge technologies and attract a global audience of developers, making them an ideal platform for us to showcase our headless CMS solutions.

Our sponsorship strategy is built on three key pillars:

1. Audience Alignment: We prioritize events that attract developers who can benefit from Storyblok’s headless CMS. GitNation’s events, such as React Summit and JSNation, are prime examples of this alignment. We also consider the framework approach, ensuring we engage with an audience that shares our passion and expertise in the same subjects.
2. Global & Local Reach: GitNation’s events have a strong international presence, expanding our brand visibility across key regions, from Europe to the U.S. Local communities are also essential to Storyblok, and these events provide a unique opportunity to bring together both local and international attendees. This exchange of knowledge and collaboration fosters community growth—key factors in our event selection process.
3. Thought Leadership Opportunities: By participating in these events, we position Storyblok as a thought leader in the CMS space through speaking engagements, workshops, and demo presentations. As a company built by developers and nurtured by communities, we value the opportunity to give back and support those who have helped us grow. Events like these allow us to educate, empower, and contribute to the community’s success.

Sponsorship Packages and Engagement Tactics

We opted for premium sponsorship packages at GitNation events, which included prominent branding opportunities, speaking slots, and dedicated spaces for product showcases. Additionally, we implemented several engagement tactics to maximize our impact:

• Interactive Booths: At each event, we set up interactive booths where attendees can experience Storyblok’s CMS firsthand through live demos, engage with our team of Solutions Engineers and DevRels for a tailored experience, and have fun with games and exclusive giveaways—offering some of the best prizes around!
  
• Content Creation: Producing high-quality content is a top priority for us. We host speaking sessions and workshops featuring internal and external thought leaders from our team, ambassadors, customers, and partners. Our focus goes beyond just educating about cutting-edge technology and the benefits of using a CMS—we strive to provide real value to both attendees and conference organizers. Additionally, we leverage social media to amplify our presence before, during, and after events, ensuring maximum reach and engagement.

Implementation of Sponsorship Strategy

Our sponsorship strategy was executed with a focus on maximizing brand visibility, thought leadership, and product exposure. Below are specific examples of how we implemented our strategy at GitNation events:

1. Branding Initiatives: At GitNation events, our branding is prominently displayed across the venue, including banners, signage, and digital screens. We also distribute branded merchandise, such as T-shirts and stickers, to reinforce our presence.
2. Thought Leadership Activities: At React Summit Amsterdam 2024, Alexandra Spalato, DevRel Engineer at Storyblok delivered a session on "AI for React Developers: Opportunities, Learning, and Innovation," which was well-received by attendees and helped establish Storyblok as an authority in the CMS space.
3. Product Showcases: At JSNation US 2024, we showcased our integration with JavaScript, attracting significant interest from developers. Our booth featured live demos, hands-on workshops, and one-on-one consultations with our technical team.
4. Content Creation: We created a series of blog posts and social media updates highlighting our participation in GitNation events. The content included event recaps, speaker interviews, and key takeaways, which were shared across our digital channels to extend the reach of our sponsorship efforts. Additionally, our content presented at these events, such as talks and workshops, is available on GitNation.com.

Outcomes and Achievements

Our sponsorship of GitNation events has yielded significant results across multiple dimensions:

1. Brand Visibility: Our branding was prominently displayed at all sponsored events, resulting in increase in brand recognition among attendees, as measured by post-event surveys. 
2. Lead Generation: The interactive booths and networking events generated over 1500 high-quality leads.
3. Engagement: Our speaking sessions and workshops attracted over 25,000 attendees, with a high satisfaction rating.
4. Product Exposure: The live demos and hands-on workshops at our booth resulted in a 50% increase in product inquiries.
5. Feedback Collection: We collected valuable feedback from attendees, which has been instrumental in improving our product offerings and tailoring future marketing strategies.

We learned that interactive and hands-on experiences, such as live demos and workshops, were highly effective in engaging developers and driving product adoption. People love experiencing new things, and giving attendees the chance to demo our platform firsthand has proven to be a highly effective strategy for us.

Summarizing an overall sponsorship impact, we can confidently say that our sponsorship of GitNation events has been a resounding success. We’ve achieved our objectives of increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and fostering engagement within the developer community. Our strategic approach to event selection, combined with our focus on thought leadership and interactive experiences, has positioned Storyblok as a key player in the CMS space.

Recommendations for Future Sponsorship Initiatives

• Expand Content Creation: We should continue to invest in content creation, particularly video content, to capture the attention of a broader audience.
• Enhance Lead Follow-Up: To maximize the ROI of our sponsorship efforts, we should further refine our lead follow-up process to ensure timely and personalized communication with potential customers.
• Explore New Event Formats: We could explore sponsoring smaller, niche events or hosting our own developer-focused events to deepen our engagement with the community.

About Storyblok

Storyblok is the leading CMS built by developers, for developers—an API-first, headless CMS that lets you choose your preferred front-end frameworks, integrate seamlessly with your favorite tools, and empower marketers and content creators to ship exceptional digital experiences. With a strong focus on flexibility and ease of use, Storyblok has become a preferred choice for businesses looking to streamline their content management processes. 

About GitNation

For the past 10 years, GitNation has been at the forefront of organizing developer conferences focused on React & JavaScript, the languages dominating web development. Interested in sponsoring our events? Contact us: [email protected]