The room

For three editions we grew by adding rooms. This year we did the opposite. Pavilhão do Rio seats 1,800 people in a single hall with no pillars and no bad seats, so every keynote is one shared conversation instead of four overflow screens.

• One main stage for keynotes and the headline talks
• Six breakout rooms for track sessions and workshops
• An expo hall with forty-two booths and two lounges

Getting there

The venue is twelve minutes from Lisbon airport on the red metro line, and the station is across the street. From most of Europe that means you can leave home after breakfast and be at the opening party the same evening.

The best conference venue is the one you can reach without a taxi.

Trains from Porto and Madrid arrive at Oriente, one stop away. There is step-free access from the platform to every room in the building.

Where to stay

Three partner hotels within 300 metres are holding rooms at a fixed rate until 1 April. The Travel page has the booking code and the walking routes.

• Riverside hotels: three to six minutes on foot
• Old town: twenty minutes by metro, more restaurants
• Budget: two hostels near Oriente station

Why it matters

A summit is only as good as its hallways. At the Pavilhão, lunch is on a terrace over the water, the coffee is in the same hall as the sponsors, and nobody has to cross a road to find the next talk. We think you will feel the difference by eleven on the first morning.