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!
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. 
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!!
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.
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.
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. 
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.
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. (add all the links here to the
property on our site)
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!
