# Are Startup Events Worth Traveling For?

> Abdul traveled to a startup event in Yerevan with low expectations, but presenting his project and meeting people in his field changed his view. His experience shows the potential value of unexpected connections, not a guarantee that every event is worth the trip.

- By Abdul Osama (عبدول أسامة) — AI, marketing and business, in Arabic
- 6 October 2026
- URL: https://abdulosama.com/en/feed/startup-event-travel-yerevan-experience
- Video: https://abdulosama.com/feed/video/106
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAx0CCWNo8d/

## Key takeaways

- Abdul attended a startup event in Yerevan despite low initial enthusiasm.
- A free booth gave him an opportunity to present his project and meet other founders.
- He connected with some attendees on LinkedIn.
- The people he met and the city visit changed his impression of the trip.

Traveling to a startup event can be worthwhile when it gives you a chance to present your project and meet people in your field. Abdul Osama (عبدول أسامة) says he was not particularly excited about going to an event in Yerevan, Armenia, but came away with a better experience than he expected.

## What happened at the event?

Abdul was given a free booth—a space for presenting his project at the event. After arriving, he gave his pitch, a short presentation of the project, then listened to other startups’ pitches and met their founders. He connected with some of the people he met on LinkedIn, a professional networking platform.

The conversations continued outside the formal presentations, including in a relaxation area at the venue. Abdul also explored Yerevan with a founder he met there and visited the Cascade area. Both the city and the event turned out better than he had anticipated.

> “I spent two days that were much better than I expected.” — Abdul Osama

## Expectation versus experience

| Before the trip | After the trip |
| --- | --- |
| He had previously regarded startup events as a waste of time. | He met people in his field and enjoyed visiting a city he had not planned to explore. |

### In numbers

- **Fall 2024:** The timing given in the video caption.
- **Two days:** The length of the experience Abdul describes.

## What to do next

If you are considering a similar event, think about what you want to present and whom you hope to meet, while leaving room for unplanned conversations. That is a practical takeaway from Abdul’s experience, not a promise that every event will pay off.

## Questions and answers

### Why did Abdul travel to Yerevan?

He says he was given a free booth at a startup event, so he went despite not being especially enthusiastic at first.

### What did he do at the event?

He pitched his project, listened to other startups’ pitches, met people, and connected with some of them on LinkedIn.

### Does the video say every startup event is worth attending?

No. It describes Abdul’s personal experience: he expected a waste of time but found value in the connections and the trip.

## Full transcript

حياة الستارتب فاوندور بصراحة متعبة وحضور الايفنتات كله ضايع وقت. تعالوا ووريكم. تعالوا أبهدلكم معايا في رحلتي ليرفان أرمينيا وبصراحة ما كنتش حتى عارف اسم العاصمة قبل الرحلة دي. ادونا بوث ببلاش في الستارتب ايفنت بصراحة فكنت مضطر اروح رغم اني مكنتش متحمس قوي. اول ما وصلت عملت البيتش بتاعي وبعدها قعدت اسمع البيتش بتاع الستارتب التانية وتعرف عليهم. بصراحة عرفت على ناس كتير لذيذة وعملناك نكشنز على اللينكتين ولقيت ان هم بيعملوا يوغا. طبعا مش هعمل يوغا انا بس لقيت فيه تشيل زون ومشاريب وبتاع فدي خدت فيها ناس تعرفت عليهم وقعدنا قضينا وقت لذيذ وكده. اتعرفت على فاوند الروسي عيش في ارمينيا بقاله سنتين في اعتبر الوكال قال لي هفسحك قابلني في ريبابليك سكوير. قابلته وقال لي تعالي طلعك على الكاسكيد وهو اشهر معلم هناك وكان مكان لذيذ جدا والجو كان حلو وبصراحة انقاذني بمعلومة مهمة جدا وهي ان انت مش لازم تطلع على السلالم وان فيه على الشمال كده السلم كهرباء وكمان فيه متحف بتخش تشوف فيه حاجات لذيذة قوي عن تاريخ البلد وكده بس دي اكتر حاجة عجبتني كانت معمولة في الكوفيد. على عكس ما كنت متوقع البلد طلعت لذيذة والايفنت بصراحة ما كانش وحش والسبب ان انا اروح بلد ومدينة عمري ما كنت بسمع عنها او افكر روح. اتعرفت على الناس جميلة في نفس مجالي وقضيت يومين احلى بكتير ما كنت متوقع. على فكرة البلد مش غالية بالذاتها سهلة ولها جو ونشاطات ممكن تتعامل حلوة يعني مش بلد مفيش حاجة تتعامل. زمان كنت باعتبر الستارتابس والايفنت دي حاجة ملهاش لازمة وتضيع وقت. انا عارف انه كليشيه شوية بس الحقيقة الكنزة في الرحلة ولما بتختار حاجة زي الستارتابس صعبة بتطلع برا الكمفورت زون بتاعك وبروح اماكن وبتعمل حاجات ما كنتش هيبقى عندك سبب ان انت تعملها. ما شيت بعد كده على مطعم بيتزا ايطالي كاتش ططتي وطلعت على الطائرة.

---
Transcribed and written up with AI from the video; reviewed on request.