Web Summit stands out as a premier series of global tech conferences, with its best known and biggest event held in Lisbon, Portugal. It's not just your ordinary gathering, though: Web Summit is a true tech extravaganza, akin to a festival celebrating the latest advancements in digital marketing and sales. Participants from all over the world come to network with fellow professionals, attend insightful talks, find investors or startups to support, hit the party scene, and explore the charming city of Lisbon—over the course of four action-packed days.
Imagine Comic Con, just for techies: the scale of the Web Summit conference is staggering. Over 70,000 attendees, 800+ speakers covering 25 diverse tracks, 2,600+ startups showcasing their ingenuity, 900+ investors seeking the next big thing, and 320 partners that include industry titans like Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Oracle. It is truly the place to be for any creator, marketer, or business leader looking to stay at the forefront of technological innovation. Mark your calendar for November 11–14, and read on for helpful tips on how to make the most of your Web Summit visit.
What is Web Summit?
Web Summit is an annual four-day live conference for corporations, startups, investors, individuals, and media representatives, with a focus on the technology aspect across industries. Web Summit Lisbon is held at the Altice Arena, in five airplane hangar-sized pavilions. Attendees fluctuate between the main stage, a number of smaller stages and booths, company stands, dedicated corners for some of the 150+ represented countries, and small meeting tables. The venue is filled with ongoing presentations that often occur at the same time, requiring constant movement.
No matter what type of ticket you get, you'll have access to all content tracks: podcast and audio, ecommerce, graphic design, AI in marketing, journalism, healthcare, fashion, sustainability, and Web3 are just a few themes to explore during Web Summit 2024. Organizers haven't announced a central topic and are yet to release the conference agenda, but they are hinting a change. Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave said that the event is taking a slightly different approach this year: “As Web Summit becomes bigger, our aim is, in a way, to make it smaller for our attendees. More intimate. More community-focused.”
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So why should you go, and what can you expect to do at Web Summit Portugal?
- Startup owners can apply for one of the three categories: alpha, beta, and growth, depending on their revenue, and get to pitch their project to all the investors in the audience. The program comes with three admission tickets, advisory sessions, and mentor hours.
- Investors, in turn, get to walk along the startup booths, approach the ones that interest them, flip through pitch decks, get demos, and make decisions. You might get a chance to participate as a judge in the PITCH competition, where an investor panel decides which aspiring companies make it to the next round.
- IT product owners and managers usually balance keynotes and networking to stay on top of the latest trends, pinpoint common market challenges and brainstorm solutions, and get inspiration for future advertising and sales.
- Creators wouldn't want to miss the prime content-making opportunities, as the hashtag #WebSummitLisbon is bound to be trending all November, and the event's production quality makes it the perfect backdrop for photos and videos.
- Corporations and teams in any industry that connects to technology, like HR, finance, or education, can get a sense of new digital products, seek partnerships that generate leads, and go software-shopping: select which tools they want to have in their stack next year.
Note that Web Summit is not sales-oriented: you can, of course, find new clients there, but the atmosphere is more about connections, collaborations, insights, brand awareness, and having fun. And remember—no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to attend everything and be everywhere.
Tips for the Best Web Summit Experience
Before you go
Preparation is key: by doing your homework before Web Summit 2024, you'll maximize networking opportunities and make the overall experience more enjoyable. As a ground rule, be sure to pack comfortable shoes—the event setup requires a lot of walking—and bring a portable battery charger to always have your phone at the ready.
🎟️ #1 Get your ticket.
The price is €595 for general admission and €4,950 for the VIP package, which includes fast-track registration, catering, evening receptions, and access to all exhibition floor lounges. Investors have a separate cost structure, with €695 for a single spot, and startups need to fill out a form to apply.
Tip: Check if you are eligible for a discount: Web Summit usually has group offers, reduced rates for students, women in tech, and other distinct audiences, as well as occasional 50% flash sales for their newsletter subscribers.
📲 #2 Download the Web Summit app.
You'll need your ticket reference number and email address to log in. Inside, you can find a detailed event map and a full list of participants, filtered by country and industry. Get a head start on networking: connect with people based on their location and niche, then chat and book meetings for when you're both at Web Summit. The app also allows you to create a personalized schedule and save your must-see keynotes and talks.
Tip: When planning your roster, consider the distance between presentations. Two consecutive keynotes might actually be several pavilions apart. It's important to allow enough time between sessions or mind their location to avoid missing out due to long walks.
✈️ #3 Book your accommodation.
Do it as early as possible to secure moderate prices and availability, as Web Summit dates (November 11–14) are bound to be popular. Consider extending your visit to explore Lisbon, especially if this is your first time in Portugal. The city has a wide transportation network: metro, buses, trams, and commuter trains, so staying a bit further from the Altice Arena shouldn't be a problem and could potentially save you money.
Tip: As a Web Summit attendee, check for perks and discounts available to you. For example, last year's participants were able to save 20% on business class tickets from the TAP Portugal airline. Keep an eye out for special prices at hotels, as there may be exclusive deals to support the event.
💼 #4 Prepare an elevator pitch.
