72 hours later: what happens after the demo?

LEAP week is a high-frequency experience. You meet people at speed and experience ideas in motion. When you leave, you have a phone full of photos, notes, WhatsApp threads, half-made plans, and promises to follow up. 

And then you get back to everyday life. 

Your inbox is full, and so is your calendar. If you put the event out of your mind for too long, the momentum it created starts to dissolve. 

It’s here – in the days after the event – that outcomes can be made or lost. 

A B2B events survey from Forrester put it in numbers: 92% of respondents planned to improve post-event attendee follow-up, and 77% were pushing towards year-round engagement – not a single spike of activity. 

So everyone knows follow-up is where ROI lives. But it’s still hard to execute. 

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index analysis points to a workday that’s constantly interrupted (on average, every two minutes) and experienced as chaotic and fragmented by 48% of employees and 52% of leaders. So the follow-up plan needs to be simple enough to survive Monday.

Here’s a practical approach, built for the 72 hours after LEAP.

Day 0: while you’re still in Riyadh

Before you leave the venue, do a 15-minute triage.

Create three lists:

1. Now (must follow up within 48–72 hours)
2. Next (valuable, but not urgent)
3. Later (interesting, keep warm)

Add one line of context per person: what you discussed, and what ‘next’ actually means. You’re writing a memory cue for your future self.

Day 1: follow up in the channel they prefer

Research from McKinsey reminds us that people don’t engage in one way – the ‘rule of thirds’ shows there’s variety between in-person, remote, and self-serve preferences. Your follow-up should respect that variety.

• If someone scanned a QR and asked for a link: send it fast, clean, with one next step.
• If someone had a long conversation: suggest a short call with a clear agenda.
• If someone needs internal buy-in: send a two-paragraph summary they can forward.

The goal is frictionless progress. 

Day 2: turn conversations into tiny commitments

Avoid the vague “let’s stay in touch”. Replace it with a small, specific action:

• “Shall we book 20 minutes next week to explore X?”
• “I’ll send two possible integration approaches by Friday.”
• “Could you introduce me to the person owning Y internally?”

Small commitments are the bridge between excitement and execution.

Day 3: measure something real

Forrester notes that better ROI measurement is a top priority (95% in their survey). Instead of a complex dashboard, you need a simple scoreboard:

• How many ‘Now’ follow-ups sent?
• How many replies?
• How many meetings booked?
• How many next actions agreed?

This turns post-event energy into a repeatable system. And tech loves systems. 

Keep the spark alive 

LEAP is an unmatched opportunity to create the spark – in the Tech Arena, across the show floor, in the Matchmaking Zone, and in the softer trust-building spaces of LEAP Nights. But sparks need fuel. The 72 hours after the event is where you decide what kind of fire you’re building.

If you’re coming to LEAP 2026, plan the week and the week after.

Join us at LEAP 2026 from 31 August – 3 September 2026 and turn a week of momentum into something that lasts well beyond it.