Web Summit Rio 2025 was, without a doubt, one of the largest events I’ve ever attended — bringing together over 34,000 participants, including more than 500 investors, 1,000 startups, a great mix of professionals, founders, and creators and notable names ranging from Brazilian superstar Ivete Sangalo to international artist Aloe Blacc. From everything I observed, it’s also shaping up to be one of the most influential tech events in Latin America.

Web Summit is a truly global event, with editions held in different parts of the world. One took place in Qatar this past February, and another is coming up in Portugal this November. So if making it to Latin America isn’t feasible, don’t worry — there are still other opportunities to experience it in a location that might be a better fit for you. Here is a link to their website: https://websummit.com/

As I usually do after attending a new event, I’ll be sharing my personal take — what stood out, what fell short, where there’s room for improvement and of course some of the impressions on the sessions that I attended.

The venue :

 Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro — was definitely unique compared to others I’ve experienced. With its mix of spacious indoor pavilions and a lush outdoor garden, it created a vibrant and refreshing atmosphere for networking and exploration. The event had a unique vibe — a blend of conference and festival, with live music and dancers and a much more relaxed atmosphere compared to other events I’ve attended in the U.S. and Europe.

That said, the layout also came with some challenges. Moving between pavilions for back-to-back sessions was tricky — often there just wasn’t enough time to get from one to the next, especially when they were located at opposite ends of the venue.

The experience:

 With so many experiences and topics packed into the event, it could feel a bit overwhelming at times. In many ways, smaller gatherings tend to create more meaningful networking — it reminded me of big cities: the more crowded they are, the easier it is to feel a bit lost in the noise.

Another challenge was the language inconsistency. While some sessions were clearly marked as English or Portuguese, a few that were labeled as English ended up being delivered in Portuguese. That was frustrating, especially since I had planned my schedule around those sessions. Without breaks between talks and the pavilions being spread out, switching to another session last-minute wasn’t really an option — so it felt like a missed opportunity.

Better organization and more accurate session information would have made a big difference and significantly improved the overall experience.

When it comes to food and drinks, nothing was included in the ticket price — which is understandable, given the relatively low cost of the ticket. On the positive side, there were plenty of food trucks offering a variety of cuisines, which added a nice touch of flexibility and flavor to the experience. However, one downside was the lack of seating and tables, making it difficult to find a comfortable spot to eat and recharge.

The value:

 One of the main reasons I was excited to attend this conference was the Women in Tech and Community component — but I have to admit, it fell short of expectations. There were very few sessions dedicated to the topic, and while one of the pavilions had a space specifically set up for Women in Tech as well as one called Community Space,  it often seemed inactive whenever I stopped by. It felt like a missed opportunity to truly spotlight and engage with such an important part of the tech community. The encouraging part was that many of the speakers were women from diverse backgrounds, and the overall attendee mix felt quite balanced. That said, I would have appreciated more focused content around diversity, inclusion, and equity — there’s definitely room to expand on these important conversations in future editions.

There were also the so-called Masterclasses, which appeared to include some Women in Tech activities — unfortunately, my ticket didn’t grant access to those sessions.

That said, there was also a lot of great sessions with great content throughout the event — so let’s tackle that next, in Part 2 of this review.