The international event company is setting up for expansion in 2022 as it begins to license its proprietary software.
Web Summit has announced 50 job openings at the company headquarters in Dublin as well as locations in Lisbon, Toronto, San Francisco and new markets as it expands.
Recruitment will be focused on engineering, product, marketing, media, sales, production and design.
After hosting its annual flagship conference virtually in December 2020, Web Summit 2021 is planned to be a return to the in-person conference experience. The event expects to host more than 70,000 attendees in Lisbon this November.
Work at the company has also had to take place remotely over the past year, and Web Summit said in a statement that it will continue to develop the culture of working remotely.
The announcement of 50 jobs is considered a first phase of hiring in 2021 as the company sets out on an expansion plan for 2022.
Virtual events platform
Web Summit also announced today (10 March) that it will license its proprietary conference software. Its first customer is the United Nations Development Programme, which will use Web Summit software for an event later this month.
This event-hosting software has been built in-house at Web Summit over the course of almost a decade. It was originally designed to serve as a companion networking tool aligned with the company’s in-person events. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it has become Web Summit’s platform for hosting entirely virtual conferences.
It was used last year by Web Summit to host its annual flagship event as well as Collision. The Collision tech conference will once again be hosted virtually on the platform in April this year.
The rush to adapt to virtual gatherings in 2020 is likely to have an impact on future events, as organisers around the world have come to realise the possibilities of creating hybrid events that can be accessible from anywhere.
Just last week, virtual events platform Hopin raised $400m in its latest funding round, bringing its valuation to more than $5bn. According to data compiled by Dealroom for Sifted, this makes Hopin Europe’s fastest growing start-up of all time.
As well as expanding its global footprint, Web Summit intends to grow its client base for the software in 2022. “It’s been a long journey and we’ve taken it slow, perfecting the software over years,” said Web Summit co-founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave.
“We’re in no rush for new customers and we will take our time. In 2022, we hope to partner with other great events,”
Web Summit volunteers at the Lisbon event in 2019. Image: Eóin Noonan/Web Summit via Sportsfile (CC BY 2.0)
