On this page6
- What do journalists actually want at TOKEN2049?
- How do you choose which events to attend when there are hundreds?
- Are closed dinners better than big side events?
- Is the event spend worth it, and how do you measure the return?
- Should a product team and a service business work the conference differently?
- What should be on a TOKEN2049 checklist?
TOKEN2049 Field Notes on What Works for PR and Marketing
My TOKEN2049 notes from 2024 to 2026 keep pointing the same way. Journalists want substance, mostly regulation and real news. The people worth meeting sit in small rooms, not at the biggest parties. Pick a handful of events on purpose, treat spend as a cost per useful conversation, and decide before you fly how you will measure the trip.
What do journalists actually want at TOKEN2049?
In 2024 I was on the ground in Singapore doing interviews for Crypto Daily, so I spent the week on the journalist side of the table. My note afterwards was short.
Definitely a good conference, but journalists are most keen on regulatory conversations. Events too fragmented, more than 800+ events. I found myself lost thinking which events to attend. Shilika Jain on X, 24 Sep 2024
Reporters arrive with stories to file, and a founder who can speak clearly on policy, licensing or market structure is useful to those stories. A founder reciting a product roadmap is not.
So prepare two or three opinions on the regulatory questions that touch your category, plus any real news you can time to the week. Then ask for a short slot before the conference starts, because nobody's calendar opens up once it does. My crypto media relations guide covers the pitching side, and APAC press windows covers timing.
The other thing that works with press is making the product obvious without a meeting. In a marketing teardown I wrote for Limitless in June 2026, I suggested a giant "Future Board" on the floor at TOKEN2049.
Attendees place live predictions and watch probabilities move in real time on a massive screen. Every journalist walking by instantly gets the product. Shilika Jain on X, 9 Jun 2026
The idea transfers to any category. If a reporter understands what you do in ten seconds from across the hall, you have done more than most booths.
How do you choose which events to attend when there are hundreds?
In 2024 there were more than 800 events around the conference, and I lost real time just deciding where to go. You cannot attend your way out of that, so you need a filter.
The filter I took from that year was in the same thread:
Ecosystem events were impactful than siloed ones. Shilika Jain on X, 24 Sep 2024
An ecosystem event puts a chain's builders, investors and partners in one room, so the crowd already has a reason to talk. A single-brand party gives you whoever wanted a free drink.
Before I say yes to an event now, I ask three things:
- Who is in the room, and are they people I can work with, sell to or learn from?
- Is there a reason for conversation, such as a shared ecosystem, a theme or a small guest list?
- What would I be giving up to attend it?
The same filter applies to stages. See how to get speaking slots at crypto conferences.
Are closed dinners better than big side events?
In October 2026 I wrote up this year's edition the week after it ended.
Fewer people, quality booths + conference. Merch hunt was strong, lots of projects with lots of merch tbh. Closed dinners + conversations had the cream crowd v/s mass events. Shilika Jain on X, 12 Oct 2026
A small dinner forces a guest list, and a guest list forces the host to think about who should meet whom. A mass event optimises for headcount, which is the wrong number.
| Format | Good for | Weak at |
|---|---|---|
| Closed dinner or roundtable | Investors, partners, journalists, senior hires | Reach and brand awareness |
| Ecosystem event | Integrations, partnerships, warm introductions | Standing out if you are one of many |
| Mass party or open side event | Visibility, team morale, content | Quality conversations, follow-up |
| Booth on the main floor | Demos, inbound interest, press walk-bys | Depth, unless staffed by people who can explain the product |
The same notes had two more points for founders. Creativity stood out, and a Coinbase trading activation built around well-known traders was one of the more interesting things I saw. And "marketing is dead" is a myth. Many of the projects I met want to double down on users, traction and onboarding.
Is the event spend worth it, and how do you measure the return?
I have been asking this publicly for two years. In November 2024 I asked teams spending heavily on events how they assess the ROI. In September 2026 I asked again.
How are crypto companies measuring event ROI these days or is it all just vibe? Shilika Jain on X, 22 Sep 2026
The number that made me ask came from 2025.
Ppl spend 250k at organizing an event in SG to bring together 200 people, mostly room full of merch hunters + light quality convos lol. Let's talk CAC now? Shilika Jain on X, 30 Sep 2025
Do the arithmetic. 250k across 200 guests is 1,250 per head, before you ask how many of those guests could ever become a user, partner or investor. If twenty could, the cost per relevant person is 12,500.
My suggestion is to set the measures before the trip:
- Qualified conversations: people who match a named target list
- Follow-up meetings booked within two weeks
- Partnerships, integrations or deals that trace back to the event
- Press conversations that led to a briefing, a quote or a story
- Total cost, including travel and team time, divided by each of the above
If you cannot name the target list in advance, the event is a brand expense and should be budgeted like one. The wider method is in how to measure PR ROI.
Should a product team and a service business work the conference differently?
Yes. I wrote this after a 2024 conference season.
Product: folks need to sync on how they can partner/integrate/drive utility etc. Service: purely relationship focused, you actual don't hard sell your services! Shilika Jain on X, 17 Nov 2024
A protocol or app should arrive with a list of teams it wants to integrate with and a clear ask for each. A service business, mine included, should arrive with no pitch at all. People hire consultants and agencies they already trust, and trust is built in ordinary conversation.
What should be on a TOKEN2049 checklist?
Before this year's edition I posted my own list. One line carries most of the weight.
Prioritizing actual events that drive value than those with just vibes. Shilika Jain on X, 2 Oct 2026
A fuller version, built from that list and the notes above:
- Register early and collect your badge at the airport if that option is offered
- Write a target list of people, press and teams before you land
- Book journalist and partner meetings before the week starts
- Choose a small number of curated events and decline the rest
- Prepare your regulatory talking points and any news you can time to the week
- Budget for transport. In 2024 I spent more on cabs than on food
- Carry an umbrella, drink water and leave time to see Singapore
- Send follow-ups within a week and log outcomes against your target list
If you are building in Singapore, not only visiting, see my Singapore page. I also expect TOKEN NYC to be much bigger, so start planning now.
## Posts this piece is built on - 24 Sep 2024: some thoughts on @token2049 - 12 Oct 2026: some learnings from @token2049 - 30 Sep 2025: ppl spend 250k at organizing an event in SG - 17 Nov 2024: idk who needs to hear this but marketing for products v/s services - 2 Oct 2026: token2049 checklist - 22 Sep 2026: how are crypto companies measuring event ROI - 14 Nov 2024: to the teams spending shit ton of money on events - 27 Aug 2024: I'd be onground @token2049 and @SolanaConf doing interviews - 9 Jun 2026: MARKETING TEARDOWN SERIES 1, up next @trylimitless - 2 Oct 2024: auditing my T2049 expenses
Planning PR or a side event around your next conference? Tell me which one and what you need from it, and I will help you build the plan and the measures.