A Guide to Just Some of The Ancillary, Unofficial and Side Events at 2023 SaaStr Europa

SaaStr Europa 2023 was not merely a two-day conference in London. It was a full-contact sport for SaaS founders, revenue leaders, investors, operators, and anyone who has ever said, “Let’s circle back after the board meeting” with a perfectly straight face. Held June 6–7, 2023, at Tobacco Dock, the event brought together thousands of SaaS founders, executives, VCs, and cloud professionals for workshops, sessions, Braindates, mentorship, and the kind of hallway conversations that sometimes become partnerships before anyone has finished their coffee.

But the official agenda was only half the story. Around SaaStr Europa 2023, a lively constellation of ancillary, unofficial, sponsor-led, and community-driven side events popped up across London. There were breakfasts, AMAs, rooftop mixers, boat parties, happy hours, investor gatherings, after-parties, and even a morning run for the rare executive who sees 7 a.m. as an opportunity rather than a threat. These events gave attendees more ways to connect, compare notes, meet investors, talk pricing, discuss growth, and recover from panel overload with something cold in hand.

This guide breaks down the spirit, schedule, strategy, and real networking value of just some of the side events at 2023 SaaStr Europa. It is written for founders, SaaS marketers, sales leaders, product executives, investors, and conference-goers who want to understand why the “unofficial” calendar often matters as much as the main stage.

What Made SaaStr Europa 2023 a Magnet for Side Events?

SaaStr Europa 2023 had all the ingredients that make a side-event ecosystem explode: a concentrated SaaS audience, a major city, a recognizable venue, a strong sponsor community, and a schedule packed tightly enough to make after-hours networking valuable. The main event included workshops, sessions, Braindates, Meet-a-VC opportunities, and speakers from well-known SaaS and cloud companies. That meant nearly every attendee arrived with a goal: raise capital, find customers, learn from operators, meet partners, scout tools, or simply figure out whether everyone else was also worried about pipeline efficiency.

Side events filled the gaps between those goals. A conference session can teach a framework; a breakfast can turn that framework into a conversation. A keynote can inspire; a rooftop mixer can introduce the person who helps you implement the idea. A booth visit can start a sales conversation; a boat party can make that conversation feel less like a pitch and more like two people solving a real problem together.

That is the beauty of ancillary SaaS events: they lower the pressure while raising the relevance. You are still surrounded by the right people, but instead of standing under fluorescent lights pretending to admire booth swag, you might be talking go-to-market strategy over coffee, cocktails, or views of London.

Monday, June 5: The Warm-Up Before the SaaS Sprint

Paddle’s Breakfast Meetup

The side-event calendar began before the official conference even opened. Paddle hosted a breakfast meetup on Monday, June 5, giving attendees a softer landing into the week. For founders and operators, breakfast events can be surprisingly effective. People are fresher, the conversations tend to be more focused, and nobody has yet reached the “I have said my elevator pitch 37 times” stage of conference fatigue.

A morning meetup before SaaStr Europa would have been especially useful for international attendees arriving in London, teams looking to align before the main event, and SaaS leaders interested in topics such as payments, pricing, revenue infrastructure, and global expansion. In other words, the kind of conversations where caffeine is not optional but a strategic asset.

Zendesk and Crane Ventures AMA

Zendesk and Crane Ventures hosted an AMA at Zendesk’s London offices from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. This format stood out because AMAs are naturally practical. Instead of polished panels where everyone agrees customer retention is importantshocking, trulyan AMA lets attendees ask direct questions. For early-stage founders, that can mean advice on fundraising, customer support, GTM design, category creation, or scaling without setting the company on fire.

Office-based side events also have a different energy than big receptions. They feel more curated, more focused, and often more candid. When the topic is SaaS growth, the best insight may not come from a stage quote. It may come from the person across the room saying, “We tried that, and here is exactly where it broke.”

SaaStr Europa Opening Reception at Tobacco Dock

SaaStr hosted an opening reception from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Tobacco Dock. This was one of the most practical side events of the week because it helped early arrivals avoid the Tuesday morning registration rush while getting into networking mode early. For any major conference, the opening reception is the equivalent of stretching before a marathonexcept the marathon includes venture capitalists, CROs, product leaders, and possibly someone explaining their PLG motion using three acronyms you have never heard before.

The opening reception gave attendees a chance to pick up credentials, orient themselves, meet familiar faces, and start conversations before the official programming began. For first-time attendees, this kind of event can be golden. The room is busy, but not yet chaotic. The social energy is high, but the calendar has not yet become a competitive sport.

