Web Summit 2026 Networking: How to Get Remembered Among 70,000 People (Beyond the Badge Scan)
Four days, tens of thousands of people, one badge QR. The official app and the badge handle the swap. What nobody explains is what happens after: connections that never get confirmed do not export, and the best conversations often happen where the app does not reach. Here is how to still be the person they can find on Monday.
Web Summit 2026 at a glance
- Dates: November 9–12, 2026, with Opening Night and badge pickup on the 9th
- Place: MEO Arena and FIL, Parque das Nações, Lisbon
- Last year: 71,386 attendees from 157 countries
- The official Web Summit app is your ticket, your agenda, and your meeting tool
What the badge QR and the app actually do
Every attendee badge carries a QR code. According to Web Summit's published terms as summarized by third-party guides, scanning is optional and consent-based, and attendees can share their details by letting others scan the badge or by accepting a connection in the app. Those same guides note that consenting to a scan can mean giving direct marketing consent, so read what you are agreeing to.
The part most guides skip: the app's Download Connections export (Discovery tab) includes confirmed connections only. Pending requests do not export. So a stack of people you scanned or requested, who never tapped accept, is not in your list when you get home. Rules can change, so confirm the current behavior in the app and Web Summit's help centre before you rely on it.
None of this is a reason to skip the app. It is your ticket, and it is the right tool for scheduled meetings. It is a reason not to make it your only plan. The same logic is behind our post on why LinkedIn's QR is not a business card: a platform QR is a shortcut into that platform.
Carry a card that works for people outside the app
Photo, LinkedIn, a website, and an optional contact form. One QR, no app to install. Free to start.
Sarah Mitchell
Licensed Realtor
Premier Realty
Helping families buy and sell homes with confidence and ease.
Marcus Johnson
Owner & Founder
Johnson & Co.
Helping businesses grow through exceptional service and strong teams.
Sarah Mitchell
Licensed Realtor
Premier Realty
Helping families buy and sell homes with confidence and ease.
Marcus Johnson
Owner & Founder
Johnson & Co.
Helping businesses grow through exceptional service and strong teams.
Where the app does not reach
- Side events and evening events. Attendees on forums like Reddit say smaller meetups and after-hours events are where real conversations happen, and that unofficial side events become easier to find about a week before the summit.
- Dinners and hallways. Nobody opens an event app over a table. A QR on a phone screen, shown at the end of a conversation, takes seconds.
- People who skip the app. Investors, speakers, and local attendees do not all live in the app. A browser-based card opens for them with no install and no login.
- The week after. Once the badge is back in a drawer, your card link in an email or message still works, and you can update it as your role changes.
Three layers, not one
| Layer | Use it for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Web Summit app | Your ticket, schedule, and meetings you booked | Only confirmed connections export |
| 2. Your card QR | Everyone else: dinners, side events, people outside the app. Optionally turn on the Lead Capture form so they can leave details too | Free plan covers 50 views; a busy week may need Pro |
| 3. 30-second notes | Name, company, one thing they said, written right after | You will not remember 40 faces on Thursday |
Lead Capture is a toggle in the card editor. You choose the fields (name is required; email, phone, company, job title, and message are optional), get an email for each submission, and see entries in Dashboard → Leads. Free plan note: you can read leads up to the 50-view limit, and Pro keeps the tab open.
Before you fly
- Target list of 10–15 people. Guides from travel and event teams recommend this about two weeks out. Send short meeting requests in the app rather than hoping to bump into people.
- One tracked link named Web Summit 2026, used for the QR you show. See why analytics make digital cards better.
- Screenshot the QR into a camera-roll album. In a loud arena, Photos is faster than any app.
- Pick up your badge on the 9th if you can. Guides suggest it avoids first-morning queues.
- Write your 15-second line. “I'm [name], I [one proof]. Scan this if you want the links.” More on the format in the introvert system.
On site
- Show the QR at the end of the conversation, not as an opener. For event mechanics, see how to share contacts with a QR code at events.
- Use the quiet hours. Guides suggest the exhibition floor is easier in the morning, before the crowd peaks.
- Scan paper cards you are handed with the free business card scanner.
- Group saved contacts under the event name so you can find them by event, not by hunting through a thousand names.
