I’m no alien, I’m no legal alien, I’m a businessman in Lisbon. At Web Summit

If you dived into entrepreneurial world, especially tech area, then you definitely heard about Web Summit. As Inc.com calls it, “the largest gathering of entrepreneurs” has something for almost every type of audience: startups, investors, media or professionals. It also offers a wide array of business opportunities: networking, partnerships, exposure, investment, great speakers and mind-blowing industry insights.

So why would an entrepreneur come to Web Summit?

• First of all, for networking. To meet people from all over the world. Lots of people attend Web Summit so you might want to use the Web Summit app in order to schedule dedicated networking sessions. The app allows you to search peers based on key expertise zone.
• Secondly, for inspiration. Web Summit features a dedicated startup program (ALPHA) and a wide exhibition area gathering startups from various industries from all around the globe. 
• Last, but not least for presentations. With more than 1.200 speakers, Web Summit is a legit source for great content, insights and inspiration. This year it featured politics, sports, whistleblowers, robots and everything in between. However, amid so many key notes, you need to choose carefully the topics that best fit your interest. Also, in order to get more added value, you may want to opt in for those presentations with open Q&A sessions and networking opportunities.

What could Web Summit improve from an entrepreneur’s perspective?

• Startup Showcase – every startup is allocated two minutes to present their company on stage, in a public area where attendees are roaming. However, the probability of finding investors or potential clients in the audience during your showcase is limited, so this is merely an exercise for those wanting to improve fast forward pitching skills.
• Food inside the premises. The quality  is quite awful and expensive at the same time. Look for alternatives outside the complex. And there are plenty!

What I liked best

• The team behind this event has tremendous organization skills. Even though this a huge, four days event, with couple of thousands of attendees and a variety of topics, somehow the organizers managed to make everybody feeling connected and secure. You are well briefed in advance, through follow-up emails and discussion sessions so your expectations are set correctly. Summary of the day is also sent by email, so if you’ve missed something, there’s a high chance you can watch the recording or see the key notes not long after being live.

Do I recommend Web Summit?

• Definitely yes! See you there next year. 

Web Summit 2019 in numbers: 70.469 attendees, 1.206 speakers, 2.150 startups from around the globe, and over 1.200 tech investors. Please find full details here.