It’s safe to say that 2022 was a great year in terms of tech events and meetups – now, are you ready for what’s coming in 2023?
2022 was a great year, with dozens of hours of sharing and learning from inspiring people. There were many tech events during this year. with Web Summit, in Lisbon, standing out as one of the most memorable! But 2023 will be even better, with a vast calendar of meetings and conferences that will bring experts from all over the world to Portugal to share knowledge and experiences. With emerging trends and new learnings to retain, the events and conferences are based on sharing and networking, to meet the needs of those who love technology, whether you are a developer looking for a new challenge in your career or a simple enthusiast.
So, we can say that 2023 will be a great year. In this article, we’ll focus on the tech events that will leave their footprint in Portugal and that you don’t want to miss.
So, grab a pen and your agenda (or your phone’s calendar) and take note of the following list!
PHP Porto #1
January 17th, Oporto
If web technology is your thing and a “Hello World” page is something for kids, the PHP Porto community will run their first meetup.
With 2 talk sessions, the event will happen at sunset, giving you the chance to know the path taken by two developers towards success.
Snacks and drinks are included.
Price: free.
Useful tips: events start at 18:30 and each keynote talk will be 20 minutes long.
Building The Future
January 25th to 26th, hybrid event
It’s the first in our list, but it’s in its 5th edition already. Building The Future is one of the biggest events about digital transformation in Portugal. The digital approach is a guideline for this edition. So, you can attend the event anywhere through the app or the event’s platform. The goal is to continue to inspire more people, sharing a message of prosperity in a changing world, while seeking to challenge to think about the impact of present in building the future.
Price: 98€ for general attendees; 35€ for the digital pass; 20€ for students.
Useful tips: The event is in Portuguese, but the sessions will be subtitled.
DeFi Retreat Europe 23
February 24th, Lisbon
It started in USA, but it’s coming to Europe, starting right away in Portugal: Defi Retreat Europe allows more intimate networking and having discussions with top managers, regulators, entrepreneurs, and business executives about the last innovations, opportunities, and challenges that technology brings to the economic sector and vice-versa.
Price: €790.
Useful tips: The event is limited and has only 175 seats. Due to the nature of the event, filming and recording is not allowed.
SINFO Tech Conference
February 27th to March 3rd, Lisbon
This is the largest annual free conference about technology and in 2023 it celebrates its 30th edition. The organizers promise the biggest event ever, and full opportunities and prizes. SINFO will take place at Alameda Campus of Instituto Superior Técnico, and its goal is to give students and community the opportunity to interact with specialists in areas like IT and Computer Science, through business presentations, Lunch Talks, Speaker Notes, and workshops. Over the five days, tech companies and startups will travel to the Portugal’s capital to share knowledge and create networking actions with the local community. It was not a coincidence that KWAN was at the 2022 edition with its own stand. There, we showed some of the projects that we develop and our internship opportunities. So, those tech lovers who are looking for a new career opportunity have a space in this event that annually gathers around 7 thousand attendees.
Price: free.
Useful tips: Although free of charge, the event may require registration for participation in certain events.
EdTech Summit Portugal
March 10th to 11th, Coimbra
EdTech Summit Portugal is an unprecedented and pioneer education meeting in Portugal for sharing teaching practices, technological solutions, and training in new areas such as storytelling, podcast, and gaming. For two days, Convent of St. Francis, in Coimbra, will be the stage for several elementary and high school teachers to share pedagogical practices and technologies applied to education in a true “Web Summit” of Education in Portugal. In the scheduled, there will be conferences, teaching, technology and communication workshop, round tables, exhibitions, and other spaces that aim to boat the sharing of experiences and good teaching practices. In addition, the event is recognized as continuing education for teachers.
Price: €50 until January 31st (Early Bird Ticket).
Useful tips: There are differentiated prices on Early Bird tickets for the academic community of the University of Coimbra.
Digitalks Lisboa
March 22nd to 23rd, Lisbon
Intended to create a business connection between Portugal, Spain, and Brazil, Digitalks Lisboa will take place at LISPOLIS – Pólo Tecnológico de Lisboa. This fourth edition of the event will include two days of talks about digital market development and business development. With more than 500 participants expected and 50 speakers from all over the Iberian Peninsula scheduled for the event, the conference will also offer a space for business, with several exhibiting companies.
Price: from €59 until January 13th (Early Bird Ticket).
Useful tips: Until January 31st, it’s possible to purchase two tickets for the price of €29.90. This price is available for a limited number of tickets and includes a 50% discount over the price of an “Early Bird” ticket.
RAN 2023
March 23rd to 25th, hybrid event
If your area of expertise is related to nanotechnology and health, the 8th edition of the World Congress on Recent Advances in Nanotechnology (RAN 2023) brings researchers from all over the world to Lisbon to show the breakthroughs in health technology, boosting new collaborations and meeting new products coming directly from the universities and with practical application. This is the chance to develop new collaborations and partnerships. The event consists of two independent conferences: ICNNFC 2023 (International Conference on Nanomaterials, Nanodevices, Fabrication, and Characterization) and NDDTE 2023 (International Conference on Nanomaterials, Nanodevices, Fabrication, and Characterization). The congress will also feature talks by some of the leading scientists in the area. Although the event will be in person, it will also have a digital component, allowing you to follow the sessions from anywhere in the world.
