Days, weeks, months, maybe even years go into preparation ahead of travelling to the world’s biggest tech conference. But even the best-laid plans can go to waste in the sheer bedlam of Lisbon in the first week of November. So we, at Translit, have prepared our advice for your Web Summit 2022.
We have attended for a couple of years now but 2021 was our first on the ground at Altice Arena. We learned so much in such a short space of time and soon realised that we could have prepared for this a little better. However, we know that learning from our mistakes last year means we will be in a much better place heading to Portugal with Translit RSI this time around.
We have already begun our email campaigns, added people on the Web Summit App, chatted to some on LinkedIn, and started our social media blast to raise more awareness about our brand. We have also detailed our plan of action for the week there. We can’t stress this enough, plan ahead or prepare to fail. And we have even planned for afterward – it is so important to convert your new relationships and leads, into long-standing clients and partnerships.
Our experience last year
We travelled as a party of three last year: Alex and I made the trip from Ireland while Kushal came from France.
We arrived in Lisbon on Sunday morning, giving us the chance to take some time and enjoy the city centre, try the local cuisine, and finally do some work in one of the many obliging restaurants before calling it a night.
Web Summit kicked off the following evening but it was just the opening ceremony so we still had plenty of time to perfect our approach and work with our team at the base to ensure the event ran smoothly before we even locked eyes with a potential client.
Our technology, Translit RSI, was exhibited at our booth in the ALPHA section on Tuesday. That was a real eye-opener for us but being proactive ensured we picked up as many leads as possible along the way. Translit CEO Alex Chernenko also took part in the Pitch competition that day.
On Wednesday, we set out to go and visit ALPHA, BETA, and GROWTH while we had meetings set up by our support team. It was another productive day making connections with people and businesses from all corners of the globe and picking up plenty of leads. We attended the party at Rive Rouge on Wednesday evening and that was another exciting opportunity to get to know like-minded individuals.
We had built plenty of momentum heading into the final day and as the crowd began to dwindle, we went for one last big push. It was another successful day for Translit while we explored the possibility of several partnerships.
Kushal flew home to France on Thursday evening while Alex and I got the opportunity to explore more of Lisbon’s great nightlife before a rest day where we could unwind and sightsee.
We collected ourselves after a busy week and flew back to Dublin on Friday evening, and even though our plane was delayed our spirits were high. We even got the opportunity to make another valuable connection and prospective lead en route.
Top 3 tips for 2022
Wear comfortable shoes
This is something we heard plenty about before we attended last year but you never really know until you experience it first-hand. You will be walking, walking, and then walking some more. And when you are not walking you will likely be standing.
Luckily for our team, we came prepared last year and we all wore comfortable shoes to the event at Altice Arena. I chose my trusty casual Nike trainers. They wouldn’t exactly match up well with a tux but I know I definitely avoided a few painful blisters along the way.
FYI – it will likely be hot too so wear light, comfortable clothing.
Work closely with your team back home
It’s all well and good having two or three of your staff on the ground, ready to go with their most extroverted personalities and pinpoint data about the product or service that you sell, but if you don’t have a team cooperating back home you are in trouble.
We were learning on our feet (pardon the pun) last year but quickly devised a plan where Garima, Joe, and Vishnu helped to take a considerable amount of the workload on their shoulders.
It enabled the three of us who were at the Altice Arena, to network as much as possible. Our team back home were pulling the strings constantly, while we hoovered up as much as we could.
Go to the afterparties
Check out our exclusive Events Guide to stay up to date with the various afterparties that will be taking place throughout the week in Lisbon.
There is much more networking that takes place away from the booth. Afterparties are arguably the best place to meet your leads, strike a deal or even have a more extended conversation with an investor. Failing that, you can make a new friend and business relationships are crucial for the growth of your business.
But refer to our schedule at all times and we will keep you up-to-date with what’s happening whether it’s Night Summit at Pink Street or some secret underground party that no one knows about (except you and us).
Come find us at Web Summit
As we prepare for another trip to Web Summit we cannot wait to see some new faces and the old favourites. Last year’s event was huge for our development.
We will be an Impact Startup again this year, and will exhibit as BETA. We look forward to seeing you all there. Pop by our booth on Wednesday, 2 November. And if you can’t, why not just book a quick coffee with us during the week.
