Most people prepare for a conference by reading the speaker list. I prepared for Web Summit by mapping every Japanese attendee I could verify: 1,131 people in one article. Who they are, why they're there and how to reach them.


Why do that much work for an event I don't run? Because trade fairs and conferences are where Japan and Europe actually meet, and almost nobody arrives knowing who is in the room. Exhibitors spend serious money on booths, flights and hotels, then hope the right people walk past. Hope is not a strategy.


Mapping changes the economics. When you know who is attending, who decides and what they care about, a three-day event becomes a targeted campaign. You book meetings before the doors open. You skip the aisles that don't matter. You follow up with context instead of a cold "nice to meet you".


The Web Summit map was built the same way I build every map: forensic research across the sources most people skip, in four languages, verified person by person. No tooling shortcuts, no purchased lists. That is the standard I hold for client work too.


The full article is on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/japan-web-summit-2025-every-person-company-opportunity-richard-mort-jvcje


If you have an event coming up, see how I can help at /services.