Skillsome at Web Summit Lisbon: The founders top 7 learnings from exhibiting at the worldโs largest technology event
๐ญ. ๐๐๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ
If youโre going there for the first time, chances are, you wonโt make the best out of it.
Connect with people whoโve been there at least once and can give you insights that donโt come in the official event emails.
๐ฎ. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐
Web Summit provides a marketing kit, but many people also update their LinkedIn descriptions.
Everyone there is looking to connect, and people are very open to partnerships โ donโt miss out by staying quiet on social media.
๐ฏ. ๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ (๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐)
Itโs the best event app Iโve seen so far, even compared to the GITEX one. Still, it has its limits.
Use it to explore and connect, but move meaningful conversations to LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or whatever you use most.
A ๐๐ช๐ฑ we ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ด: Take a picture with people you definitely want to follow up with and send it to them right after.
๐ฐ. ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐
Three days fly by in a blink. Web Summit has 16 stages and a PACKED agenda.
We spent our first day running from one stage to another โ a rookie mistake!
The sessions are great, but if you already follow your field (marketing, fintech, AIโฆ), what youโll hear is often a nice dopamine-kick of confirmation.
Unless thereโs a specific speaker or hands-on session you truly want to see, use the app to schedule meetings instead.
๐ฑ. ๐๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐
Skillsome was selected to join the 40-word format โ 25 seconds to present your entire vision, no editing, no cuts โ pure and authentic! We were thrilled We didnโt pitch on stage this time. ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐บ๐ฆ๐ต.
If that happens to you, donโt skip the pitching stages grumpy. Split up, visit them all, listen, observe, take notes, and compare later.
Youโll spot what the chosen ones have โ and what youโll need next time.
๐ฒ. ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ
If youโre a startup โ book your booth and prepare!
๐๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ต: we were at our booth at 7:30 (as written in the info email) and found a free space between us and the next booth. We didnโt blink.
With video materials, branded signs, QR codes, and giveaways, we used every inch of that unexpected space โ and it gave us a huge advantage all day.
๐ณ. ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
There are countless water stations at Web Summit. If you follow the tips above, youโll be walking and talking a lot.
Take care of yourself and stay in top shape for all the conversations.
The aftermath shows great results:
- 30+ sign-ups for our waiting list in just one day
- 5+ investment leads
- Countless partnerships opportunities
Next stop for the Skillsome Team is in Doha, Qatar in February 2026.
Hope to meet you there!
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