What’s a PR to do? Web Summit tips and tricks for PR people

I’m just back from my second trip to Web Summit. It’s a cracking event – the content is brilliant, the media attend in droves and the networking is pretty much unparalleled in European tech. But I got so much more out of Web Summit 2022 than I did in 2021, because I understood how the show worked better. I was reminded of this when I bumped into a former CCgroupie who was having a bit of a nightmare, so I thought a PSA for PRs was in order:

1.????Your badge is *everything*

In 2021, I rocked up on a sponsor badge. BIG mistake. Huge. You can still access all the content, but you can’t get to the Media Centre. Not even close. And while all the staff and volunteers are super helpful and nice, there’s no blagging your way in. No way. It’s the same for ‘Attendee’ badges.

This year I was on a Speaker Guest pass. I now like to think of it as the ‘God level’ badge. Not only can you access the Media Centre and Speaker Prep areas, you get into the Forum. The Forum is an area ‘backstage’ in the Altice Arena. It’s basically where the big wigs congregate (amazing networking), the food and drink is exceptional and there’s the great conference triumvirate: strong WiFi, lots of power points and seats as far as the eye can see. It was bliss.

Every speaker gets a +1. If you’re even thinking of doing media interviews at the event, do not let your speaker give their +1 to anyone else! It also enables you to use the fast track entrances to beat the queues. And on that subject…

2.????Get up early

The security was reassuringly tight in 2021 – full on-bag checks and wands - but in 2022 it went up a notch. Understandable given the presence of the First Lady of Ukraine. The result is very big queues – even in priority lanes – especially from about 10:00 onwards. At worst it can take more than two hours to get in. 70,000+ attendees will do that!

The solution is to get there early – the queues are much shorter. That’s easier said than done given the incredibly high quality of the parties on offer, but you’ll thank yourself.

Pro tip: if you do have a Speaker Guest badge, then there’s a ‘secret’ speaker entrance round the back. That’ll save you hours over the course of the show.

3.????Slum it

The public transport in Lisbon is great. And just try getting an Uber or taxi when tens of thousands of others are leaving the site.

But make sure you get your ticket at the airport, at a downtown metro stop, a bus station, wherever. DO NOT wait until leaving the show ground – the queues for tickets are absolutely insane, even longer than the taxi lines.

The metro, buses and trams are generally much faster than Ubers and taxis (traffic is troublesome), significantly cheaper and greener too. And they run really late as well, which is perfect when you’re party hopping.

4.????The secret super highway

The halls (aka pavilions) get very, very busy. Between watching great content, staffing briefings and meeting up with old and new friends, you could lose hours impatiently waiting for that gaggle of Lithuanian students to wander through Pavilion Three at the pace of an asthmatic earthworm.

Helpfully, there’s a big outside area to the west of the Pavilions, I’ve never seen it busy, you can get down there as fast as you like and pop into the pavilions that way. I’ve even annotated it for you on a map.

?

5.????Party like it’s 20XX

The party scene is pretty awesome at Web Summit. Companies of all sorts throw all kinds of shin digs. And yes, lots of them are invite only so you do need to know people, but others are advertised online. Definitely check out the hashtags on social in advance.

The Night Summits (the official evening Web Summit events) are well organized but are also very well-attended, leading to long waits for the bars and food trucks. It’s generally best to meet folks nearby, grab something to eat and then head to the party you’re planning on.

6.????Plan, plan, plan

Web Summit is a very big event and there’s lots to see and do, but you need to plan. Spend some time the week before figuring out which sessions you want to see.

If you’re organizing media interviews, get in touch with the Web Summit team in advance and they can help you book rooms and even get a wrist band so you can access the media area – but you need to do this in as far ahead as possible as things book up fast.

Hosting a dinner? Yep, book that in advance too. Last minute slots for four plus people can be hard to come by when there’ 70,000+ people in town, even in one as big as Lisbon.

So, there are six tips and tricks that mean your first Web Summit should run smoothly. But still, I’m a relative newbie, so I’d appreciate you adding other tips in comments!