Web Summit quits Dublin

smash

WarZ wrote: »

No they are just parroting what the media is churning out. The WS was a god send this time last year

But sure that's not true at all. This thread has been going on longer than the recent media stories. Maybe we just copped on a lot sooner than thy did. Maybe you'll catch up in a bit too.

The Corinthian

WarZ wrote: »

No they are just parroting what the media is churning out. The WS was a god send this time last year

This thread predates when the media began turn against Web Summit. So, sorry, no cigar.

And your relationship with the Web Summit or any of its principles? You didn't address that one.

WarZ

gandalf wrote: »

Do you honestly think that the Government believe they will save their prospects by throwing PC to the dogs?

Anyway they didn't throw him to the dogs. He did it to himself. He was unprofessional and ultimately has been found to be a hypocrite and to be telling porkies.

I think the government plugged what could have become a media storm and jumped on by FF in an election year. Claims that FG are threatening our tech industry and are out of touch (even if the loss of WS does not do this the average older voter would lap it up) would have followed.

By making the WS look worthless and by attacking its founder the govt has avoided bad publicity

And Cosgraves handling of it has been a disaster and as I've stated he needs a PR firm to handle this but it's clear he was under massive pressure to justify the move something that should never happen

super_furry

Jesus. Just reading the comments on tech.eu from people who have been exhibitors and been schmoozed by Web Summit, maybe it's for the best that they're leaving Ireland, they seem even shadier than anyone here has been claiming.

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

I think the government plugged what could have become a media storm and jumped on by FF in an election year. Claims that FG are threatening our tech industry and are out of touch (even if the loss of WS does not do this the average older voter would lap it up) would have followed.

By making the WS look worthless and by attacking its founder the govt has avoided bad publicity

And Cosgraves handling of it has been a disaster and as I've stated he needs a PR firm to handle this but it's clear he was under massive pressure to justify the move something that should never happen

You mean the pressure from Releasing made up reason to try and justify an action already in the pipe line ?

WarZ

The Corinthian wrote: »

This thread predates when the media began turn against Web Summit. So, sorry, no cigar.

And your relationship with the Web Summit or any of its principles? You didn't address that one.

I have absolutely no relationship with the WS.

smash

WarZ wrote: »

I think the government plugged what could have become a media storm and jumped on by FF in an election year. Claims that FG are threatening our tech industry and are out of touch (even if the loss of WS does not do this the average older voter would lap it up) would have followed.

By making the WS look worthless and by attacking its founder the govt has avoided bad publicity

But the government didn't do anything. In fact they got attacked and their first response was only a couple of days ago with a throw away comment to do with returning the money.

WarZ wrote: »

And Cosgraves handling of it has been a disaster and as I've stated he needs a PR firm to handle this but it's clear he was under massive pressure to justify the move something that should never happen

He didn't need to justify it. He needed to justify the lies he came up with. He could have easily avoided all of this by just not releasing emails and stating "Portugal gave us a great offer".

my friend

super_furry wrote: »

Jesus. Just reading the comments on tech.eu from people who have been exhibitors and been schmoozed by Web Summit, maybe it's for the best that they're leaving Ireland, they seem even shadier than anyone here has been claiming.

Can you link plz?

TIA

The Corinthian

WarZ wrote: »

And Cosgraves handling of it has been a disaster and as I've stated he needs a PR firm to handle this but it's clear he was under massive pressure to justify the move something that should never happen

This would really be my only opinion of Cosgrove. He let the Steve Jobs syndrome get the better of him and he's essentially burnt his Irish bridges and I expect there will be some limited international damage to the brand also. That he went silent on interviews is probably indicative that he realized that, as well as possibly the toll that this onslaught has had on him.

Of the event itself, I already said that I think it a waste of money from an IT company's (start up or otherwise) perspective. I think it's the sort of thing that some companies will go to for the tax right-off junket, but otherwise pretty useless. I've advised start-ups not to waste their money in previous years. If they want to get VC I'll cost more, if successful, but they'll actually get to pitch in front on one or two.

