With 435 participants from 30 countries, the second annual Barcelona Summit managed to grow 35 percent this year, propelling itself forward as one of Europe’s premier business-to-business events.
The Summit, which took place Feb. 19-20 at the ME-Barcelona Hotel, created a dynamic atmosphere in which attendees maximized their new business contacts, initiated and closed deals, and found time for some necessary rest and relaxation.
The show floor was highlighted by an art exhibition, which was an industry first. And the show programs included high-octane speed networking sessions, excellent SEO panels, mobile panels bursting with innovative ideas, and industry standard seminars filled with participants from every European Union country who were hungry to expand their cross-border work space.
With the Barcelona weather being out of sync with the event (lots of rain the first day), attendees clustered on the show floor and around the bar, meeting new people. Even seasoned show participants were overheard saying that the vast majority of participants were new to them.
Circulating on the show floor, one couldn’t help but get the impression that Barcelona Summit is becoming a top-level event. Vince Charlton from Emerchant Pay summed it up neatly: “Wow, there are all C-level people here—deals are being signed every hour.”
In addition to running the business side of the event smoothly, organizers clearly had spent a great deal of time in making sure attendees were entertained. A Cybersocket/Epoch opening party kick-started the event and was followed up with a F.C. Barcelona football game on one hand and a typical Spanish flamenco show in the hotel on the other.
One particular eye-catcher was the speed painting event by David Machuca designed to raise money for ASACP and Haiti. And the auction that closed out Sunday’s lunch, led by “adult auction master” Thommy Oliver, surpassed expectations. More than $10,000 in U.S. dollars was raised, with Adult Webmaster Empire claiming victory with a bid well in excess of $5,500 and supporting donations coming from EPG Bill, MojoHost and two anonymous donors.
