TECHNOLOGY GATHERING
How Lisbon attracted the global Web Summit for a decade
Lisbon — Europe’s largest tech event, the Web Summit, will remain in Lisbon for another 10 years, its founder Paddy Cosgrave said on Wednesday in a boost to Portugal’s aspirations of becoming a technology hub. Under the agreement, Portugal’s government will pay Web Summit €11m a year to expand the venue, expecting that the number of participants will eventually grow from 70,000 last year to 100,000. "Staying here for another 10 years brings us so much certainty," Cosgrave told journalists at a press conference where he was joined by Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa. "My heart and the team’s heart are in Lisbon." Lisbon scored a big coup when Web Summit moved from Dublin to Portugal in 2016, helping a recovery in its capital after the 2011/2014 debt crisis.
When Web Summit was launched in Dublin in 2010 it had 400 participants. It now draws speakers from leading global technology companies and politicians, as well as technology entrepreneurs hoping to attract attention t...
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