Forbes calls it the best tech conference in the world and every year, thousands of startup founders, fortune 500 CEOs, corporate leaders, influencers, tech geeks, evangelists, and others gather in Lisbon, Portugal for Web Summit.

Over 70,000 attendees, 1200 speakers, and 2600 plus media representatives and journalists attended this mammoth technology conference in 2018, Web Summit is known to pack a serious punch every year and prove to the world that it is the largest tech conference on the planet.

Who Attends Web Summit?

• Founders: Startup founders flock about trying to gain exposure, attract investments and strike partnerships.
• Speakers: Some very influential people such as Evan Williams, CEO of Medium, Gillian Tans, CEO of Booking.com, Devin Wenig, CEO at eBay, to name a few, were present at the 2018 edition of Web Summit.
• Investors: VC’s and investors love attending Web Summit to find their next unicorn.
• Corporate Leaders: Management cream from some of the largest MNCs attend the event on the lookout for smart new businesses to learn from and even partner with.
• Enthusiasts: Web Summit is filled with independent attendees in the likes of geeks, enthusiasts, and students looking to learn new tricks and stay abreast of what’s going on in the world of tech.

Is It Worth Attending Web Summit?

There is no doubt that Web Summit is the mecca for all things tech and revolutionary and its role in transforming the Portugal startup ecosystem cannot be overlooked. However, the real question is whether your startup should attend it? If so, what do you stand to gain? And how can you make the most of it?

The answer is yes.

Participating at Web Summit has immense benefits and if done right, can catapult your startup to soaring heights of success.

Why You Should Attend Web Summit

1. Network with the right people 

With the who’s who of the tech world and business fraternity attending Web Summit, this is your chance to network and connect with people from all over the world. Web Summit makes for the perfect setting to forge partnerships, attract investments, pitch to potential customers, and make your business appealing to a global audience.

2. Attract Investments

With the ALPHA package, you get access to investor hours, startup workshops, and the ever so popular PITCH competition. With VCs and investors doing the rounds across the 3-day event, you stand a promising chance to walk out with possible funding. Presenting at a global platform such as Web Summit means you can attract tech influencers to experience your product and strike meaningful partnerships with them.

3. Get a new outlook

A big advantage of attending Web Summit is the simple fact that it has the power to transform your life and business’s direction for the better. Think about it, you’re at the largest tech conference of the world packed with some of the best minds of the century; there’s nothing but learning and absorbing to do!

Hearing keynote speakers share their journey or attending PITCH to see what other innovative businesses are doing will leave you inspired and awestruck. One thing is certain, you’ll leave the event filled inspiration and buzzing with innovative ideas.

What are the Pros and Cons of Attending Web Summit

Apart from the obvious benefits of attending Web Summit that we’ve mentioned above, exhibiting your core competence at this massive tech fest is a great way to advertise your business to potential target customers and to create brand awareness. The conference is also a great place to get feedback and reviews on your product in addition to learning smart business hacks from other similar startups.

On the downside, exhibiting at Web Summit is a costly affair and one that consumes a lot of time in terms of the preparations you’d have to invest in to make the most of the event and to stand out from the crowd. However, don’t fret, because the Startup League can help you with overcoming these issues.

The Startup League can help your Startup to Exhibit at Web Summit for Free

Exhibiting at Web Summit can have a significant impact on your marketing budget with the ALPHA ticket costing around 1000 euros excluding traveling and accommodation expenses. This makes Web Summit a particularly unaffordable marketing channel for startups that are bootstrapped or just starting off.

To help up and coming startups make the most of this amazing platform, the Startup League gave 10 promising startups a chance to exhibit at the 2018 edition of Web Summit at full sponsorship on their ALPHA booth!

Furthermore, all remaining other startups that were part of the #Leagueof100 to Web Summit received 25% sponsorship on ALPHA, BETA or GROWTH booths!

Startups also received exclusive support in terms of access to mentor hours, investors and workshops through the ALPHA package, free branded swag such as T-shirts and marketing merchandise to flaunt at the event, and a PR push on leading tech platforms like Tech.EU and TNW, to name a few.