Web Summit 2019: we tell you from personal experience how to get the most out of tech conferences

If you are interested in technology, then you have probably heard about such an event as Web Summit - Europe’s largest IT conference, which annually brings together tens of thousands of IT specialists, startupers, investors and generally everyone who is interested in innovations and trends in the modern tech world. Our team was lucky enough to attend this grand event this year and see firsthand that the world is rapidly developing, technology is the future (which is already here), and startups with an interesting and useful idea have a real chance to receive investment and grow into a large successful company. company. From this article you will learn:

• how we got to the biggest tech conference in Europe;
• how a startup can apply for Web Summit;
• current trends in modern technologies;
• how to organize your time at Web Summit and acquire useful contacts.

Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/WebSummitHQ/photos/a.300325896700128/2646329915433036/?type=3&theater

JavaRush at Web Summit 2019

A few words about how the JavaRush team found itself at the center of technological events. Every year, thousands of startups come to Web Summit to attract the interest of investors, enter into partnerships, or simply “look at others, show themselves off.” The organizers of the summit contacted us to invite us to the presentation of our English version of the course, which many of you already know about - CodeGym. It was nice to realize that our course’s stand was in the adjacent pavilion with the stands of Google, Porsche and AWS. This is what he looked like: <="" h2=""> Almost anyone can apply to have your startup’s stand placed in one of the exhibition pavilions. If you have an interesting idea, an MVP and an understanding of what you can do to interest your potential users and investors, then the likelihood that you will be invited to exhibit your stand is quite high. The main thing is to clearly and intelligibly explain to the Web Summit representative what kind of product you have, what benefits it provides and why it may be of interest to visitors. Companies that are confident in their product and want to attract even more attention from investors and the press can take part in Startup Pitch - a battle of startups, where they need to present their startup as concisely and interestingly as possible. An application for Startup Pitch must be submitted in advance; the organizers select the best companies in their opinion, which are given the opportunity to compete for the title of “Startup of the Year”. This year, out of 134 participants, first place was taken by the Swiss startup Nutrix , which is developing a nanosensor to monitor glucose levels in the human body through saliva.

Trends

One of the key benefits of such events is the visualization of technology trends. Web Summit 2019 showed that now simply being a cool tech company and making your own complex and incomprehensible product for the mass consumer is not enough. What a successful startup shares with a multibillion-dollar tech giant is the desire to understand the impact of its activities on the world around us, on society and on the future. Conscious technologies are the main trend of 2019, which will only intensify over time. What areas are currently the most popular among startups? 3 categories of companies prevailed at the Web Summit:

• those that are aimed at the mass consumer (banking applications, tourism, applications for fitness, time management, smart cards);
• those that use trending technologies, mainly in the enterprise direction (data science, AI, VR/AR, machine learning);
• those who care about the environment (everything that has the words eco, green, sustainability in its name or description).

How to do everything

Spoiler: no way. There are a lot of different areas at Web Summit: workshops for programmers, marketers and startups, round tables, meetings with investors, several large thematic stages, a huge number of stands not only of startups, but also of large companies, which you can “stick” to for hours (for example, watch a robot pour candy into a cup or meditate in the Porsche mini-pavilion with their cool headphones.) In order not to get lost in all this variety of technical interests, an application from Web Summit comes to the rescue, in which you can track the timing on all stages and pavilions, and also create your own schedule. Some events, especially workshops and round tables, are very popular; it is advisable to register for them in advance and arrive at least half an hour before the start, otherwise there may simply not be enough places.

Networking

For many visitors to Web Summit, the main thing is not its informational and educational component, not cool speakers on the main stage, but communication with people. Investors, CEOs, CTOs, PMs of thousands of companies are open to communication and exchange of ideas. For effective networking, the developers of the conference application made it possible to write to any visitor, as well as scan the QR code on the badge. So you can establish connections with Web Summit visitors before, during and after the event, including at Night Summit parties, where you can discuss your project or meet interesting people in a relaxed atmosphere.

Main conclusions of Web Summit 2019

If you plan to attend this or another large tech conference and get the most out of it, you need to prepare for it, even if you are not presenting your startup. It is very advisable to decide on your goals and create a schedule for yourself. It will help you focus on your areas of interest and manage your time, especially if your chosen talks/workshops are in different locations. This is critically important for Web Summit, since the distances between locations there are really large. If we talk not about organizational issues, but about the conference itself, then you will definitely have a lot of impressions. Write down everything: ideas, phrases, save contacts of people, companies. It won’t be easy to remember something you need, because there is a huge amount of information there. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to communicate, ask, approach people, and don’t be shy to talk about your ideas or startup. The world is hungry for new ideas, new meanings and visions, new solutions and constant development.