Last week, our CEO & Founder John Readman and CTO Zdenek Burda headed over to Lisbon to attend the world’s largest tech conference, Web Summit. 

The event saw more than 2,600 startups showcasing their business ideas to 70,000-plus attendees, tech experts, investors, world-class speakers and even some famous celebrities.  

It was great to see that our thinking was aligned with the overarching themes of the event, including that AI will be used to enhance and not replace marketing and marketers, and much more.  

Read all about our experience at Web Summit.

Day 1 

Will GenAI Transform Marketing and Advertising?  

Simone Berry of POCLab, Michael Treff of Code and Theory, Angelica Mari, a Freelance Tech Reporter & Kristina Cambefort of hiremy.ai discussed the impact that generative AI will have on content creation, marketing and advertising. 

AI as the Next Great Equaliser?  

Manny Medina, the co-founder of Outreach gave a really insightful talk where he suggested that AI could offer a pathway for unprecedented equality in terms of economic empowerment
 

Ukraine: Two Years On  

Dr. Wladimir Klitschko, of Kyiv Digital and Bodhan Nahaylo of Kyiv Post discussed how the country is currently coping and how they plan to move forwards towards a brighter future. 

Revolutionising reality: The future of AR   

Peggy Johnson and Mike Butcher, Editor-at-large at TechCrunch, explored AR tech progress, and its uses in daily life and work, and addressed social and ethical considerations for a positive AR future. 

Day 2  

Riding the SaaS generative AI wave  

Christine Spang, Manny Medina and Ron Miller explored the boundless possibilities and challenges of riding the SaaS generative AI wave and discussed whether it’s paving the way for innovative solutions and business growth. Do you think AI is paving the way for innovative solutions?  

 Marketing in 2024 

Pace, LUSH, Pandora & Adweek discussed the top trends that will turn heads next year. Super interesting to hear how Lush have removed themselves from #Facebook & #TikTok as the platform principles don’t reflect brand values. 

Setting expectations: How will AI impact your industry 

Valuable insights on this topic from CI&T, Sproxxy & Grit Daily Group, who talked about how AI is the new reality, and the winners will be those who empower their teams and those who learn how to use and apply it. 

In the past year, AI has been a focal point in the worlds of business and technology. Is this excitement justified? Is it all hype? Or can this technology truly bring transformative solutions for customers? 

It’s a big opportunity for all people, at all levels. 

Why tech and data is more important than ever  

A great discussion with Todd Olson from Pendo and Nadine Schimroszik from Handelsblatt, who delved into the significance of tech and data to SaaS and AI and explored the critical elements to drive innovation, efficiency and success in today’s rapidly evolving landscape.  

Day 3 

On day 3 of Web Summit, not only did we attend some more fascinating talks but we also manned our very own booth! We had the pleasure of meeting and talking to global agencies, consultancy firms, AI partners and more to discuss how ASK BOSCO® can help them to improve performance costs, drive efficiency and allow them to make better marketing decisions using data-driven insights.   

Changemakers: Marketing a message  

Andy Shovel, Co-founder & Co-CEO of This, Annabelle Baker, Director at Lush, and João Gabriel Chebante, CEO & Chief Venture Officer at Sinergis, took to the stage to share how they market their message to global audiences to create meaningful and lasting change.  

We also had the pleasure of attending a whole host of networking events around Lisbon, meeting global firms, agencies and partners from all around the world – all in all, this was truly an enlightening experience and an insightful couple of days. We’ll definitely be going back next year!