Dreamdata Rooftop Bar Mixer on London Bridge

Dreamdata hosted a rooftop bar mixer on London Bridge from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. As a B2B revenue attribution and go-to-market analytics company, Dreamdata’s presence made sense in a SaaStr environment where growth efficiency, pipeline quality, revenue operations, and marketing measurement were top of mind.

Rooftop mixers work because they create a natural conversational environment. A venue with a view makes it easier to open with something better than, “So, what does your company do?” Attendees can move between groups, reconnect with people from earlier events, and trade ideas in a setting that feels memorable without becoming too formal.

Tuesday, June 6: The Main Event Meets the Side-Event Supernova

Pre-SaaStr Morning Run with Dreamdata

On Tuesday morning, Dreamdata hosted a pre-SaaStr run at 7 a.m. This was either a brilliant networking idea or a test to identify who among the SaaS crowd has truly optimized their personal operating system. Possibly both.

Morning runs have become popular at business conferences because they attract a specific kind of attendee: disciplined, energetic, and open to conversation before the inbox begins screaming. The atmosphere is naturally informal. Nobody is wearing a blazer. Nobody is guarding a booth. Nobody can deliver a 15-slide sales deck while jogging, which is merciful for everyone involved.

For founders and executives, a morning run can be one of the most efficient networking formats. You meet fewer people, but the interactions tend to stick. Shared activity creates instant rapport. Also, if you can discuss annual recurring revenue while pretending not to be out of breath, you have earned the follow-up email.

SaaStr Europa Happy Hour with Make

From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., SaaStr hosted a happy hour at Tobacco Dock with support from Make. This was an ideal bridge between daytime programming and evening events. By mid-afternoon, attendees had already absorbed sessions, meetings, and probably enough SaaS terminology to power a small data center. A happy hour on-site allowed people to slow down without leaving the venue.

On-site happy hours are especially useful because they reduce friction. Attendees do not need to navigate London traffic, hunt for an address, or wonder whether they are underdressed for a rooftop venue. They can walk from a session to a conversation and keep momentum going. For sponsors, on-site events offer brand visibility without forcing guests into a hard pitch. For attendees, they provide an easy way to turn “I saw your question during that panel” into an actual relationship.

SaaStr Europa Rooftop Party at Skylight

The SaaStr Europa Rooftop Party at Skylight ran from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and had a major advantage: it was right on top of the venue. That detail matters. At a packed conference, convenience is not a perk; it is a conversion strategy. If attendees can move from the official event to a rooftop party without turning the evening into a logistical obstacle course, more of the right people show up.

Rooftop events are natural magnets at conferences because they feel celebratory. They signal, “Yes, we are still doing business, but now we can admit we are human.” For SaaStr Europa attendees, the Skylight party likely served as a high-energy meeting point for founders, operators, investors, sponsors, and teams comparing notes from day one.

Chargebee and Friends at Wapping Tavern

Chargebee and friends hosted an evening event from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wapping Tavern. Given Chargebee’s connection to subscription billing and revenue management, the setting was a natural fit for conversations about monetization, pricing models, retention, expansion revenue, and operational complexity in SaaS.

Pub-style side events are underrated. They are less formal than a private dinner and more conversational than a large after-party. People can gather in small clusters, move around easily, and talk through practical challenges. For SaaS leaders, that can mean comparing billing stacks, debating usage-based pricing, or confessing that pricing pages are harder than they look. They are. Everyone knows it. We simply pretend otherwise.

Paddle and Toplyne CxO Boat Party

Paddle and Toplyne hosted a CxO boat party from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This was one of the more memorable side-event formats on the calendar. A boat party adds novelty, scarcity, and a bit of adventure. It also solves one common conference problem: people cannot drift away after six minutes because they saw someone they know near the snacks. Once the boat moves, the networking is committed.

For C-suite attendees, a more selective environment can make discussions deeper. Instead of chasing volume, the format encourages quality. Conversations may cover pricing, expansion, internationalization, revenue operations, and the practical realities of scaling SaaS companies across markets. A boat on the Thames is not a bad place to discuss global growth. It certainly beats a windowless meeting room called “Breakout C.”

Verdane Rooftop Cocktails at Florattica

Verdane hosted an invite-only rooftop cocktail event at Florattica Rooftop Bar from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for SaaS CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives. This type of curated event is particularly valuable at a conference like SaaStr Europa because it narrows the room around shared context. When attendees are at similar levels of responsibility, conversations can become more specific: hiring leadership teams, expanding across Europe, navigating capital markets, building durable growth, and balancing profitability with ambition.

