What do you expect from global events like Web Summit?
I believe you’d expect to hear some predictions for the next few years and see where the marketing and technology world is going. Well, I did.
And you know what? Web Summit this year overcame my expectations.
So, what subjects did the speakers cover? And what is waiting for us ahead?
I’m happy to share it with you.
What were all the topics about?
All the topics were dedicated to different things. But there were main five.
1. Content creation
Yes! You heard it. Content rules!
Honestly speaking, I was surprised that content marketing talks were this highly demanded.
Attendees were sitting on the floor in aisles just because all the seats were occupied.
They all talked about traits of good content, ways to make it more engaging, etc.
Reports that impressed me the most:
1. “How to make terrible branded content” by Graham McDonnell, head of Brand and Creative at TIME.
What I learned from this report:
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you shouldn’t start without defined goals;
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you shouldn’t treat ads like an ad;
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quality over quantity;
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storytelling matters! The golden rule says, “Story goes before telling.”
(Source: Web Summit)
2. “StorySelling: The secret to winning more deals” by Jonathan Friedman, Co-founder & CEO of Demostack, and Rhett Power, Contributor to Forbes.
What I learned from this report:
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“a sales pitch without a story is like a picture without a frame: it’s just a thing”;
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the most successful companies in the world have their profound stories.
2. Marketing trends
We will dedicate an entire blog post to it in the short run. We’ll analyze what’s been said at Web Summit and other huge conferences to share this information with you.
But still, I’d like to say a few words about it now.
Reports that impressed me the most:
1. “Marketing in 2023” by Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder & Executive Chairman at S4 Capital, Susan Li, Business Correspondent at Fox Business, and Julia Goldin, Global Chief Product & Marketing Officer at the Lego Group.
What I learned from this report:
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“no matter what, parents will always do their best for their kids, including celebrations and holidays. So, if you can re-arrange and adopt some branches of your business for kids, you’d rather do it,” says Julia Goldin from the Lego Group.
(Source: Web Summit)
3. Data security
Google, AWS, and many other large companies touched on this topic.
Even though this is not a new topic, it is still most people's concern. And it should be.
Did you know that:
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293,927,708 people were affected by data breaches in 2021;
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an increasing number of fraudulent transactions resulted in a loss of $56 billion in 2021 alone.
We, who have access to any data our clients willingly share with us, need to really care about their data safety.
Reports that impressed me the most:
1. “Creating a fraud-free world” by Tamas Kadar, Founder & CEO of SEON.
What I learned from this report:
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as our lives moved online, so too did the crime. And we need to learn to deal with that.
(Source: Web Summit)
4. AI
A fifth of all reports was about AI and ways to use it.
Reports that impressed me the most:
1. “How brands can spark thoughtful conversations using AI” by Scott Ernst, the CEO of Drift, and Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder, and CEO of Builder.ai.
What I learned from this report:
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“utilizing AI and the advancements of machine learning to develop websites that engage with customers and prospects is no longer optional for brands — and neither is enabling conversations that allow brands to build trust with consumers.”
5. Web 3.0
What is it? Does any of you know what it is? If you do, then you’re not like me 🙂. I learned the definition of Web 3.0 in Lisbon a few minutes before the first report on this subject.
I guess a quarter of the reports is dedicated to it.
So, I dare to suppose that the future belongs to Web 3.0 And we need to learn to live with it.
Reports that impressed me the most:
1. “Superheroes and the future of Web 3.0” by Gareb Shamus, the Co-founder & CEO of HeroMaker Studio, and Ryan Broderick, Author of “Garbage Day.”
What I learned from this report:
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“whatever a developer can imagine can be real”;
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“artists that create superheroes are the future.”
The latter thought was also stated and proven by dozens of other speakers.
Pitches
In our previous post dedicated to Web Summit, we mentioned that being ready to pitch anywhere (even in long lines) at any time is crucial.
When you attend any stand, you hear lots of short pitches, and you can decide what pitches work and don’t. And I did.
However, I wanted to see how other people react to different pitches.
This is why I attended the “pitch contest” there.
And I am happy I did.
(Let me remind you that over 1000 people applied for participation. There were several rounds in the competition. And only 105 people made it to live the stage at Web Summit 2022 So, we watched only the best of the best).
What I learned from attending this contest:
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be passionate about your product/solution;
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the way you deliver your pitch matters a lot — I’d say 50% of your success depends on it;
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slides for pitches must be concise. No longer than three bullets per page. Can you make it even less? Do it;
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visual elements should be huge and written in huge letters;
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give short answers;
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explain your solution the way you’re talking to a 7-year-old kid.
All the competitors were awesome. But the pitch of the winner was just flawless:
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clear;
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concise;
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slides were short with meaningful visuals;
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and most importantly, she is quite passionate about her product and is not afraid to show it.
My key takeaways from the entire event:
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the story goes before telling;
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whatever a developer can imagine can be real;
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artists that create superheroes are the future;
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quality over quantity (content-wise);
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we need to stick to the accessibility guidelines when working on our content;
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the world moved online, and so did the crime;
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investing in your authenticity is a must today;
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to win in this world, you need to be yourself.
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