Every Development & Design Conference in Portugal You Should Know About in 2019
Do you live in Portugal? Here are some great tech events in your own backyard. Do you live anywhere else? Here’s your “work excuse” to take a dream vacation.
We say Portugal, you say _____.
Now — we can’t know for sure how you filled in that blank.
We’d be willing to guess you thought: “beaches” or “wine” or “culture.”
And that you probably didn’t think: “Europe’s next big tech hub” or “the new home for a few massive Google and Web Summit’s offices”.
At least, you probably didn’t think that yet.
The truth is, tech in Portugal is nothing shy of booming. And the incredible lineup of tech events being hosted in 2019 is just a small testament to the vibrancy of its dev, design, and startup scene. In Lisbon, Porto, and throughout the country, we’ll see some of 2019’s biggest tech events — featuring star-quality names and attracting innovators from all over the world.
We couldn’t let you miss out on all of that — so we built a little calendar, showcasing some of the good things ahead.
Here are all the most relevant conferences for web designers and developers happening in 2019.
Jump to…
March
Typeof Conference — Web Craftsmanship
27–29 March — Porto
The first ever Typeof conference promises a refreshing start to the year. Talks and tracks focus on web technologies and front end web development — but there’s a lot to learn for all types of techies. Expect a speaker list of industry leaders from throughout Europe–including Andrei Herasimchuk from Booking.com and Florian Rival from Facebook. Tickets are almost sold out, but if you can snag the last few, here: https://typeofconf.com/#tickets
The official programme isn’t out yet, but we’ll make sure you know all about it as soon as it hits the web.
April
Start & Scale Week — Future of Tech Force
1 to 6 April — Porto
Before we dive into what makes the Start & Scale week programming special, we’ll share the ticket price: $0.00
So there’s one less excuse you have to not attend.
Organized by ScaleUp Porto, the fourth Start & Scale Week is linked to the Computer Science Olympics, and the ICPC Finals. With 7 days of varied activities — including short talks, a hackathon, and a programming tournament for high-schoolers — the program covers a lot of tech ground.
A few of our personal recommendations for attendees: The opening talk, Developing skills for the future tech industry, which starts things off on April 1st. And Cybersecurity — when data is money, on April 3rd.
ScaleUp Porto is a part of the ScaleUp for Europe movement, an initiative to bring Europe’s Tech Market together and make it stronger worldwide. You can find more info, and sign up to attend in Portugal, here: https://scaleupporto.pt/
Global Azure Bootcamp
27 April — Lisbon and Porto
An entire day to talk all things Azure? Yes! Microsoft Portugal is hosting Global Azure Bootcamp worldwide this April. You’ll have access to the event from three different locations — two in Lisbon and one in Porto. According to Microsoft, GAB is the biggest event in Cloud Computing in the world.
So far there are 176 confirmed locations hosting the event, and their goal is to reach 270 locations, total. This is the sixth edition of GAB, which is a mix of an online and on-site event, and it’s been growing more and more every year. In Lisbon, it takes place at Microsoft Portugal offices, where you’ll meet Microsoft MVPs. The event is totally free, and all the details are here: https://global.azurebootcamp.net/
May
Computer Science Journeys (Jornadas de Computação Científica)
6 May — Ponta Delgada, Azores
Computer Science Journeys 2019 are hosted by Azores University and its main organizer, FCT (Science and Technology Foundation). It’s a 3-day event packed with workshops, seminars, round tables and, of course, lots of academic exchange. The pillars of the event — Connectivity, Computing, Collaboration, Knowledge and Security — spread across the schedule evenly — so there is a little bit of something for everyone.
And you know what else has a little something for everyone? The Azores.
And the free admission doesn’t hurt either. Just sign up to reserve your spot: https://jornadas.fccn.pt/
2019 TAtech Europe & EMEA Job Board Forum
8 to 10 May — Lisbon
For those looking to land a job in tech or advertising, this is the place to be. TA stands for Talent Acquisition — so the event’s purpose is clear: they’re here to hire.
TAtech is a 2-day recruitment frenzy headquartered in beautiful Lisbon. The biggest leaders, analysts, and investors in the industry will be there. Early admissions have already sold out, but regular tickets start at €799 for non-TA members (with a €100 discount for TA members). Prices increase as the event approaches, so we’d suggest grabbing yours ASAP: https://tatecheurope.io/
CIRP Design — Design as Exponential Technology
8 to 10 May — Póvoa de Varzim
For the 29th Conference for the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), they’re bringing things to the beach. This year’s event takes place in Póvoa de Varzim, in the metropolitan region of Porto. With topics ranging from Design Theory to UX Interfaces for Design, the conference hits on all the new skills that are essential in design (and all the key buzzwords employers look for on CVs).
Though the call for papers has already closed, early bird admission is open until 10 April. Head to CIRPs website (https://www.cirpdesign2019.org) to check out the schedule, and register for the event. Tickets start at €650 and additional workshops and other event activities are paid separately.
ScrumPlop
12–16 May — Lamego
ScrumPlop isn’t just a great conference to learn and network at — it’s also a great opportunity to relax. It’ll be a full five days, with lots of knowledge to share on scrum. But it’ll also be a wonderful excuse to spend almost a week in a charming hotel on a vineyard.