Follow up within 48 hours
Event guides consistently recommend following up within two days, and sooner is better while they still remember your face. Same template as our career-fair follow-up, tuned for founders, investors, and peers. Put the link in your email signature too.
Copy-paste follow-up
Subject: Good talking about [specific thing] at Web Summit, [Your name] Hi [Name], Enjoyed our conversation about [one detail] in Lisbon. My links and contact are here: [your tracked card URL] If it is useful, I can send [the thing you mentioned] this week. [Your name]
Fall 2026 conference-season calendar
The same system works at any of these. Save the table, and rename your tracked link for each event.
| When | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 13–15 | TechCrunch Disrupt | Moscone West, San Francisco |
| Oct 18–21 | Money20/20 USA | The Venetian, Las Vegas |
| Oct 19–21 | Cloudflare Connect | Moscone West, San Francisco |
| Oct 21–22 | VDS | City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia |
| Oct 26–27 | Dubai AI Festival | Dubai World Trade Centre |
| Oct 27–30 | Grace Hopper Celebration | Anaheim Convention Center |
| Nov 6–8 | NAR NXT (see our agent referral guide) | New Orleans |
| Nov 9–12 | Web Summit | MEO Arena and FIL, Lisbon |
| Nov 9–12 | KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America | Salt Lake City |
| Dec 7–11 | GITEX Global (summit Dec 7, exhibition Dec 8–11) | Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City |
Dates are from each event's own site as of early October 2026 and can change. For a wider look at event networking, see our post on the essential networking tool for 2026's biggest events.
What you get with KadiConnect
KadiConnect gives you a browser-based card, a branded QR, tracked shareable links, views, contact saving, and an optional lead capture form. It works alongside Web Summit's app: use the app for what it is for, and the card for everyone and everything outside it. The free plan includes up to 50 views; Pro is $4/month for unlimited views.
- Build your card before you fly. Add photo, one-line role and proof of work, email, LinkedIn, and a website. Optionally turn on Lead Capture so people who never confirm a connection in the app can still leave their details.
- Create one tracked link. Make a shareable link named Web Summit 2026 and use it for the QR you show, so views map to the conference in your dashboard.
- Plan targets and book meetings. Two weeks out, list 10–15 people you want to meet and send short meeting requests in the Web Summit app. Add side events once they are published.
- Screenshot the QR and carry two layers. Save the QR in a camera-roll album. Use the app for scheduled meetings and the card QR for everyone else.
- Follow up within 48 hours. Message each person with one specific detail from the conversation and your card link. Group saved contacts under the event name.
FAQ
Does the Web Summit badge QR export my contacts automatically?
Not automatically. According to Web Summit’s published terms as summarized by third-party guides, badge scanning is optional and consent-based, and the app’s Download Connections export (in the Discovery tab) includes confirmed connections only. Pending connections do not export. Confirm the current rules in the Web Summit app and help centre before you travel.
Do I still need the Web Summit app?
Yes. The official app listing describes the app as your ticket and the place to plan sessions, discover attendees, and arrange meetings. Treat a digital business card as a complement for people who never open the app, not a replacement.
Where do the useful conversations happen?
Attendees on forums like Reddit say they happen at smaller meetups, side events, and evening events, and that unofficial side events become easier to find about a week before. The exhibition floor is also described as quieter in the morning.
Should I still bring paper business cards?
A few do no harm, and some guides still recommend them. A QR on your phone works with any camera phone and does not run out. If you carry paper, put the card QR on it so both formats lead to the same page.
Will the free plan’s 50 views cover a Web Summit week?
Probably not if you meet many people. KadiConnect’s free plan includes up to 50 card views. If you turn on Lead Capture, submissions are readable in Dashboard → Leads up to that view limit on free; Pro is $4/month for unlimited views and keeps the Leads tab open.
Does KadiConnect work with the Web Summit app?
It works alongside it. Your card is a separate browser page and QR that you control, so it works for people who never open the app. The Web Summit app stays your ticket and your tool for scheduled meetings.
Be findable after the badge goes in the drawer
Create a free digital card, screenshot the QR, and add it as your second layer before Lisbon.
Get started free