Nowadays, where there’s a problem, there’s a SaaS solution not far behind. In fact, 99% of companies are currently using at least one SaaS solution. But all of this rapid growth and demand presents SaaS providers with several unique challenges, one of which is differentiation—and continuous differentiation at that.
As the SaaS industry becomes increasingly saturated, competition will inevitably increase. So, what can you do to make your brand shine? How do you continuously bring value to your customers? How can your company create new key differentiators in a constantly evolving space? Answering questions like these requires inspiration. But inspiration doesn’t appear out of thin air—you have to seek it out. Attending a B2B SaaS conference is one way to ignite ingenuity. However, all conferences offer differing benefits, and conventional SaaS congregations may not always provide the inspiration you seek.
Before we dive into SaaS conferencing, let’s anchor your perspective and take a look at the evolution of B2B SaaS software and market trends.
Why Is B2B SaaS Important? And Are SaaS Companies the Future?
When evaluating the importance of B2B SaaS, the proof is in the pudding. These software solutions are all created with a single goal in mind, to help solve business problems. B2B SaaS offers companies a wide range of benefits, including:
- Improved scalability
- Consistent updates
- Enhanced digital security
- Flexible payment models
- Significant cost savings
Because of these benefits and more, SaaS has become the default software delivery model for all industries, making its success undeniable. Aside from extensive value-adds and widespread adoption, a recent Gartner report stated that SaaS providers’ significant market power has fundamentally changed how sourcing, procurement, and vendor management leaders negotiate and manage contracts. Suffice it to say that SaaS is well-positioned to continue to alter the modern working world for a variety of reasons.
So, what’s next for SaaS? Some of the biggest future-facing B2B SaaS trends include:
- Mobile-first development
- Emphasis on no-code capabilities
- Embracing micro-niches and shifting away from one-size-fits-all software solutions
- A heavier reliance on artificial intelligence (AI)
What is An Example of B2B SaaS?
The primary objectives of B2B SaaS companies are to solve business pain points, improve effectiveness, and streamline various operations with software technologies. Some examples of the most popular types of B2B SaaS solutions include:
- Project management solutions like Monday.com and Asana
- Marketing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce
- E-commerce platforms like Shopify and ShipRocket
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software including solutions from Microsoft and Oracle
Is SaaS Still Growing? A Look at Where the B2B SaaS Industry Is, and Where It’s Going
B2B SaaS industry growth is truly a modern marvel. According to a recent report from Zippa, there are about 30,000 SaaS companies worldwide, over half of which are in the United States. In 2022, the SaaS industry market size reached $186.6 billion and is projected to grow to $700 billion by 2030. In the graph below you can see the substantial—and fast-paced—growth of the SaaS industry. In just five years, its market value has increased exponentially.
Upcoming B2B SaaS Conferences in 2023
Attending conferences is a tried and true method for connecting with experts in your field, brainstorming ideas, and sharing what your company has learned along the way. Here are just a few B2B SaaS conferences happening across the U.S. this year:
- SaaS Connect 2023 | SaaS Connect solely focuses on discussing partnerships, platforms, and distribution. The main goal of this event is to help attendees connect with industry specialists in a casual, candid environment.
- SaaStr 2023 | SaaStr takes a hands-on approach to networking and aims to provide actionable advice and education.
- SaaStock USA 2023 | At this event, SaaS founders and their teams can work and play hard while building valuable connections.
- Founder500 2023 | The Founder500 conference allows attendees to connect and learn from hundreds of top SaaS founders.
Conventional SaaS Conferences Are Great…But Something’s Missing
You can’t deny that all of these SaaS conferences bring something unique to the table, but they also tend to lack the expansive scope needed to consistently spark new ideas. Part of this can be attributed to the specialized nature of B2B SaaS. Nearly all B2B SaaS organizations aim to solve hyper-specific problems for niche clientele. Although there are times when narrowing your lens is appropriate, siloed perspectives stand to hinder your business’ evolution.
How do you save your SaaS solution from stagnation? How do you define your growth goals? What’s next for SaaS? These broad questions can be difficult to answer if you’re stuck in an echo chamber. When you’re constantly zoomed in, focusing on the small details that directly relate to your B2B SaaS niche, you might lose sight of the big picture. This ultimately makes it much more difficult to innovate and grow.
So, where can you go to broaden your perspective? Are there conferences dedicated to big-picture thinking? You can bet there are.
The Future of SaaS Conferences: Cross-Sector Collaboration and Diversifying SaaS Discourse
What is a SaaS conference supposed to be? Conventionally, a SaaS conference is where industry leaders and newcomers gather to share ideas, network, and boost their brand awareness. But is this enough to propel SaaS forward? Although the typical SaaS conference framework functions well enough, meeting exclusively with your peers runs the risk of stagnating ideation. If conferences are to be a source of effective inspiration and growth, it’s necessary to curate experiences filled with diverse perspectives, differing opinions, and unique specialties.
Enter, cross-sector collaboration events. Cross-sector collaboration is all about uniting organizations from different industries to combine efforts and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Successful collaboration during these events often builds cross-sector partnerships, where organizations can leverage their expertise and resources to support collective and individual growth.
