Six takeaways from Web Summit

With more than 70,000 attendees, Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, is a hive of activity – and a true hotspot for discussing the present and the future of the tech industry. Our Head of Inclusion and Diversity, Katie De Paoli, was one of five Deltatre employees to not only listen to inspiring talks from experts in their field but join the conversation. Read on for Katie’s summary of six key points raised during the conference and what they mean for Deltatre.

#1. Strong focus on inclusion and diversity

Web Summit is widely considered to be the largest, most innovative, and forward-thinking tech event in the world. The fact that they are committed to Inclusion and Diversity is a great sign of how this is relevant to our future and key to the healthy growth of our businesses.

In particular, the organizers of Web Summit are committed to changing the gender ratio at their events and their sessions showed many strong and impactful women sharing their knowledge and experiences. This year, for example, 46% of Web Summit attendees were female – their highest ever number, and I can testify that both the floor and the stages showed great equality in terms of gender.

However, the event wasn’t ‘only’ about women, but inclusion and culture as a whole. Every day, my agenda was packed with sessions dedicated to soft topics and culture within sport, health, politics, music, innovation and more, showing that Inclusion and Diversity is relevant to every single aspect of our life and our economy.

#2. Sport is entering a new era

The FIFA Women’s World Cup heralded a new era for the game. The panel that included the Director of Sport at BBC, Barbara Slater, and World Cup winner, Meghan Klingenberg, discussed how women’s sport is on the rise and this can lead to great opportunities and new streams of revenue for all participants involved.

They discussed how women should have the same opportunities as men and how we need to normalize women’s football because, at the end of the day, we are talking about great athletes playing the beautiful game. Of course, there are differences, but let’s leverage those differences and create new opportunities.

Women’s football outshines the men’s game when it comes to inclusivity and female footballers are often more ‘accessible’ than their male peers. This creates opportunities to engage with the fans and create great storytelling, such as behind-the-scenes stories, for example.

Deltatre has the opportunity to continue to make women’s sport more accessible and engaging to audiences all around the world through the technology it provides, in turn helping the whole sporting community to benefit from the rise of the women’s game.

#3. Sport has the power to do good

Sport is a great platform to create connections, drive change, and ultimately has the power to do good. It was great to see former professional footballer, Eric Cantona, on stage talking about Common Goal, the charity he supports. He believes football should be for the people and we need to support a more sustainable, positive, and inclusive game.

Common Goal’s members pledge 1% of their earnings to a central fund and together they allocate this money to high-impact organizations that harness the power of football to advance the United Nations’ Global Goals.

Eniola Aluko, an English footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus, announced her support to Common Goal because she believes in the power of the game to do good due to its ability to open doors and enable players to make an impact.

There’s a strong belief that sport can push for change and anybody who doesn’t want to be left behind should recognize the tools it has to support and drive this shift.

#4. Culture starts with people

Co-founder and CEO of Taxfix, Mathis Buechi, explained how he learned that the right company culture can boost your business. He started by saying that you cannot force results, it’s up to your team to achieve their goals.

Culture starts with people, and it creates an alignment that genuinely empowers teams and engages people. Behavior drives results and culture means creating a shared behavior that drives extraordinary results. How do you build your culture? Define your why, define your core values, and work hard to bring your culture to life.

In addition to our top-quality products and services, one of the key differentiators for Deltatre has always been our people, the culture, and our values. Now, with more than 1,000 people across 19 offices, we need to bring that culture to the next level if we want to stay ahead and continue to attract the best talents and great clients.

#5. The job offer is just the beginning

It’s known that the tech industry has an issue with diversity. The panel that included Andrew O’ Dell, CEO and Co-founder of advertising agency Pereira & O'Dell, Belinda Smith, Global Head of Marketing Intelligence at Electronic Arts, and author Leah Hunter discussed the importance of enabling a truly inclusive environment and creating a safe place for people to act.

For businesses to work better and be more productive, creative, and innovative, they need a diverse representation of voices around the table. Crucially, they need to empower people to speak up and make sure that everybody is invited to the meeting or stage. If people don’t feel empowered to speak up and truly be themselves, diversity risks becoming just another box you have to tick.

#6. Leadership is key

You need the CEO and board buy-in, it has to be a priority. Having strong role models in executive roles helps minorities feel they can push because there is no bias. Mentoring is key and great digital leadership has a transformative vision and a growth mindset.

Did you attend Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, during November 2-5? Join the conversation and let us know your key takeaways over on Twitter or LinkedIn @deltatre.