Looking for a startup destination? This May it’s in Amsterdam.
The Next Web (TNW) is a famous online publisher of tech and web development news, founded by two serial entrepreneurs Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten and Patrick de Laive in 2006. Very fast, the ambition went further, and the same year it was decided to have an annual set of conferences known as the TNW Conference in Amsterdam, New York, and Sao Paulo. Now, this parent company employs 35 people in Amsterdam and 12 journalists across the globe.
So, what is actually the TNW Conference Europe?
TNW Conference Europe in Amsterdam it is a 2-day event with a hectic agenda, offering hundreds of talks, presentations, (panel) discussions, interviews, boost startup sessions and hack battle presentations.
Each year, since its conception in 2006, the TNW Conference features the most influential and innovative speakers from a vast range of different backgrounds – from user experience and marketing to investment, policy-making and infrastructure.
The previous year, the Next Web Conference took place on 22 and 23 April in Amsterdam and celebrated its 10th Anniversary. As of 2015, annual event attendee count was estimated to be 3,500. Among the most engaging and thought-provoking speeches were those of Neelie Kroes, former Vice President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda for Europe, Nicolas Brusson, Cofounder and COO of BlaBlaCar, Eric Brewer, VP of Infrastructure at Google, Werner Vogels, Chief Technology Officer at Amazon.com, and Hugo Raaijmakers, Global Innovation Director at Philips International.
In 2016, the conference in Amsterdam is planned to attract more than 10,000 attendees in total, displaying 2,500 startups, and giving a beautiful opportunity to listen to the great talks of 140 powerful speakers, among them Steve Huffman, Co-founder & CEO of Reddit, Kees Koolen, ex-CEO and ex-COO of Booking.com and Uber, Julie Zhuo, Director of Product Design, and Nalden, Co-founder of WeTransfer. Across 8 stages, each dedicated to one particular theme – Digital Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Disruptive Machines, Growth Acceleration, Fast Money, Future Generations, Developer & Design, Collaborative Economy – you can find the topic that looks most compelling to you.
What can TNW bring you?
As the TNW conference’s web page outlines, some of the world’s most promising startups exhibited are there at the time of launching their products. It is also an opportunity to meet journalists from the leading media devoted to not just technology, such as Wired, Forbes, and TechCrunch.
Additionally, this is a place to be if you feel some lack of inspiration or if you simply want to keep up with the latest technology trends and innovations. TNW is also a great place to exchange business ideas in an international environment, nourish or challenge yourself. It is all about connecting with people right there in person both those newly met and those with whom you usually connect only online. From this perspective, The Next Web is an outstanding experience.
By the way, to have some visual insights, you can watch the best moments from previous TNW conferences online.
Why TNW and not some other conference?
The special thing about TNW Amsterdam is its Euro-centricity. Of course, you meet quite a number of Americans and US startups there, but this event is everything about Europe: the entrepreneurial spirit in Europe, launching in Europe, expanding in Europe, building startups in Europe, and hyper-growth in Europe. So this is a major sign Europe is beginning to realize, that as a market it accounts for more global internet traffic than the US, and if it keeps investing in it, it might just get more business traffic too.
In summary
It goes without saying that the biggest advantage of every conference is always the ability to meet a lot of people from the industry and connect with them within a short timeframe.
Meeting people face to face during a business conference is the best way to introduce your business or idea to key clients or partners. These meetings have proper context and you are able to ask for real-time feedback, which is invaluable. Good business is all about relationships, so for young startups, participating in The Next Web conference can be a great opportunity to get noticed, connect with other startups, clients and investors, and as in some successful cases obtain funding. Every edition of the event is attended by representatives of the world’s most innovative technology investment companies, so almost all aces are in your hands. Remember: the events are as good as you make them. Being proactive and investing in the event beforehand to set up meetings and be productive during the event, you’ll get much more than you would from just watching the presentations online a few weeks later.