According to McKinsey, companies whose leaders welcome diverse talents and seek multiple perspectives are likely to outperform their competitors. The same goes for conferences—only meeting with professionals in your niche industry becomes stale after a while. To reinvigorate your SaaS solution, it’s necessary to step outside the boundaries of the B2B SaaS sphere every once in a while.
But what does this all look like in practice? Let’s review an example of how cross-sector collaboration produces immensely impactful results.
SaaS and Nonprofits: Using Better Surveillance Technology to Protect Forests
Everyone has heard of Google Earth, but many are unaware of the impact this SaaS tool has made in raising awareness of deforestation. The Google Earth Engine utilizes geospatial data and high-powered satellites to identify and track changes to the Earth’s surface, providing an extremely detailed record of forest loss around the globe.
Recognizing the impact this technology could have, Google partnered with the nonprofit organization Global Forest Watch (GFW), to provide free forest-monitoring support for tropical nations that are most affected by climate change and have been battling forest loss for a long time. GFW utilizes Google’s improved surveillance capabilities to track tree loss, provide timely updates, and incorporate up-to-date data into the GFW Global Land Analysis and Discovery alerts.
In the past, many conservationists struggled to illustrate the severity of deforestation and relied on outdated imagery that frequently failed to encourage action. With Google Earth’s technology, those challenges have been mitigated. The improved surveillance solutions that Google Earth offers empower researchers, forest managers, law enforcement, and local communities to spread awareness of this pervasive issue and work toward improved protection for endangered forests. Without collaboration and cross-sector communication, a solution like this may have never come to fruition.
Where Can You Find a Cross-Sector B2B SaaS Conference?
Complexity is abundant and new ideas are scarce in the modern working world. With that in mind, it’s never been more critical for organizations to work across sectors and put their minds together. This methodology enables all kinds of professionals to achieve shared goals and find solutions to the world’s most impossible challenges. So, where can you get started? How about at the largest cross-sector innovation conference in the world? Yeah, we’re talking about Rally.
Rally: Where Inspiration and Collaboration Thrive
It’s human nature to seek validation for our own perspectives and settle in spaces that feel familiar, but if we’re being brutally honest, constant homogeneity kills innovation. As Socrates famously stated, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” In order to grow, we all have to step outside of our bubbles and learn from one another. And that’s exactly what Rally is here!
Similar to the famous Chicago World’s Fair, Rally serves as a global exposition that fosters cross-sector connections between companies, universities, entrepreneurs, and investors. We believe that enhanced connectivity between multiple industries cultivates an environment that stimulates growth for everyone involved.
For SaaS professionals, the Rally Software Innovation Studio specifically brings together various emerging and existing innovative software technologies, including:
- Web3
- Blockchain
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- Apps
What Industries Are Featured at Rally Besides SaaS?
Rally is one of the first events to unite five of the most crucial and innovative sectors of the business world with software: Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, HardTech, Healthcare, and SportsTech. Here’s what you can expect from each unique innovation studio.
1. Agriculture
Facing the rapidly increasing population, the looming consequences of climate change, and operational efficiency challenges, agriculture innovators have a lot of work to do. This studio will address these various hurdles and showcase unique solutions for creating more efficient and sustainable food systems.
2. Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is about more than starting your own business, it serves as the glue that unites all aspects of commerce, regardless of industry. This studio was created to highlight ideation, leadership, and innovation strategies to gather all professionals under the umbrella of success.
3. HardTech
Advanced manufacturing is the driving force behind all industries. Without hard tech innovations, all other sectors would struggle to survive. This studio will dive into what it takes to improve manufacturing processes, and highlights key innovations that stand to make a significant impact in the coming years.
4. Healthcare
The COVID-19 pandemic placed an indescribable strain on the global healthcare infrastructure. From staffing shortages to rapidly increasing costs, healthcare innovators are handling the most important, and possibly the most difficult, tasks imaginable. The featured innovations of this studio lay down a roadmap to achieving a sustainable, equitable, affordable, and compassionate health system. And, according to McKinsey and Company, B2B SaaS is a major player in the next wave of healthcare innovation.
5.SportsTech
As Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, once said, “Sports is the common denominator in the world that brings everyone together.” This studio examines the inner workings of the sports industry and showcases innovations related to training, coaching, technology, and safety for traditional and esports sectors.
What Makes the Rally Innovation Conference Different From All the Rest?
The Rally Innovation Conference aims to break down barriers and unite business leaders, investors, venture capitalists, and industry experts from six vastly different industries to achieve intentional collaboration. Here are just a few of the great things Rally has in store:
- Various activities and engagements including several keynote speakers and interactive workshops for all six industries.
- A demo arena for businesses to show off their innovations and ideas.
- Five pitch competitions for up-and-coming startups where each organization stands to receive one million dollars in investment.
- One-on-one meetings for startups to connect with industry investors (and possibly secure funding).
Ultimately, innovation is not born in isolation. Through collaboration, impossible challenges become far less intimidating, and collective growth feels less like a fairy tale and more like an actionable goal. So, what do you think? If you’re ready to broaden your mind, extend your network, and strengthen your business, get registered for Rally today.