Price: from €250.
Useful tips: Early Bird ticket period ends on February 3rd. To attend the entirety of the event, a separate registration is required for each conference.
The organization adds that tickets for the event in digital format are always cheaper than in-person tickets.
Running Remote 2023
April 25th to 26th, hybrid event
Remote work and technology go hand in hand and Running Remote is the event that brings together the main specialists in managing remote and hybrid teams. More than 50 speakers will share key industry insights and best practices from companies such as Gitlab, Typeform, Automattic or Zendesk.
Price: from €525.
Useful tips: This is an hybrid event. A “Knowledge Library” with more than 175 recordings of sessions in the past editions is available. There are discounts for group tickets from 2 people up.
Iberian Technology Summit
April 28th to 30th, Olhão
“Establish connection between people” is the motto of the Iberian Technology Summit. The event aims to bring together both sides of the border for a better future, strengthening the community to be even stronger. With workshops and sessions in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, the summit will feature an exhibition hall for the sponsoring companies and a “Power Platform Hackton”, which will give you the possibility to get hands-on, analyzing real problems and proposing solutions as a team.
Price: Free.
Useful tips: Currently, they’re still accepting applications for speakers. But it’s already possible to show interest in participating, simply by registering on the site.
Lisbon Energy Summit
May 30th to June 1st, Lisbon
Conceived to be Europe’s largest annual meeting on technology in the energy sector, the Lisbon Energy Summit will take place at FIL – Lisbon Exhibition and Congress Centre. Subjects such as energy security, net zero, the decarbonization of existing energy systems or investment in new renewable energy sources will be on the agenda. More than 12,000 executive leaders are expected to discuss the energy transition, the most critical challenges for business and the importance of technology to respond to these obstacles.
Price: from €1880.
Useful tips: Participation in the event as a delegate is paid. To participate, prior registration is required.
FIPP World Media Congress 2023
June 6th to 8th, Cascais
After a completely sold-out edition in 2022, FIPP World Media Congress returns to Cascais to connect people from the media and technology fields. The event features speakers from global companies such Netflix or Google. It’s a unique opportunity to to discover the actual state of the industry and how to innovate in a context of adversity. In addition, it’s the perfect place to create or renew partnerships with companies and institutions worldwide.
Price: from €1300.
Useful tips: There are discounts for group tickets from 5 people up.
WebSummit
November 13th to 16th, Lisbon
Since 2016, the largest technology event has come to the Portuguese capital. At Altice Arena and over three days, more than 70,000 people from over 160 countries gather at WebSummit to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world of the technology industry. It’s always from a futuristic perspective that leaders of the largest companies, politicians, growing startups and entrepreneurs discuss trends to take business to the highest level. Between sharing, learning, and networking, there are plenty of opportunities that arise in this event for all tech lovers.
Price: under request
Useful tips: For now, only pre-registration for the event is open, which gives you access to a special offer of two tickets for the price of one.
Porto Tech Hub Conference
date to be confirmed, Porto
It’s the biggest technology conference in Porto and the focus is to promote and grow the “Invicta” city as a global technological center of excellence. The 2022 edition of Porto Tech Hub Conference was marked by the return to the physical format and brought together professionals from different areas who presented all the trends and technological innovations, promoting knowledge sharing and accelerating the change that the world needs. And under the motto that “Together we will build a Bright Future!”,KWAN was also at Porto Tech Hub Conference to show our work, while looking for partners who want to transform their teams into Tech Talent Done Right. The promise is to return in 2023, because “anything can happen when brilliant minds get together”!
Price: under request.
Useful tips: The 2022 edition took place on October 27 and tickets were purchased through the event’s official website.
Future Works
dates to be confirmed, hybrid event
It’s an international event that aims to discuss the challenges and the future of work. With four stages, Future Works brought together companies and more than 150 speakers in over 100 sessions. Besides the debate, the event also included a “Tech Jobs Hall”, for those looking for a career change, and a “Skilling Hall”, to find training opportunities and workshops. The 2022 edition had Fernanda Morais, our Talent Acquisition Lead at KWAN, as keynote speaker, giving a talk and sharing knowledge about human resources management and company culture with all the participants.
Price: under request.
Useful tips: In 2022, this hybrid event took place in Lisbon. For the 2023 edition, the organizers haven’t released any more information about where and when the event will take place.
The Main Technological Events Taking Place in Portugal in 2023: Final Thoughts
After this list, the hard part is choosing. Our advice to you: plan what events you would like to attend and sign up as soon as possible to benefit from early bird discounts!
We know that technology is your middle name. So, don’t waste these opportunities to share knowledge and networking. Moreover, don’t miss on all the amazing job opportunities that KWAN has waiting for you. Are you ready for your next career step? We’re hiring and happy to help you find your dream job.
