I recently had a conversation with Google Gemini to clarify the strategy behind community meetups at companies that support open source, such as Grafana Labs and Elastic.
Gemini: Imma, we often talk about the friction between sales and community. You recently mentioned that to get this right, you have to be highly strategic rather than just tactical. What does that actually look like on the ground?
Imma: It starts with changing the definition of “success.” I was reading this article on Pororoca, “The Hidden SalesForce” and it really nailed a core truth we often overlook. The article argues that, in this complex tech landscape, users are forming communities specifically to solve their day-to-day challenges. When they find a solution there, they go back to their companies as champions, effectively becoming a “hidden salesforce.”
So, the strategy isn’t “how do I sell to this room?” The strategy is “how do I enable this room to solve problems?” If we respect that dynamic, the partnership works. If we try to hijack it, we lose.
Gemini: That makes sense, but how do you execute that without it becoming a logistical nightmare? For example, finding venues is always a hurdle.
Imma: It depends on where you are.
In-country sales support is actually quite organic if you treat it as a relationship exchange. Here in Barcelona, or wherever your community organizers are based, finding prospects to host a meetup isn’t tricky if you are already part of the ecosystem.
The move is to attend tech meetups. Go to the events that affinity communities organize. For us at Grafana Labs, that means showing up (or even better, helping co-organize) at Cloud Native, DevOps, Go, or Performance meetups. Learn from their pain points if you are in sales, what they struggle with. Once you’ve built that rapport, asking “Hey, would you be open to hosting us (Grafana & Friends) sometime?” feels like a natural collaboration, not a cold ask. You’re leveraging existing trust.
Gemini: What about international partnering? You can’t exactly scout a venue in a city where you don’t have boots on the ground.
Imma: Exactly, and that’s where the “partnering” part of the title comes in. Attempting to do that remotely is a recipe for burnout. The strategic approach is to lean on your Partnership Managers.
Reach out to them and ask for introductions to partners in that target region. Those partners are your local scouts; they know the venues, the vibe, and the logistics. They might already be organizing community events themselves or be willing to start with you. You use the internal organization to bridge the geographical gap, rather than trying to Google “tech venues in Stockholm or Lisboa” from a desk in Barcelona.
Gemini: But what’s in it for them? Why would a partner, or even a prospect, agree to host?
Imma: It has to be a value exchange.
For partners, it’s a way to feel our tangible support. We aren’t just asking for leads from them; we are helping them build authority. We help them organize an event where their tech teams can also take the stage. I always insist that the content be open-source-focused, not a pitch for paid features. We have to respect the community context.
For customers and prospects – and also for partners, the motivation is almost always talent. Even for companies that strictly use the open source version and have no intention of buying Cloud or Enterprise (which is perfectly okay!), hosting is a win. It allows their engineers to show off their stack. It signals to the local ecosystem: “We do cool engineering work here.” That is powerful for attracting and retaining developers.
Gemini: I can see the logistics side. However, I still hear sales folks ask: “Why should I give up my evening to go to a Python meetup if I’m not allowed to pitch?”
Imma: This is where we have to be very clear: this is a long-term investment, not a short-term tactic. If they go in looking to close leads this quarter, they will fail.
We encourage sales to attend meetups (your own groups or others) for two main reasons:
First, it builds trust in a way a Zoom call never can. Meetups are informal and technical. It’s a perfect low-pressure touchpoint with a prospect where you aren’t “the salesperson,” you’re just another human in the room. You can plant seeds and surface connections without the armor on.
Second, you have to listen. Some of the best sales team members I know use these events purely for intel. They become knowledgeable about the use cases and actual challenges teams are facing, not what the marketing brochure says. Community users are happy to share their pain points and successes over pizza.
Gemini: So it’s about curiosity?
Imma: 100%. Be curious. Ask questions. Meet local open-source users and hear how they use your projects. It shows that we are here to support the community, not extract value from it. When you show up to learn, you build the kind of capital that pays off months or years down the line.
