As I stood at the back of the packed main hall at ITC Chola, a quiet realisation came over me like a wave. In front of me were about fourteen hundred founders, CXOs, operators, and investors engrossed in deep conversations, swapping notes, exchanging ideas, and sharing laughter. It was vibrant, loud, and full of purpose.
But just six months ago, none of this existed. No venue, no panels, no name tags. Only a blank page. And potential.
What unfolded over these months was not just a planning exercise. It was an emotional journey. One full of grit, sweat, small miracles, large hearts, and endless energy. One where volunteers stepped up, team members stayed back, and everyone cared a little too much. And honestly, that’s what made this edition of the Annual so special.
This wasn’t our first Annual, but it was probably our first time running it like a product launch. We treated it as such: cross-functional, user-first, and obsessively iterative. Every piece was tested, stress-tested, sharpened, and then tested again.
Each step added more detail—themes, action, sub-plots—to the once-empty page.
Scripting a 1400-strong spectacle
The big entrance
The opening scene sets the tone of a movie. For us, it was crucial to make a good impression right at the door. A staggering 1,400 badges had to be handed out seamlessly. That can only happen when the registration team is running a tight ship.
Abhishek, PC, and Siddharth went through 2,000+ applications, handled last-minute issues, chased payments, responded to confused emails, and even reached out personally to fix edge cases where tech failed us. It didn’t matter if it was 11 PM or 6 AM. If someone needed help, they were there. Because systems may falter, but those who truly care will have people’s backs. Our crew cared.
Sponsorship scenes
Sponsorship and sponsor experience was personal. Maansi and I did maybe over 80 meetings back-to-back across weeks. We wanted to pitch a partnership model that was intentionally different.
Instead of booths or slots, we offered alignment with SaasBoomi’s ethos. That’s never an easy sell, but we knew we wanted partners who believed in our mission.
Once onboard, Sehar took over and turned these sponsors into a family. Along with Harshit, Navaneet, and Sradha, she ensured every promise was met, every visibility request exceeded, and every interaction was handled with warmth and professionalism. It wasn’t transactional. It was thoughtful.
An epic build-up
Without marketing, this blockbuster would have remained an undiscovered gem.
From teaser videos that sparked curiosity to last-minute WhatsApp nudges that helped people find the right venue entrance, our marketing and communications team was everywhere. It wasn’t just about promotions, it was about setting the tone for the experience we wanted attendees to have.
Raghu and Ridhi led from the front, balancing voice, vibe, and velocity. Sudheer and Vivek added thoughtful touches and strategic ideas. Kingston, flying solo on PR, ensured we built anticipation and got attention. And Varun? He was the ever-reliable backbone—every email, social media post, and little detail passed through him. He stuck through till the very end, carrying the weight of consistency on his shoulders.
Style check
We don’t do boring merch—not here. We wanted every piece to spark joy, be something you’d use, and feel intentional.
Enter Sameera, who knew exactly how to blend experience with practicality. She was on top of everything from hunting down suppliers to testing samples to staying within budget. Along with Rajath, she also brought in a layer of digital swag from our startup ecosystem. We also had our sponsors’ love in there, making it a perfect little package.
It wasn’t just swag. It was a love letter from the community to the community.
Backstage Action
This is the beast no one sees, until something goes wrong. And thankfully, barely anything did.
Anirudh and I held the fort here, working closely with our hall managers, a sharp event team, and the ever-reliable staff at ITC Chola. From signage to room resets to making sure speakers had mics that worked—it was a constant hum of invisible activity.
And if you didn’t notice it? That means we probably did it right.
Now showing
In many ways, the website was our digital front door. Millusha kept that door looking sharp, welcoming, and always updated.
She was our silent rockstar. From scattered briefs and chaotic last-minute updates, she built a site that never buckled. Calm, composed, and meticulous, Millusha was grace personified under pressure.
Dialogue matters
Imagine managing over 70 speakers, each with unique styles, topics, formats, and needs. Now imagine doing that with calm and consistency.
Aishwarya and Maansi made it look easy. One brought creativity and a hustler’s mindset. The other brought structure, warmth, and years of experience. Together, they ensured every speaker—from first-timers to veterans—felt like they belonged. Every onboarding email, every speaker pic and bio, and post-talk thank you was intentional and from the heart.
And then there was Arun Raj, the steady hand behind the scenes. Just imagine the number of decks flying around for an event with this many speakers. Arun managed them all, ensuring every slide was prepped, queued, and clicked at the perfect time. He also ran the main hall show flow like a pro, syncing it with the AV team, stage cues, and speaker transitions—without missing a beat. Quietly efficient, fully dependable.
Dreamy designs
Let’s just say this: SaaSBoomi wouldn’t look like it does without Georgie. Every visual, from banners to badges, speaker slides to on-ground assets, bears his signature. He magically did the work of an entire team, and never once missed a deadline. He’s not just a designer, he’s our visual heartbeat.
Day 0: Industry & VC connect
These were high-stakes, high-impact sessions and deserved every bit of the meticulous planning they involved. Neha ran the show here. Tight timelines, shifting schedules, and high expectations—she navigated it all gracefully, with a complete army of powerhouse volunteers. The outcome? Smooth sessions, deep conversations, and glowing feedback from those who attended.
(We’ll save this and Mindmixer for a separate blog. It deserves that spotlight.)
The steady pillar of Annual ‘25 Ground Zero
There’s one name that echoes through every planning doc, every late-night call, every solved crisis: Anirudh.
Our star volunteer. Our co-pilot. The human Google Sheet.
We had a shared document titled ‘Ani + Keerthi’, which, by the end, had over 20 pages. We averaged 10+ calls a day. Somewhere midway, we stopped saying “sorry” for the midnight pings and just got on with it.
He owned the heaviest lifts. He brought calm to chaos. He made people feel seen. And he cracked the worst dad jokes while doing all of that. We couldn’t have done this without him.
Open ending
While I had the privilege of leading this planning journey, this was never just another event. It was a mirror.
A mirror that showed me what’s possible when people lead with purpose. When no one waits to be told. When everyone rolls up their sleeves and leans in fully, joyfully, and without ego.
These six months stretched me, humbled me, and reminded me of what it means to build something that matters.
To every volunteer who showed up with fire in their belly, to every partner who said yes when it wasn’t easy, and to the SaaSBoomi team who turned dreams into deadlines: Thank you.
With SaaSBoomi Annual ‘25, we created something unforgettable over six crazy, beautiful months. Let’s open another blank page for a blockbuster sequel.
