10 European Tech Events That YOU Should Attend

I've attended so many events in the past 2 years! Here's my Top 10 for Europe. Quite useful for any tech business dealing with internationalization.

EDITS
* You can DOWNLOAD the PDF, to leverage the clickable links!
* I will probably enrich it in the coming months ;)

Transcript

1. 10 European Tech Events That
   YOU Should Attend
   +15 Others That You Should Pay Attention To
   

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2. Selecting Events
   @Elie__
   

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3. Selecting Events
   Time consuming
   Annoying & Boring
   @Elie__
   

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4. Top 10
   @Elie__
   

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5. Top 10
   Among 50+ events
   Get the BEST value
   @Elie__
   

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6. “Unconference & Startup Competition”
   A Few Words
   A lot of Berlin locals attend the public "Big Show," but you will also meet a lot of people who hail from the rest
   of Europe. You must apply to attend the “Unconference”: only 150 attendees are admitted, which means they
   keep only the best. Hy Berlin has recently announced a partnership with Hub:Raum, the Deutsche Telekom
   incubator, and Axel Springer bought 49% of the conference: this makes the event even more interesting if
   you are young startup. Downside: their selectiveness tends to make them “not so open.”
   Keywords
   Startups, Contest, Berlin, Entrepreneurship, Incubators, VCs…
   Bottom line
   Warmly recommended, for the startup competition. - More info
   @Elie__
   #10
   

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7. “Conferences dedicated to the digital economy”
   A Few Words
   One of the very few important French events taking place outside of Paris. It’s good to use our native
   language sometimes! But don’t get fooled, you will meet startups with international exposure. Nantes is a
   very dynamic city when it comes to tech. web2day really celebrates the "French Web" in general: even the
   most egocentrics parisians make the trip there ;-)
   Keywords
   French, Tech Ecosystem, Startups, Geeks, Not Expensive...
   Bottom line
   If you’re trying to understand the French market, going there is a must. - More info
   @Elie__
   #9
   

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8. “Leading. European. Digital.”
   A Few Words
   Year after year, NEXT has grown bigger and bigger. The event is organized by SinnerSchrader, a huge agency
   based in Hamburg, the city where the event was born. This is probably why this conference is more German
   than international. But this is perfect: you will meet key people from Vienna, Munich or Hamburg. In other
   words: digital Germany, beyond Berlin! An awesome event to dive into the huge German market. Note that
   speakers come from everywhere in the world.
   Keywords
   Digital, Internet, Agencies, Incubators, Startup, German Ecosystem...
   Bottom line
   If you target Germany, go there! - More info
   @Elie__
   #8
   

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9. “1st international event on APIs in Europe”
   A Few Words
   The first API Days edition was in Paris. Small is beautiful. At Mailjet our business relies on our APIs, so when I
   heard about this event, I jumped at the chance. These conferences are organized by Faber Novel and
   Webshell, two great teams. Excellent speakers coming from all over the world and a small audience. Very
   convivial and "tech select." Other editions planned in Madrid or SF. Other cities might host API Days: stay
   tuned.
   Keywords
   APIs, Cloud, Programming, Tech, Innovation…
   Bottom line
   If your business deals with APIs, attending is a must. - More info
   @Elie__
   #7
   

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10. “Discover how the Web will evolve”
    A Few Words
    2013 was the first TakeOffConf edition. I loved it so much that I hired one of the co-Founders of this
    conference (now heading Dev Evangelism @Mailjet). Great talks in English, interesting 90% of the time, with
    speakers coming from everywhere and bringing some fresh perspectives. The location is great: in the heart
    of Europe. Lille is 30 minutes from Brussels, Paris and London. Lots of Germans and Dutch also attended. It
    was so successful that there will be an edition in Brazil.
    Keywords
    CTOs, APIs, Cloud, Programming, Ruby, JavaScript, Scalability, Real Time...
    Bottom line
    All developers who want to stay up to date should attend. - More info
    @Elie__
    #6
    

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11. “TED-like level of quality of tech conferences”
    A Few Words
    This organization was co-founded by a CTO (Sylvain Zimmer), to bring high quality tech events to his peers.
    Ferdinand Boas manages the operations with brio. They are also the ones who organize the Paris Tech Talks
    Meetups. I didn't attend the dot JS, but I've heard great feedback. Elite, reasonably priced and organized by
    serious people. Can't wait for the dot Scale in June! Probably the most promising event organizers in Europe.
    Keywords
    CTOs, APIs, Cloud, Programming, Ruby, JavaScript, Scalability...
    Bottom line
    Many themes: if one of them rings a bell, then book your tickets for Paris. - More info
    @Elie__
    #5
    

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12. “The international internet ecosystem”
    A Few Words
    Like it or not, LeWeb is THE internet event in Europe. The big size comes with its downsides, however:
    fragmented spaces. If you have a startup booth, you will be in a separate building, far from the main scene
    where the magic happens. It's as a visitor (or speaker) that you can leverage this event to the utmost. A lot of
    people complain about the high cost of attendance: around 2,300 euros. However, if you're a startup, you
    will pay one third of the price. And if you're a hustler, you can find your way in as a blogger, an association,
    etc...
    Keywords
    Internet, Digital, Generalist, Technology, VCs...
    Bottom line
    If you have the means, go. If you don't, get creative to get in! - Next Edition
    @Elie__
    #4
    

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13. “Get you with the people you want to meet the most”
    A Few Words
    Everybody receives a lot of email from Paddy :) If you're not on their mailing lists yet, go for it: they do an
    amazing job as marketers. A lot to learn from them. The events are as audacious as their communication
    strategy: in less than 2 years they have become a reference. Their prices remain very reasonable: good point!
    Keywords
    Internet, Digital, Generalist, Technology, VCs...
    Bottom line
    No hesitation, must attend! With their “2 for 1” voucher, 1 ticket is 250 euros. - More info
    @Elie__
    #3
    