Featuring an epic boat ride on the Douro river, and scheduled nap times every day, ScrumPlop will quickly become your favourite event of the year. The cost of the event is only €800 — quite affordable when you consider that accommodations and food are included. In terms of programming, there’s a Scrum competition divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Take a look at the Scrum Plop Community website to learn more: https://sites.google.com/a/scrumplop.org/www/scrumplop-2019-quinta-da-pacheca-portugal
User Experience LX — UXLX
21 to 24 May — Lisbon
User Experience LX is a 4-day, hands-on, learning event. With over 80 hours of workshops — covering design, storytelling, games, AI and more — Europe’s largest UX training conference is a must-attend. The event is in high demand and is structured for the early birds.
Even with the 4-day ticket, all workshops are “first come, first served.” Make sure to be at workshop registration at 8 am every day to get a spot at your chosen activity. Tickets are a bit steep and some modalities are almost sold out. But when you see the programme — you might just forget about the price. Go to https://www.ux-lx.com/ and get signed up, ASAP.
Fontstand International Typography Conference
25 May — Porto
Fontstand International Typography Conference is a dream event for font nerds everywhere. You’ll spend 2 days immersed in the world of type, and hear about what’s new from some of the best in the business. This year the event takes place in Porto and is already getting a lot of hype.
Part of that is due to Fontstand’s unique, collaborative philosophy. It calls itself a “two-way conference” — meaning not only you can learn from the speakers, but they’ll also work to learn something from you. Tickets are €100 + VAT and you can get yours at https://fontstand.com/conference-2019/
Scale Up for Europe
25–27 May — Porto
With other 2019 editions in Amsterdam and Milan, Scale Up for Europe is a must-attend event for every segment of the tech industry. You can read more about the Scale Up movement, and read its manifesto at https://scaleupforeurope.eu/—but we can guarantee you won’t regret jumping on board the movement. Scale Up for Europe is an EU initiative to bring Europe’s tech hubs together in order to build a stronger and more competitive tech market. With a Demo Day, an investment forum, 2 days of conferences and a hackathon, this Scale Up has really shown the European tech community that it’s here to change the game.
June
JNation.pt 2019 Conference
4 June — Coimbra
Whether you’re just starting your career in code, or you’re already an established programmer — JNation is the place for Java and JavaScript developers to gather in 2019. It’s hosted in the historic and charming city of Coimbra, with easy access from Lisbon or Porto, and you can still register to get the early bird pricing (until March 31st). Go to https://jnation.pt/ to find out more about the programme, location and ticket prices.
7th International Conference on Illustration & Animation (CONFIA)
14 & 15 June — Viana do Castelo
The 7th edition of CONFIA takes place in Viana do Castelo, a city located in the Alto Minho Region of Portugal. The event hosts 3 big names in the animation field: Birgitta Hosea, Paolla Vassalli and Cesar Coelho. Other details of the programme are still to come, and registration starts at €275. Although the call for papers has already closed, you can still get a ticket to attend the lectures if you hurry: http://www.confia.ipca.pt/
Landing Festival
28 June — Lisbon
The idea behind Landing Festival is to empower and improve tech professionals. With two other editions during the year in Amsterdam and Berlin, the event is divided into talks, workshops and expert sessions. Here, you won’t just learn about what’s “happening in tech” — but you’ll get a sense of what could be happening in your tech career. Plus, the event hosts several parties and social gatherings, so you’re sure to make some new friends along the way. Tickets go from €12 to €75, and you can pre-register at the link: https://lisbon.landingfestival.com/
August
4th International Conference on Computer and Information Science and Technology (CIST’19)
21 to 23 August — Lisbon
Yes, CIST is a funny acronym. But CIST ’19 is an incredible conference. The event gathers the best minds of the Computer and Information Science community to share ideas, studies, and innovation. An initiative of the University of New Brunswick, in the United States, this is truly a global academic discussion. Professors from China, Taiwan, Canada and the US, will bring the latest and greatest ideas on Computer and Information Science. The full programme is yet to come, but you can already register for the event here: https://cistseries.com/
September
Simpósio Papanek 2019 (Porto Design Biennale)
26 & 27 September — Porto
University of Applied Arts Vienna is behind Papanek Symposium 2019. Under the theme Real World: design, politics, future the event hopes to “explore the current crisis in design.” It is a 2-day event, divided in one day of lectures and the second day of workshops — and packed with interesting topics, and incredible speakers. The Porto Design Biennale runs parallel to the symposium, which only makes things even more interesting. It should feature a least a thing or two you’ve never seen before. The event is free of charge and hosted in English. Get more information here: https://papanek.org/symposium-2019/
XA / eXperience Agile 2019
30 September & 1 October — Lisbon
XA eXperience Agile is back again and promising to be even better than last year. This edition is divided into two events, over two days. Day one, you’ll attend the eXperience Agile Conference, which has already confirmed a ton of top speakers. Day two, you’ll participate in the DevOps Conference and workshops — which is more hands-on. Tickets are already selling, and they offer package rates with better prices — making this a great event for bringing the whole team. Get your tickets here: https://www.experienceagile.org/#devops
November
Web Summit
4–7 November — Lisbon
If this is your first tech event — you won’t find a better place to start. If this is your fiftieth tech event — you still won’t want to miss it. All of tech’s best make their way here.
Among this year’s speakers are Ev Williams, Gillian Tans and Alexis Ohanian, just to name a few. But the list of big names is pretty much infinite. And the event really knows how to integrate Lisbon’s best features into its agenda. Declared by Forbes to be the best technology conference on the planet, Web Summit really is the culmination of all things tech in 2019. You can pre-register on the event’s website: https://websummit.com/2for1 and watch for discount codes and ticket bundles they offer.
Leave a comment below and bookmark this post! We’ll be adding more conferences, and more details, throughout the year.
