Web Summit, the global tech conference, is gearing up for its biggest edition yet. Returning this November to Lisbon, the event will welcome over 70,000 attendees, including 2,750 startups and more than 1,000 investors. 

However, despite its massive scale, this year’s Web Summit aims to create a more intimate and connected experience.

A key feature of Web Summit 2024 will be its emphasis on fostering deeper connections between attendees. Through its proprietary software, “Summit Engine,” Web Summit will curate hundreds of community meetups throughout the event. 

These meetups will group attendees based on shared interests, backgrounds, and professional roles, bringing together individuals with similar goals and challenges.

Paddy Cosgrave, Web Summit founder and CEO, said, “This will be our biggest, but also our smallest, event yet.” By facilitating these smaller group interactions around specific areas like AI, fintech, sustainability, or food tech, Web Summit hopes to foster a sense of community even amidst a large gathering.

The event will feature industry leaders like Yinon Costica (co-founder of cybersecurity giant Wiz), Julie De Moyer (LVMH’s Chief Data and AI Officer), and Cristiano Amon (CEO of Qualcomm) addressing critical issues shaping the technological landscape. 

Additionally, representatives from major companies like Alibaba.com, Amazon Web Services, Adobe, Visa, and Qualcomm are expected to participate as partners and speakers.

Confirmed speakers include political figures such as Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, Portugal’s Minister of Youth and Modernisation Margarida Balseiro Lopes and more.

Leading tech companies like IBM, Adobe, and Samsung Next will showcase their innovations alongside financial enterprises such as Visa and American Express. Additionally, the event boasts partnerships with Novo Nordisk, Bosch, EDP, and KPMG.

Web Summit’s dedicated app will help attendees connect and stay in touch long after the event concludes in November.

Overall, Web Summit 2024 promises a blend of large-scale impact and a focus on fostering impactful connections.

“We are evolving from being one large event to a collection of a thousand deep, interconnected experiences,” Cosgrave added.

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