Invite-only events can sometimes feel intimidating from the outside, but their value is clear. They create trust, reduce randomness, and make it easier for senior operators and investors to spend meaningful time together. The goal is not to collect the most business cards. The goal is to leave with two or three relationships worth continuing.

Google, AlbionVC and MMC Ventures Happy Hour at Mr. Frogg’s

Google, AlbionVC, and MMC Ventures hosted a happy hour at Mr. Frogg’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The timing made this one unusual: a daytime happy hour overlapping the main event flow. That can be smart. Not every useful meeting happens after sunset, and not every attendee wants to stack three evening events like a networking lasagna.

For founders, the combination of a major technology company and venture investors would have been attractive. These gatherings often produce conversations around cloud infrastructure, fundraising, AI, growth benchmarks, market positioning, and what investors are actually looking for beyond a beautiful deck and a confident smile.

Dutch Party SaaStr with Peak Capital, Leaseweb and More

The Dutch Party SaaStr event, involving Peak Capital, Leaseweb, and others, took place at 8 p.m. Side events like this show how SaaStr Europa functioned not only as a London event but as a European SaaS gathering. Regional communities often use major conferences to bring their ecosystems together, introduce founders to investors, and create cross-border momentum.

For attendees interested in European SaaS expansion, regional parties can be highly useful. They offer insight into local markets, investor networks, hiring cultures, and customer expectations. They also remind everyone that “Europe” is not one market; it is many markets wearing one badge lanyard.

Exclaimer Europa After Party at The Hoxton, Shoreditch

Exclaimer hosted a Europa After Party at The Hoxton in Shoreditch from 8 p.m. to midnight. After-parties play a different role than breakfasts or AMAs. They are less about structured learning and more about relationship building. By the end of a packed conference day, attendees often know who they want to reconnect with. An after-party gives them a place to do it.

Shoreditch was a fitting backdrop. Known for its startup-friendly energy, creative venues, and tech-adjacent crowd, the neighborhood matched the SaaStr vibe well. A relaxed setting can help business conversations become more honest. People talk less like pitch decks and more like operators trying to solve real problems. That is when the good stuff often happens.

Wednesday, June 7: The Wrap Party and the Follow-Up Window

On Wednesday, June 7, SaaStr hosted a Happy Hour, AMA with Jason, and Wrap Party from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Tobacco Dock. This was the closing chapter of the 2023 Europa experience. Wrap events are valuable because they catch attendees at a reflective moment. The sessions are ending, the meetings are winding down, and people are sorting through what mattered.

This is also when smart networkers begin their follow-up strategy. The best conference attendees do not wait a week to remember who they met. They jot quick notes, connect on LinkedIn, send concise messages, and reference the specific conversation they had. “Great to meet you at SaaStr” is fine. “Great talking about usage-based pricing after the Skylight rooftop party” is much better. Specificity is the difference between a warm follow-up and a digital shrug.

How to Choose the Right SaaStr Europa Side Events

Not every side event is right for every attendee. That is not a flaw; it is the whole point. A founder raising a seed round has different priorities than a VP of Sales looking for pipeline partners. A CFO evaluating billing platforms has different needs than a product leader trying to understand AI adoption. The best approach is to choose events based on intent rather than fear of missing out.

If You Are a Founder

Prioritize events where investors, experienced operators, and relevant vendors will be present. AMAs, rooftop gatherings, invite-only founder mixers, and VC-backed happy hours can create valuable conversations. Go in with a short explanation of what you are building, who you serve, and what kind of help or insight you are looking for. Do not lead with a funding ask before the other person has finished saying hello. That is not networking; that is a jump scare.

If You Are a Revenue Leader

Look for events hosted by companies focused on billing, attribution, sales intelligence, customer success, and automation. SaaStr side events are excellent places to compare notes on pipeline, churn, expansion, outbound performance, pricing experiments, and marketing efficiency. The trick is to ask better questions. Instead of “How is growth?” ask, “Which channel is becoming harder to scale?” or “Where are you seeing buyer behavior change?”

If You Are an Investor

Side events can be a rich source of informal founder discovery. The best conversations may not happen during scheduled pitch slots. They may happen at breakfast, on a rooftop, or during a casual post-session chat. Investors can use these settings to understand founder clarity, market knowledge, and resilience in a more natural environment.

If You Are a Sponsor

Side events are not just lead-generation machines. Used well, they are trust-building environments. The strongest sponsor-hosted gatherings usually have a clear audience, a useful theme, and enough breathing room for real conversations. Attendees can smell a disguised sales trap from across the Thames. Give them value first, and the commercial conversations will come more naturally.

