‘Take over the city’: Massive technology summit coming to Vancouver in 2025

Vancouver is set to host a large North American edition of the global technology conference Web Summit in May 2025.

This event will mark the first North American flagship event in Vancouver, taking over from the existing Collision summit in Toronto.

The focus of the event, according to organizers, is on connecting and supporting the global technology ecosystem.

Paddy Cosgrave, the founder and CEO of Web Summit, expressed excitement about bringing the tech world together in Vancouver next year.

He highlighted Vancouver as a beautiful city with a thriving tech community that serves as a bridge between the Americas, Asia, and the West Coast.

Web Summit has expanded to include events in Rio, Qatar, and Lisbon over the past two years.

Web Summit expects to attract over 160,000 attendees across its events by the end of 2024.

The Vancouver event is estimated to bring in around 35,000 participants.

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Web Summit believes that the Vancouver event will contribute to the growth of the local tech industry, which is already thriving in the international port city.

According to Web Summit, Vancouver is home to over 11,000 tech companies and leads in high-tech job growth in North America.

“B.C. has a 30-year track record of creating and advancing world-class technologies,” said B.C. Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey.

“We aim to enhance our capacity to commercialize innovation and leverage these successes for the benefit of our provincial economy.”

Destination Vancouver projects that Web Summit Vancouver will result in $172 million in spending and $279 million in overall economic impact for B.C. over three years.

Destination Vancouver’s president and CEO, Royce Chwin, stated that Vancouver was the ideal location for Web Summit and that the event will further solidify the city’s reputation as an exceptional host city.

Chwin mentioned that the summit will not only focus on technology but will also integrate technology with culture through various events across the city, benefiting industries like tourism and hospitality.

The summit is expected to boost other local sectors during a critical time of need.

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Web Summit’s events have played significant roles in enhancing the tech landscape in the cities and countries where they are held.

Collision, Web Summit’s predecessor in Toronto, generated $189 million in economic impact over the past three years. The final Collision event in Toronto is expected to bring in an additional $77 million.

The influx of visitors to Vancouver due to the new event raises concerns about hotel capacity.

Vancouver is facing a significant hotel shortage, with the number of hotel rooms decreasing from 15,000 in 2002 to just 13,000 by 2022, according to Destination Vancouver.

The City of Vancouver is working with the conference organizers to address this issue, acknowledging the need for increased hotel capacity.

Vancouver councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung mentioned that the city has proposed various motions to explore options such as allowing hotels outside the downtown core and enabling mixed-use buildings, including pod hotels.

Several new hotel projects are in the pipeline, with 14 at different stages of development, three under construction, and one set to open this year, adding 107 rooms.

Pod hotels, inspired by the concept from Japan, offer compact, affordable accommodation with small bed-sized rooms. While new hotel construction is a priority, the city recognizes that projects take time, and pod hotels could help address the immediate demand for accommodations.

Destination Vancouver also plans to leverage the entire region to accommodate all visitors, including areas like the island, Blaine, and Bellingham.

Officials are hopeful that hosting the event in May, a typically quieter month for hotel occupancy, will help alleviate the capacity strain.

Exact dates for the event are yet to be announced.

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