Strong wind and brutal rain. Two things you definitely don’t want when you’re hosting an event on a rooftop. I’d been watching the forecast every single day for a week. You can’t always trust it. This time I did. I had to. Even though, during the setup on event day, it looked more like we’d have to pack the whole thing in. Literally. It was a risk, but did it pay off? Meet&Deal vol11 Rooftop Edition is behind us, so take a look at how it went.

You can negotiate anything. Except the weather.

When J&T Banka and I shook on it that the eleventh Meet&Deal would take place on their rooftop terrace, I was thrilled. June is almost a sure thing for summer weather, but you can’t bet on it.

The event hadn’t even started and we were already down two tents thanks to the strong wind and rain. And on top of that, the whole building had to be evacuated that morning because of an alarm. Just great.

As the start time crept closer, I got more and more nervous. But the moment the first guests arrived, so did perfect weather. The tables turned. So much so that I spent half the event in a t-shirt and shorts. Sunshine, warmth, a view over Prague. What more could you ask for?

Sure, it cooled off again later in the evening, but we had a few gas heaters ready for exactly that, and they ended up doubling as networking points.

The most nourishing networking, with a program to match

150 people from the Czech and Slovak business world made it onto the J&T Banka roof with a shared goal. To talk business and life, make new connections, and deepen the ones they already had. The terrace gave people plenty of spots to talk openly, as well as enough privacy to fine-tune the terms of a deal.

Our connectors helped guests find and link up with each other, and our traditional 1to1 rock-paper-scissors tournament served much the same purpose. For a moment it looked like history would repeat itself and Kazimír Krysta would walk away with another title, but in the end it was Marcel Lukačka, Co-founder of go4.sk & go4.cz and a member of our Meet&Deal KOMUNITA, who claimed it.

Meet&Deal vol11 was actually the first event since we launched KOMUNITA. So guests had the chance to talk through the value of KOMUNITA with a number of members who came along.

A raffle with valuable prizes from our partners is an integral part of our program. In cooperation with the Kubova English Foundation, this time we raised money for Džony, who lives with cerebral palsy. Together with Kuba Čáslava, he put together a guitar performance that was as entertaining as it was moving. DJ Akvamen joined them on the sax, then took care of a fantastic atmosphere with his set. We raised a little over 30,000 CZK toward Džony’s spa stay. Every crown counts.

For the first time, we sold raffle tickets through the vibecoded admin of the Meet&Deal website, which also ran a fair draw for the main prizes. There’s definitely room to improve, but this is the path we want to keep walking, step by step.

Guests could enjoy a rum tasting paired with select cigars, as well as a Neapolitan pizza-making workshop with Pizza Therapy. They could also tuck into Alkonuky (non-alcoholic version included), great catering, and select drinks led by Jakub Krejčí of JK Spirits & Love, who’s been pulling this along with us from the very start. Thanks for that.

The feedback didn’t keep us waiting

I could sing the praises of my own event all the way to the moon. But what always interests me is how the guests see it. After all, we do this for them, and their feedback is what helps us keep pushing the events forward. So how did people like it this time?

“What did I like? Everything. A perfect event, great people, excellent service, amazing bites, the pizza workshop was a highlight. The rooftop has its own magic and the networking up there was brilliant! Hats off, really. A 100% well thought-out event,” wrote Martin Vašulka, Business Development Manager at Business Factory.

Peter Brejčák, an editor at CzechCrunch, summed it up very briefly: “For me, probably the best Meet&Deal there’s ever been.”

Eliška Škatulová from Modrý koník most appreciated “the openness of people to talk, to get into business and ideas, and a lot of valuable new contacts.”

Petr Zahradník, a physiotherapist from Spinezio, wrote to tell us he liked “the organization. Everything worked, the relaxed atmosphere, people’s willingness to meet and talk, the variety in the program, a live DJ, catering, and helping others.”

We’ve got things to improve too, of course. Some people missed a cloakroom for their things, some didn’t manage to eat properly before the catering vanished. Some didn’t sign up for the pizza workshop or the tournament in time, and some were simply cold by the evening.

Thanks to the partners who help us push it forward

I’d really like to take this chance to thank our event partner, J&T Banka. I chatted with some of the bank’s people right there at the event and they were genuinely excited. I appreciate that, because they don’t usually open their space up for events.

Thanks also to Shoptet Premium. Btw, at the bar guests could grab their special drink with a big ice cube stamped with their logo. That was cool. Thanks as well to RTB House, who’ll be with us right through to the end of the year, MOVit Energy s.r.o. for their energy, SkvělýTisk.cz for printing our materials and our new merch, Pizza Therapy for the pizza and the inspiring workshop, and Fremlos Media for the photos and videos we’re now flooding the socials with.

Thanks for the great shots to Erik Dao and Jirka Zamazal from Fremlos Media.

Thanks too to our raffle partners, whether that’s Furiosa, Cuppka, Spokojený Pes, Tomas Arsov, Kubova English, Trenýrkárna, Mixit, or Masáže Michal.

How it ended, and what’s next

At midnight we had to clear the terrace, but we carried straight on to the afterparty. That didn’t stay in one place either, we worked our way through a few more. No wonder, given we wrapped up close to five in the morning.

I have to say, Meet&Deal vol11 Rooftop Edition is up there with the very best Meet&Deal events. We raised the bar again. And I can’t wait for the next one. We’re heading back to Bratislava, this time onto a boat called Sundeck. August 27. So expect summer vibes and a great atmosphere.

Want to be there with us? Grab your ticket in the first wave at the lowest price on the Meet&Deal website.