Case study spotlight: Raleigh-Durham Startup Week 2024

Building a thriving startup community with strategic engagement

You don’t have to have a massive budget, tech stack, or massive brand recognition to put on a successful event. That was the biggest takeaway from our experience with Raleigh-Durham Startup Week 24. 

In 2024, Raleigh-Durham Startup Week (RDSW) proved the power of community-driven event marketing by tripling its attendance and expanding its reach, all while operating on a tight budget. And luckily, part of our team was there to help make this happen. 

Our founders, Nout and Hillary, volunteered to lead RDSW's email marketing efforts, helping transform an ambitious vision into an incredibly successful (and fun!) event.

The challenge

RDSW’s goal was ambitious: triple event registrations while bolstering sponsorships, securing speakers, and enhancing engagement. As an all-volunteer team with limited resources, they sought to create an inclusive, valuable experience for North Carolina’s Triangle startup community. 

Rising costs and regional layoffs added to the urgency, making it essential to find innovative ways to strengthen the local startup ecosystem.

The role of Nine Lives Digital

In 2023, Nout and Hillary, joined the RDSW organizing team to lead event promotion through marketing emails, content creation, and a structured promotional calendar. By tailoring each touchpoint to resonate with founders, we ensured the content provided clear value and increased engagement. 

This audience-centric strategy helped build excitement, strengthened brand recognition, and drove registrations.

The strategy

The entire RDSW organization contributed to the creation of the event strategy, with a focus on providing valuable resources to grow our local startup ecosystem. Using these strategic foundations, the RDSW marketing team developed targeted tactics to drive attendance and engagement:

1. Community engagement: They fostered year-round relationships through local events, surveys, and feedback sessions, enabling attendees to shape the event’s content and experience.

2. Tailored content tracks: For 2024, the event focused on three specialized tracks—Idea, Build, and Scale—catering to every stage of a startup’s journey. Our team worked with RDSW organizers to create benefits-driven promotional content that powerfully resonated with the founder community, drawing in a diverse, high-value audience.

3. Multi-channel promotion: Through a strategic promotional calendar, targeted email campaigns, and cohesive branding across social media, RDSW was able to reach a broader audience and achieve higher engagement. Plus, the refreshed branding, new user-friendly website, and partnerships with other local startup organizations helped capture attention and drive participation.

The results

This collaborative strategy paid off! RDSW 2024 tripled its attendance, saw increased community involvement, and earned glowing feedback. 

Our efforts in content strategy and promotion helped establish RDSW as a must-attend event, creating a foundation for future growth and community-building. And it’s only going to get bigger for 2025!

Want the full story? Download the complete case study to see the data behind RDSW’s success and discover actionable insights for your next event.