Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrove arrives to meet Mayor of Mafra Helder Sousa Silva & Portuguese Secretary of State João Vasconcelos

This year we were the production partner of the Surf Summit, an annual event that runs in conjunction with the Web Summit in Lisbon -now the largest tech conference in Europe. We were charged with producing an action packed event with enough down time to network and soak up the local surroundings.

What better way to prepare for the Web Summit than to spend the weekend surfing, mountain biking and paddle boarding in Ericeira? Some came to network, others for team building and some just came to surf. All in all, the 2016 Surf Summit was a resounding success. A little over week has passed since Surf Summit took over Ericeira and we’ve recovered!


Portugal is surfing the rising tech tide

300 arrive in Ericeira for Surf Summit

Working closely with Tobi and the team at Na Onda, Susan Costa & Miguel Angelo from the Camara Municipal de Mafra we put together packed weekend where tech enthusiasts and investors from the start up world, got to taste the best the Ericeira has to offer.

Not only that, but they got to mix it up and meet some of the world’s top surfers including local legend and national hero Tiago Pires, surfer, model and social media expert Anastasia Ashley, England’s high profile big wave surfer Andrew Cotton and the North Shore’s very own, now the adopted son of Nazaré – Garrett McNamara.

Few surfers have done more to raise the profile of surfing Portugal internationally than Garrett and in tune with the 300 strong tech sector attendees the 4 pro surfers were invited in a panel discussion where they cited the value of digital media in telling their story and pitting themselves against the biggest waves in the world.

Tiago Pires, Garrett McNamara, Hugo Vau, Anastasia Ashley & Andrew Cotton

In breaking with tradition, this time the Surf Summit preceded Web Summit and the 300 strong attendees were not disappointed come Monday, November 7th as the first buses departed Ericeira at dawn for Lisbon’s Meo Arena where 50,000 of the world’s top tech entrepreneurs and founders were gathering.

Given the choice of arriving into Lisbon on a red eye flight or arriving by coach; energetic though a little dusty and with eardrums full of salt water – we’d take the latter!!


MTB across Foz Do Lizandro’s slalom trail was a big hit

Excellent Ericeira

While the weather proved everything but predictable, the downpour on Saturday failed to dampen the spirits of those who arrived with the intent of testing their mettle Ericeira’s waves.
True to form the sun came out in the afternoon. Ericeira’s beach breaks served up some powerful waves with the surfers well tested on Saturday.

The wind eased on Sunday and all those addicted to surfing continued finding their fix!! Bringing the Surf Summit to Ericeira was an excellent opportunity to showcase this World Surfing Reserve as one of Europe’s finest surfing destinations. The true beauty of Ericeira is across several levels – the character of the old town, the open and laid back local Portuguese vibe, spectacular sunsets and surf for all levels.

Surfing in Ericeira – excellent for all levels

That Tiago Pires honed his cutbacks and turns here is no accident. There are several great breaks in the town and many of the Surf Summit attendees, buoyed curiosity set off to surf them!
Over the course of the weekend, the 300 attendees took part in a variety of different outdoor activities including mountain biking along the hills above the coastline, stand up paddling down the Lizandro River and surfing the waves at Foz Do Lizandro beach.

Arms on fire after their exploits on the Lizandro river!

Everyone was there to get stuck in and mix it up; testing themselves against steep hills, strong winds and powerful waves.
On the first night we took over 5 restaurants in the old town, all coordinated by Luis and Andre from Prim & Taco da Caboz restaurants. Attendees were treated to a feast fit for a king – from freshly caught Tuna to Steak and local Chorizo.


Enjoying a great night out in Ericieira

Surf Summit

After the meal Delce from Tubo Bar put on a DJ on the streets and the old town came alive. All of which was well earned after a very active day in the water. Having surfed all day, we were now ready to find the answer to the toughest question of all…..Sagres or Superbock.

Judging by the few dusty bodies that appeared at Foz Do Lizandro the next day….the merits of both beers were teste all night!! The Sunday surfing and the buzz around Foz do Lizandro set the tone for the main event – the Surf Summit at Ribeira d’Ilhas.

Ribera d’Ilhas provided a beautiful backdrop for the Surf Summit.

We erected a 400 person marquee on the famous surf beach and invited local food companies along for attendees to sample the regions gourmet offering.

We also had a chance to meet up with some of our own customers that use our product: Bruno from Amar Surf Camp, Carina and Ulisses from Blue Ocean Surf School, Adam from Twin Fin Surf Camp, Edo from Chill In Ericiera, Jose from the U-House Ericeira and Alex from Moana Surf School to name but a few. It was a great opportunity to show them an example of some of the events we can do.


Trading war stories!

The nights main event was the open panel discussions with the Pro Surfers, it offered attendees a rare look at life charging 100ft monster waves and living to tell the tale. Beyond the 10-20 seconds of immortality that’s encapsulated in ‘that’ surfing clip or photo is years of training – physically and mentally. Crucially, all done with the support of a dedicated team…similar to how it is for the attendees in their journey as they grow their start up companies.
We are already looking forward to the 2017 Surf Summit!