Networking Lessons from the 2023 SaaStr Europa Side-Event Scene

The side events around SaaStr Europa 2023 reflected several smart networking principles. First, variety matters. A breakfast, run, AMA, rooftop party, pub event, boat gathering, and after-party each attract a different attendee mood. Some people shine in small groups. Others thrive at large receptions. Some want structured learning. Others want casual connection. A healthy side-event ecosystem gives everyone a doorway in.

Second, timing matters. Events before the conference help people arrive prepared. On-site happy hours preserve momentum. Evening gatherings deepen relationships. Wrap parties create a final touchpoint before everyone returns to inbox reality.

Third, specificity matters. The best side events are not just “networking drinks.” They have a reason to exist: CxO conversations, founder communities, investor access, revenue operations, regional SaaS ecosystems, or sponsor-led expertise. The more specific the room, the easier it is for attendees to find relevant people.

Finally, follow-up matters more than attendance. Going to seven side events and following up with nobody is just cardio with nicer shoes. A better strategy is to attend fewer events, have sharper conversations, and send thoughtful follow-ups within 24 to 48 hours.

Experience Notes: What Attending These Events Can Feel Like

The best way to understand SaaStr Europa side events is to imagine the rhythm of the week. You arrive in London with a calendar that looks optimistic, then quickly realize the city, the venue, and the SaaS crowd have conspired to make your schedule both exciting and mildly unrealistic. Monday starts gently with a breakfast meetup. You meet someone working on a pricing problem that sounds suspiciously like yours. By lunch, an AMA gives you a practical answer you did not know you needed. By evening, you are on a rooftop, looking over London, wondering whether “just one more conversation” is a business strategy or a personal flaw.

Tuesday is the real test. The official SaaStr sessions are buzzing. The hallways are full. Everyone seems to know someone, and if they do not, they are pretending convincingly. You move from a workshop to a meeting, from a booth to a coffee chat, from a happy hour to a rooftop party. The side events become a second conference layered on top of the first. You start noticing patterns: founders asking about efficient growth, investors asking better questions about durability, revenue leaders talking about conversion rates, and product teams comparing notes on what customers actually want versus what roadmap slides promised.

Then comes the magic of the informal setting. At a large conference, people often introduce themselves by title. At a side event, they introduce themselves by problem. “We are trying to expand into Europe.” “We are rethinking pricing.” “We are hiring our first VP of Sales.” “We are trying to make outbound work again without annoying the entire internet.” These are better openings because they invite useful conversation. Titles can be impressive, but problems are where connection happens.

A boat party adds its own flavor. You step aboard expecting casual networking and quickly realize the format changes the social dynamic. People are more present because they are not constantly exiting for the next session. A rooftop cocktail event does something similar, but with more skyline and fewer nautical metaphors. A pub gathering feels warmer and more grounded. An after-party in Shoreditch lets the day relax into something more human. Nobody wants to be pitched aggressively at midnight. But many people are happy to talk honestly about what is working, what is not, and what they wish they had known six months earlier.

The real experience is not about attending every gathering. It is about finding the few that match your goals and showing up fully. Bring curiosity. Bring a clear one-sentence description of what you do. Bring comfortable shoes. Bring a charger, because your phone will become a tiny rectangle of logistics, maps, calendar invites, and LinkedIn requests. Most importantly, bring the discipline to follow up. A great conversation at SaaStr Europa is only valuable if it continues after the badge comes off.

For many attendees, the side events are where the conference becomes personal. The main stage gives you the big ideas. The unofficial calendar gives you the people who help turn those ideas into action. That is why the ancillary and unofficial side events at 2023 SaaStr Europa were more than social extras. They were part of the operating system of the week.

Conclusion

The ancillary, unofficial, sponsor-led, and side events at 2023 SaaStr Europa showed why great conferences are built both on stage and around it. SaaStr Europa’s official programming brought the SaaS community together at Tobacco Dock, but the surrounding breakfasts, AMAs, happy hours, rooftop parties, boat events, pub gatherings, regional meetups, and after-parties created the informal spaces where relationships could grow.

For attendees, the lesson is simple: do not treat side events as optional fluff. Treat them as strategic opportunities. Choose the gatherings that match your goals, prepare a few smart questions, avoid turning every conversation into a pitch, and follow up while the memory is still fresh. Whether you are a founder, investor, operator, sponsor, or SaaS enthusiast with a suspiciously full calendar, these events can turn a busy conference into a meaningful week.