Web Summit – is it really the best technology conference to attend in the world?

Is Web Summit really the best technology conference on the planet as Forbes called it? We checked it ourselves! At a time of great uncertainty for industry and the world itself, Web Summit gathers the founders and CEOs of technology companies, fast-growing startups, policymakers and heads of state to ask a simple question: what’s next?

2018 edition of Web Summit took place in Lisbon, in a huge Altice arena. The event lasted from 5th to 8th November and gathered almost 70 000 people who came there to be part of this impressive experience. Organized by a company from Dublin that holds events across the world: Web Summit in Lisbon, Collision in Toronto, RISE in Hong Kong and MoneyConf in Dublin.

Over 70,000 people visited Lisbon to be involved in Web Summit. From CEOs and founders to the startups, to the influencers and the leading journalists – everyone was there! And they had many reasons to come!

Web Summit’s 2018 edition offered 24 tracks. There was the main stage and 4 side expo pavilions. We did our best to have our Eventory representation on the field – our Marketing Manager, Barbara and UX Designer, Ela. From many opportunities and knowledge, we chose mainly Panda Conf – related to Marketing topics and Auto/Tech & TalkRobot tracks.

Networking

Organizers gave a list of some of the favorite party spots in Lisbon. The city at nights turns into a wild party jungle so if attendees are feeling adventurous, they can just take a walk through the right area (Bairro Alto or Cais do Sodré) and see what else can be found.

Don’t be deluded, it’s the night streets of Lisbon where most of the deals are done and the discussions held. This is why, organizers took care of nice spots and provided places with concerts, folk dances and other attractions.

Learning

Speakers at Web Summit are tackling with the big challenges that industry is facing these days. Mentioned many stages cover topics ranging from deep tech and data science to design and environmental sustainability. From many lectures we heard, we want to share with you a few ones which stuck in our heads the most.

Carlsberg – the best advertising campaign in the world (probably). You can find many more examples of great adverts but it’s Carlsberg that just celebrated the longest partnership in the premiership history. They’ve crafted a special beer for Liverpool FC football fans. The hops, which were used to make this beer, were affected by the light and sound of Liverpool FC games over the last 25 years. Nothing more to say:

Another controversial example of the lecture is Burger King with the topic “Who is afraid of great advertising?” That’s not the first time when we are admiring great ideas and a fresh look at marketing thanks to Burger King. During I love Marketing conference, which took place last month in Warsaw, we have seen it pointed out as a great example of catchy advertisements. On Web Summit Marcelo Pascoa introduced the term “hackvertising”. Find out more in the video presentation below:

Last but not least – the Round Table idea that focused on talking about the most pressing issues of tech, business and society with only 12-15 people. Barbara participated in the one touching the topic of “Finding your leadership style”, during which Christina Miller from Cartoon Network, Adult Swim & Boomerang was the expert. You could have talked face-to-face with her while she gave a very personalized advice to every attendee answering the individual problems.

Inspiration

During such a huge event, there needs to be also special details which will make people remember it and… bring inspiration back home. We value events which show that event marketing has no limits. It is all about the idea, creativity and observing what’s around.

• Web Summit went eco. The organizers promoted taking reusable bottles for water because they totally wanted to get rid of disposable plastic bottles during their event. Biodegradable and recyclable cutlery were provided, alongside 30 000 free metal water bottles, to minimize waste. Web Summit also partnered with IKEA to repurpose and reuse furniture and with startup Ecosia to plant a tree per every attendee: that has given the result of approximately 70 000 trees.
  
• In the mass of multiple partner stands, there is a challenge to stand out with yours – booking.com had a great space to do so. They provided small cards in the idea of picking one card and choose the conversation with a random person. There was also no way to skip the stand of Google. Coaching sessions, meditation or slide – that’s what makes the venue place for everyone.
• From the technological perspective: QR codes were scanned at the entrance and exit. The partners also scanned the codes. Good to see the expanding idea of collecting digitized data and analysis from the event.
• Want some nature inside a venue? No problem. Grass and hill to chill and eat something.

Surely, participating in Web Summit 2018 was a nice experience but we are not slowing down. We bet the next edition can be even better, making it the best conference on a planet. We are planning on joining the event next year too, in a more noticeable form – stay tuned!