This was my sixth Web Summit, so I can confidently say that visiting Lisbon in November has become a wonderful tradition. It’s one of those rare business trips that brings joy and satisfaction.
I’d like to share my impressions, as each year after returning from the event, they are always different.
Networking and working at the stand
Web Summit usually brings together thousands of people from the tech industry under one roof. This time was no exception – the organizers reported 71,528 participants from 153 countries, with 3,050 companies showcasing their stands. It’s an incredible opportunity to network intensely and reach out to people you would never have had access to in real life. For example, we were able to connect with sales directors and representatives from major companies, receive feedback, and even spark interest in our product.
I’m not sure how it works, but during the Summit, I was contacted by representatives from the headquarters of Google, Canva, Visa, DELL, and other huge corporations. I believe the reason lies in the mutual thirst for information exchange and openness to innovation. This year, the Summit organizers introduced a special feature for creating meetups, and through the app, you could choose meetups based on themes, geographical origin, job position, or interests – both within and outside the exhibition center. All meetups were collected in one place, which was something many, including myself, were eagerly awaiting.
Ukrainians at Web Summit
For the third consecutive year, the Summit has become a hub for Ukrainians from all over the world, who come primarily to see their fellow countrymen, hug, exchange news and contacts, and simply socialize. If a few years ago, I could recognize about 10% of Ukrainian participants, this year, I could barely spot 1-2 familiar faces. But this was very pleasing to me because so many amazing young people gathered there – with open, sincere eyes and a desire to connect. The only thing that hasn’t changed is our determination to unite for the sake of Victory.
This year, I was part of at least three Ukrainian chats, and I saw the intense networking that was happening. Personally, through these chats, I had three very productive meetings that led to further cooperation agreements.
There was also an attempt to organize a flash mob in protest against a speech by Russian opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya. She came to the Summit to speak about how technology should not be used for extremist purposes. But we remember how, not so long ago, Ms. Navalnaya said that the war with Ukraine wasn’t as simple as it seemed and that missiles were flying in both directions. Ukrainians couldn’t forgive her for that, so they organized a flash mob – during her speech, an air raid siren went off in the app for all Ukrainians. The goal was to show what we live with daily. Imagine that, right now, a missile attack from Russia interrupts your speech.
We wanted to remind the world of the conditions we’ve been living under for almost three years…
The idea was great, but we didn’t take into account the terrible acoustics in the exhibition pavilions, and the sirens were only heard by the owners of phones where the sound came from (of course, not like in a quiet apartment at night). Someone left to avoid creating the illusion of a crowd during Navalnaya’s speech, while others stayed until the end. At the end, Ukrainian Nadia Kolibaba went on stage and, in a very polite and diplomatic manner, asked about Navalnaya’s official position on the war in Ukraine. Navalnaya responded that she did not support the war and the current regime. Well, that was a small victory. A huge thank you to Nadia for expressing everything that pains Ukrainians in such a restrained manner.
Working at the Stand and participation as Beta
Last year, with the Pitch Avatar project, we had an exhibition day at our stand – the third and final one, and there was literally a line to talk to us. This year, our stand day was the first. We were a little worried that, on the first day, people usually want to look around and not many would come to us. But fortunately, we were wrong. Many people came to talk to us – by evening, I could barely speak, which is a 100% sign of a productive day at the event. Among the nice surprises was that some visitors, instead of just asking, “What’s your product?” approached us and said: “Hello, I’m your customer, your product is awesome, thank you for it.” We were so happy about this, like children.
It’s important to note that to get people to visit your stand, you need to do thorough prep work. This year, we traveled as a team of three, and each of us prepared in advance – establishing contacts, inviting people to meet either at the stand or elsewhere, and we also prepared our avatar business cards to attract attention and show what we do.
Here’s how my business card looked: https://slides.pitchavatar.com/xpaom, and it was viewed 66 times before the Summit even began. So, without careful preparation, the results would have been much worse.
Many people asked us why we were participating as Beta (early-stage startups) and not Alpha. Among the benefits is that you get a whole 1.5 meters of exhibition space instead of one, 4 tickets, and access to additional Summit events. This year, we were invited to Mentor Hour – a group meeting of startups united by a common theme with a mentor. Unfortunately, our mentor didn’t show up, so the Mentor Hour was… very strange. We were offered either to join other groups or simply sit wherever we wanted.
Pitch competition
The startup competition is the key event of the Summit, which I never miss.
From my third year attending, I realized that finalists are usually startups with technologies that are the current trend. Once, it was autonomous car technologies, then AI, and so on. But this year, I was completely surprised. Of the three finalists, only one used AI and machine learning technologies – the GovGPT project (USA), which aimed to equip police bulletproof vests with cameras and sensors that analyze the surrounding environment and vibrate when danger is detected.
The other two startups didn’t use AI but offered interesting solutions. The Intuitivo project (Portugal) presented a platform for digital evaluation aimed at improving teachers’ work and saving their time on repetitive tasks, and the Scoutz project (USA) offered a marketplace for young athletes to make it easier to find and recruit them into top teams.
The audience gave great support, and as a result, the first-place Pitch trophy went to João Guimarães, founder of the Portuguese project Intuitivo. João announced from the stage that he didn’t plan to add AI to the product until it made sense, which received loud applause from the audience. Of course, the Portuguese were very happy that their country had won such an esteemed trophy.
Night Summit
Since I now live in Spain, this year, I was part of the IT chats of both Ukraine and Spain. At first, the Spaniards weren’t very active, but as soon as dinner places and evening side-events were mentioned, the Spanish chat came alive.
It’s worth noting that despite Ukrainians having several side-events in the evening, the unchanging meeting spot was Papoila Bar in central Lisbon. The owner of this bar is Ukrainian, and the name “Papoila” means “poppy flower” in Portuguese, not what you might think. The place was buzzing with energy, and there were many people ready to socialize. So, if you didn’t burn out during the day at the Summit, Papoila was the perfect spot to continue networking.
Unlike Ukrainians, the Spaniards were less organized and gathered at the so-called “food market” – Time Out Market, before splitting up into different bars.
Personal tips for attending Web Summit
If you plan to attend Web Summit for the first time next year, it’s crucial to prepare well in advance. Along with business preparations, I recommend:
- Setting clear goals for attending the event and formulating your expectations: what would the ideal outcome be for you?
- Booking your hotel by September at the latest, as availability will be limited and prices will be high after that.
- Setting aside a few days before or after the Summit to enjoy Lisbon, Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Nazaré, Porto, or even a flight to Madeira or the Azores.
- Get inspired! Both Web Summit and Portugal offer plenty of opportunities to discover new ideas.
- Reflect on your experiences and plan for the next trip to the Summit – whether it’s in Lisbon next year or perhaps in Qatar or Brazil.
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Written by Victoria Abed, CRO at Pitch Avatar