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14. “Tech, Music & Art Festival”
    A Few Words
    My friend @Madflo calls it “SXSW for Europe.” He’s right. Takes place is a club, near the Spree river. People
    mingle under the sun and a small boat takes you on some "networking trips." There are a lot of satellite
    events organized by partners, before and after the main conference. Probably the best way to dive into the
    Berlin Tech Ecosystem. Regular early birds tickets are 100 euros.
    Keywords
    Berlin tech ecosystem, startups, geeks, sunny if you're lucky...
    Bottom line
    Must attend. - Book your ticket!
    @Elie__
    #2
    

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15. “Conference for (...) everyone Tech.”
    A Few Words
    TNW rocks. As a startup, we got a booth for less than 2000 euros, which came with 4 tickets. And it was a real
    booth, not a desk lost in a satellite location where attendees never go. Every event should do the same and
    place the booths where the action is happening. The location was perfect; even the scenography was high
    level. Great talks and awesome networking. You could meet the speakers at the "Speakers bar." Will their
    conferences outside of Europe be as high-caliber? I believe they will be, fingers crossed!
    Keywords
    Internet, Digital, The Next Web, Europe, Tech, Startups, Hackathon (Kings of Code)...
    Bottom line
    Must attend. - More Info.
    @Elie__
    #1
    

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16. Bonus?
    @Elie__
    @Elie__
    

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17. Bonus?
    @Elie__
    @Elie__
    10 HOT confs & hackathons on my radar
    

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18. #1 Django Con (Europe)
    #2 Real Time Conf (France)
    #3 Pirate Summit (Germany)
    #4 FOSDEM (Brussels)
    #5 Pioneers Festival (Austria)
    #6 Devoxx (France)
    #7 Devs Love Bacon (UK)
    #8 Web5 (France)
    #9 hacked.io (UK)
    #10 Rulu (France)
    @Elie__
    

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19. More Bonus?
    @Elie__
    @Elie__
    

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20. More Bonus?
    @Elie__
    @Elie__
    Feedback for 5 other famous events
    

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21. “Europe's Most Prestigious Tech Awards”
    A Few Words
    The timing was funny: in less than 8 days, you had 3 major startup contests in Berlin (German Startup
    Awards, Hy Berlin & The Europas). That's probably why someone trolled a little bit: do we need awards? (Note
    that I invited the author, and he eventually attended ^^). An interesting thing about The Europas' is that the
    event is 100% about the awards: it's basically a party with tech people. The venue was OK: a bit noisy but it’s a
    party, and Postbahnhof is a nice spot.
    Keywords
    European Startups, VCs, Founders, Tech Ecosystem...
    Bottom line
    If relevant, apply to the contest when it’s time. - More info
    @Elie__
    

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22. “Innovation, Digitization, Science & Culture”
    A Few Words
    I didn't attend this one as I was stuck at some other events in Berlin (The Europas). However, a lot of good
    people flew there. One of our contractors was attending and he confirmed the event was great. I’d say: same
    ambiance as LeWeb.
    Keywords
    LeWeb, Digital, Generalist, Technology...
    Bottom line
    If you have the means, go! More info
    @Elie__
    

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23. “Where Europe’s leading cloud visionaries convene”
    A Few Words
    Also taking place in Amsterdam, but a bit less glamour than TNW: it's not the same audience. The event
    takes place in a cozy hotel conference venue and the attendees are 100% cloud & data oriented. You will
    meet tech people, but often having a business background. Don't go there to meet hackers. It is the only
    event of this kind in Europe, and this is the place to go if your partners are in the cloud industry.
    Keywords
    Internet, Digital, The Next Web, Europe, Tech, Startups...
    Bottom line
    If your business deals with data or cloud infrastructure, book a ticket! - More info
    @Elie__
    

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24. “The most inspiring Tech Event in Europe”
    A Few Words
    The event strives to be international. However, it is still very Luxembourgian. If you're a SaaS, it will be very
    difficult to do business in Luxembourg. To work with banks, you need to have a PSF certification and be able
    to host the data in Luxembourg. If your business model allows you to do this, go for it: they don't really seem
    to care about the price. If installing your business there is something you're thinking about (VAT, IP, etc.), this
    event might be interesting.
    Keywords
    IT, Luxembourg, Finance, Banking...
    Bottom line
    Must go if Luxembourg is a significant market for you. - More info
    @Elie__
    

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25. “The digital world's most trendsetting showcase”
    A Few Words
    Strange event. I had a booth and did the following experiment: put some goodies on the table, move 10
    meters away from it, and watch. In less than 5 minutes, a flock of country bumpkins grabbed everything. I
    was desperate so I locked up the rest of the goodies and moved to visit the booths of potential partners.
    Problem: I could only talk to some hostesses that were hired to give away goodies and chocolate. Some folks
    told me they loved the event and go every year: I don't get it... Must really depend on who you clients are.
    Keywords
    Show, Trade Fair, Huge...
    Bottom line
    I’d say: more for big companies! (Microsoft or SAP) - More info
    @Elie__
    

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26. Hope This Was Useful
    @Elie__
    

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27. Hope This Was Useful
    @Elie__
    If so, I’ll enrich it!
    

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28. @Elie__
    About Me
    

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29. I've studied philosophy but my
    head ended up in the cloud.
    Head of Marketing @Mailjet
    Follow me @Elie__
    @Elie__
    About Me
    

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30. See ya!
    @Elie__
    

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31. See ya!
    elie.li
    mailjet.com
    @Elie__
    

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