At an event like Web Summit, networking is fast-paced: you won't have a lot of time to make an impression on your new contacts. So work on a compelling, concise introduction of yourself and your product for potential partners, investors, and collaborators. And if you're representing a startup, you're only given a booth for one day—next to hundreds of other booths—so it's crucial to stand out.
Tip: Enhance your visual marketing—wear branded merchandise, design a colorful poster for your booth, give out freebies with your logo, or set up a photo zone with your hashtag, if your ticket package allows it. Also, update your LinkedIn profile before the event, as it's the number-one platform for Web Summit connections.
💡 For impromptu pitch meetings, it's smart to have a back-up presentation with a few use cases and your contacts right at your fingertips. Convert your PDF slides into a digital flipbook, and download it on your smartphone via the FlippingBook mobile app. That way, you'll be able to share it in a click through an individual trackable link with each of your new acquaintances, giving them something to remember you by without interrupting the conversation.
Once you arrive
Navigating Web Summit can be a bit overwhelming, especially for first-time attendees. Surrounded by tech giants and top CEOs, with a whirlwind of activities happening all around you, day and night, it's easy to feel swept up in the excitement. Embrace the chaos, ignore the sensory overload, and make every interaction count.
📛 #1 Get your badge.
You'll find numerous check-in stations in the vicinity of the Altice Arena, and some reviews from Web Summit attendees mention they even found registration booths right at the airport. Show a QR code from your mobile app to register.
Tip: Come in early to get ahead of queues for security checks. Imagine 70,000 people in one space: the line is moving pretty fast, but you might spend an hour or two waiting to go in. To make the most of it, you can start networking with the people next to you.
🗓️ #2 Remember your schedule.
Use the app for navigation, keep your top keynote picks in mind, make your prior commitments, but don't expect everything to go according to plan. Allow yourself some time to just wander around and see what spontaneous connections you make or which booths catch your attention.
Tip: Get to planned presentations 10–15 minutes early to have the best seats. After meeting someone new, exchange contact info and send them a LinkedIn request the same day to keep the connection fresh.
🏙️ #3 Engage in side events.
Located all around Lisbon, most of them are sponsored, so they're free to attend. Side events are usually more targeted, more intimate, and to some—more valuable. You can also join your country's delegation and visit the activities they organize, such as meet-ups or evening dinners, to find like-minded professionals closer to home.
Tip: Save a slot on your schedule for the new activity Web Summit 2024 has announced—small-scale meetings for attendees in similar industries and roles, facilitated through the app.
🥗 #4 Make time for lunch.
You'll need your energy, and Web Summit has a whole alley of food trucks going around the pavilions with street food for you to try. For those only coming to Lisbon for the event, this is a great chance to taste the local flavors without leaving the venue.
Tip: If you don't want to miss a thing while you eat, you can watch all the presentations streamed live in the mobile app.
After the event
Before you head home, be sure to go to at least one Night Summit party or just swing by a local bar: most of them offer free drinks or discounts to Web Summit attendees, and the party scene is said to be legendary. As the conference draws to a close, it's essential to look beyond the event itself and consider the value of the connections you've made and knowledge you've gained.
🗺️ #1 Explore Portugal.
The weather in November is perfect for long walks: not too hot, not too cold. Wander through Lisbon's narrow cobblestone streets, admire the terracotta roofs from the Elevador da Glória funicular and the Santa Justa Lift, indulge in local delicacies such as pastéis de nata and port wine. Just a short drive away lies Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Tip: If you're planning to visit the nearby castles, book tickets in advance to avoid missing out on these popular attractions. Keep an eye out for the huge Web Summit signs all around the city—they make for great social media pictures—and easily spot your fellow peers still wearing their badges even after the conference is over.
✏️ #2 Reflect and recap.
Jot down key takeaways, ideas, and action points that you could implement—whether it's testing out a new strategy, adding a KPI, or exploring a potential partnership. Some companies have shared that they reward employees who've actually changed something in their work routine due to Web Summit—by paying for their ticket next year.
Tip: Stay engaged with the Web Summit community through social media, forums, chats, and newsletters to extend the effect long after the conference is over.
👋 #3 Follow up on your connections.
Try to reference specific conversations or topics discussed during your introduction to make the messages more personal. Invite key contacts for virtual coffee chats, or continue seeing your country delegation group at live reunions. Networking isn't always about immediate gains: you can stay in touch with someone simply by sharing industry news or interesting articles until the moment for a win-win partnership presents itself.
💡 If you've shared a pitch with your new aquaintance via FlippingBook as an individual trackable link, you'll get email notifications when they open the file, which could be the perfect que to send them a message. You would also see which pages of your flipbook presentation they found the most interesting and what links they clicked on, giving you all the context you need for a targeted follow-up.
Tip: Download all of your contacts saved in the Web Summit app—they won't be stored there forever. At some point, everything will go blank to prepare for the next event.
Final Thoughts
Web Summit Lisbon promises to be a convergence of minds, ideas, activities, and insights. Whether you seek information, collaboration opportunities, networking, or inspiration, there's something for everyone. We hope to see you there in 2024!
