Web Summit 2022 - Experience of attending one of the biggest tech events all over the world

The long-awaited Web Summit 2022 edition took place this November 1st through 4th, and I could not be happier to have been there, to manage for the first time be there in person for this event after all my time in Portugal. For those who don't know. We operate in Portugal since covid, based in Ericeira, a small village 30 minutes from Lisbon.

For those who don’t know, Web Summit is, in a nutshell (I’m stealing Politico’s definition) “the world’s premier tech conference”. Basically, where global tech leaders share their insights and set the tone for what’s to come in the near future. These titans are also topped with relevant people like policymakers and heads of state. If anyone wants to get the world’s pulse when it comes to tech innovation, THIS IS THE PLACE!

The schedule was super tight and packed but extremely well organized. With the Websummit mobile app, finding the right talks, people, and spots and arranging your custom experience was a piece of cake.

#day1

The first day was November 1st. According to the organizers, more than 45,000 people came to Lisbon to have the in-person experience. To give a sense of the caliber of this first day, I witnessed talks from people like Changpeng Zhao (Binance’s CEO), Lisa Jackson (VP of Environmental Initiatives at Apple), and even the first lady of Ukraine Olene Zelensky who gave a speech to the audience.

An unexpected surprise for all of us was a speaker which fell off the roof/ceiling and fortunately stayed hanging there. Despite this short break during the opening event, it was all great and the organizers managed it greatly. I was most impressed by the light show and all the little details that made the whole experience bold and deep.? My goal for the event was to pick 10 top names, meet and take a picture when possible with some of them, and ultimately invite them to our events in Prague which we plan to host in 2023.?

#day2

After I did some mild networking-partying on Pink Street where most of the participants went, the second day kicked in. I engineered myself to get through the lines into where the action was taking place since time is key. Skipping 1.5-hour lines from the back entry was a great idea, probably thanks to this hack: parking by the Vasco de Gama bridge and walking through park Tejo to the event.?

Top-tier information from successful speakers and companies was almost on every corner or stage across Pavilion 1 – Pavilion 5.? If I use smart metering, it would be like running a half marathon on the first day to get better organized.? Some serious market trend predictions and the presence of crypto titans like Polkadot, traditional leaders like Siemens, and Maersk, some publicly held, some private, government booths of Sweden, Lisbon, Brasil, and more were bringing people in like magnets. Quality was all over the place.?

I got really inspired by all the present startups and companies.

So many were divided into different tags: alpha, beta, growth, and mentor.?

I had met and reconnected with friends, partners, and clients whom I wasn’t able to meet in Prague and it was also a very positive aspect of this event. Of course, networking during the day was part of the big show.?

Then some live pitch events took place, which sadly, I wasn’t able to join this time.?

To close day #2, I wrapped up with a dinner with a friend of mine Jan Fried , Kiwi and for dessert, I was “dragged” to a David Guetta concert in Campo Grande! Left early to be ready for the next day.?Yes, this is also Websummit.

#day3

I knew very interesting companies started exposing early, talking about their beta products, growth factors, biz strategy. So, I made sure not to miss them.?

Top-tier information was all over the place and up for grabs.? Highlights for me were listening to serial entrepreneur Jordan Ritter, founder of Napster, and Cloudmark e.g. who was focusing on building the AI assistant, and discussion on VC Crystal ball, where Web3 is going from companies already involved. It’s not every day that you can get to listen to and see these people every day. Also meeting with Czech companies and their leader as ?? Petr Svoboda with Ar?om Kuranov , CodeNow, and Lukas Sedlacek . Discussing the highlights of previous days was fun, but also productive.

At the end of the busy day, I stayed for a pitch semi-final of nominated startups going through a pyramid followed by a speech Charles Hoskinson -Founder of Cardano, Co-Founder of Etherum Blockchain platform. It took a place for the activations within the blockchain we have.?

He also talked about how he lost 30 million during the down peak as if it was nothing, just accept it!?Of course, Florian Pittini and I went to talk to him.

To wrap up a Czech community dinner was organized by Vojta Bulí? downtown by Baixa Chiado. Two pastels de nata before heading there to meet some of the companies and people to connect with. I really appreciated how Vojta managed to bring so many names to one place with one invite on WhatsApp Group. Some of the Czechs went for more drinks on the pink street and explored Lisbon with the motivation to connect even more.?I didn't.

#day4

After an early but fresher start, day four seemed to be dedicated to crypto more than anything. Placing a strong focus on the world’s endless dilemma pickle: “Are crypto dead or not? And similar topics” It looked like that participants had already left or didn’t even come, but it was easier to move within the pavilions, and meet more people.

As a golden brooch, there was a spectacular masterclass on Social Discovery 3.0. by KJ Dhaliwal of SD ventures. I was surprised and shocked at how many tractions they have and how there are helping people with loneliness with their apps. At the end of the fair, I had a chance to meet the president of Portugal at their Portuguese booth.?

#AIKIT’sWrapUp

Web Summit was inspiring, and the social arena in between the official days was even more motivating. Getting the pulse of the world in terms of tech, and trends, and seeing all the competition, showed us we need to work smarter and more effectively to improve our services and tailor them for this next era and its companies. Any business can get an edge just by going to the Web Summit. The info, the people, the networking. It’s all worth it.

That’s why this experience has inspired us to also host several events next year. By AIKIT, for our clients and team members.

Stay tuned so you don’t miss it!

Web Summit 2022 - Official Trailer