Is Web Summit for you?
After recently having the honour of attending Web Summit, I realised I would have loved to get an insider’s knowledge of the event. If you are new around here, Web Summit is an annual tech summit held in Lisbon, Portugal. Here speakers, businesses, entrepreneurs, and general attendees gather to network and discuss a wide range of topics all related to technology in our modern world. It has been called the most important tech event in the world, but that begs the question, is it for you?
Who?
To start off, the most important question I have for you is who are you? This question goes deeper than the name of yourself or your business, it refers to your gender (male, female, or otherwise), title (start-up ,investor, or business representative) and your level of interest in the business (are you just naturally curious, committed to starting up a business, or representing your employer?). Of course, you must have a decent level of knowledge on the tech industry otherwise you would not have heard of Web Summit before. However, tickets can be quite expensive so make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Do your research on the event and find out if you want to hear certain speakers, grow your network, and / or invest or if you just have a free week off work. If you are a female, you can get discounted tickets which is a great opportunity for you to harness the benefits of Web Summit at an affordable rate.
Why?
The next topic to consider is why are you going. Everyone has a goal when starting out – and if you don’t, I would advise you to set some goals. Expanding your network is a good and realistic goal to set as there are many opportunities to do so. Between conferences, Night Summit, and even waiting in queues there are umpteen chances to chat to people about their business and interests. You just need to grab every one of them. There are also a lot of representative bodies advertising their business benefits so set your sights on who you want to invest the most time in seeing or speaking to. From international bodies like the EU to national bodies like the Portuguese Government have your intentions mapped out in your head of who you wish to get advice from. There are also interesting talks to listen into from Facebook’s very own whistle blower Frances Haugen to more light-hearted topics like Zara Larson talking about Roblox.
Personal Advice
Finally, what I will part you with is the advice I wish I received before venturing over to Portugal. As I have stated before, it is very important to set yourself goals. Whether it be getting investment, growing your network, or learning about the industry. This will ensure you have a clear vision of what to do and who to speak to without getting overwhelmed by the glamour and enormity of the event. Having said that, do not over plan your stay either. The beauty of business and Web Summit was the unpredictability of it. You could run into a very interesting character and want to discuss their path over a coffee or beer however, if you were looking down at your phone the whole time you may miss this key opportunity. Although your precious 8-hour rest is important do not prioritise this over Night Summit. Socialising and networking in the evening is a lot more of a relaxed and fun environment – not to mention the open bars being a bonus. These are just a few of my top tips on optimising your time at Web Summit. For more advice and experience keep an eye on our social media. Also if you want to see how Web Summit 2021 looked for our team, click here to view our Web Summit gallery.