Of his sales and business practices, well, caveat emptor. They don't really fill me with respect for WS, but neither does anyone who falls for pretty obvious high pressure sales tactics like those.

bucketybuck

From reading everything about the Web Summit, it seems clear that it is not moving to Lisbon because of costs, but because it has actually reached a point where it has maximised its revenue here and needs to find other unsuspecting markets or else collapse under its own weight.

Its like a scam or a virus really. It seems to have zero retention of customers, by all accounts any company that paid once feels cheated and won't go near them again, if it were to stay in Dublin it would only decrease in size due its the horrible word of mouth generated. It needs to move and find fresh suckers customers, the whole angle of costs and govt inaction is just a smokescreen.

WarZ

The Corinthian wrote: »

This would really be my only opinion of Cosgrove. He let the Steve Jobs syndrome get the better of him and he's essentially burnt his Irish bridges and I expect there will be some limited international damage to the brand also. That he went silent on interviews is probably indicative that he realized that, as well as possibly the toll that this onslaught has had on him.

Of the event itself, I already said that I think it a waste of money from an IT company's (start up or otherwise) perspective. I think it's the sort of thing that some companies will go to for the tax right-off junket, but otherwise pretty useless. I've advised start-ups not to waste their money in previous years. If they want to get VC I'll cost more, if successful, but they'll actually get to pitch in front on one or two.

Of his sales and business practices, well, caveat emptor. They don't really fill me with respect for WS, but neither does anyone who falls for pretty obvious high pressure sales tactics like those.

I'll agree with that.

gandalf

WarZ wrote: »

I'll agree with that.

Hey WarZ you didn't answer me before but have you actually attended the Web Summit at all?

WarZ

bucketybuck wrote: »

From reading everything about the Web Summit, it seems clear that it is not moving to Lisbon because of costs, but because it has actually reached a point where it has maximised its revenue here and needs to find other unsuspecting markets or else collapse under its own weight.

Its like a scam or a virus really. It seems to have zero retention of customers, by all accounts any company that paid once feels cheated and won't go near them again, if it were to stay in Dublin it would only decrease in size due its the horrible word of mouth generated. It needs to move and find fresh suckers customers, the whole angle of costs and govt inaction is just a smokescreen.

Maybe Paddy has realised this and the Portuguese government has offered to ensure that more investors attend at the request of the government in order to ensure its continued success

Remember it's an investment for the Portuguese government too, they will want to see its success. They certainly won't be attacking something that brings thousands of visitors to Lisbon and garners the city massive publicity as a tech hub

super_furry

my friend wrote: »

Can you link plz?

TIA

http://tech.eu/features/6244/web-summit-scam-well-ask/

Tarzana2

WarZ wrote: »

The point is he cares about the WS and the negative publicity that arose from him moving it from Dublin.

Why should he have to justify moving? He obviously felt considerable pressure to have to do so.

He didn't need to justify it. Nobody expected him to. He decided he needed to, for some reason.

Muahahaha

darkpagandeath wrote: »

This gave me a good laugh, What next he's the Irish Mark Zuckerberg.....

So tell us all how much more successful you are than Cosgrave? I don't think you can but I'm happy to be proven wrong. I doubt there are many Irish 32 year old who have been as successful as he has in business, there's plenty of people jealous of it though

ted1

bucketybuck wrote: »

From reading everything about the Web Summit, it seems clear that it is not moving to Lisbon because of costs, but because it has actually reached a point where it has maximised its revenue here and needs to find other unsuspecting markets or else collapse under its own weight.

Its like a scam or a virus really. It seems to have zero retention of customers, by all accounts any company that paid once feels cheated and won't go near them again, if it were to stay in Dublin it would only decrease in size due its the horrible word of mouth generated. It needs to move and find fresh suckers customers, the whole angle of costs and govt inaction is just a smokescreen.

In reality they burnt there bridges here, but I suspect the main reason is that it simply needed a change. If your going on a jolly do you really want to go to the same place over and over

Foxtrol

WarZ wrote: »

Maybe Paddy has realised this and the Portuguese government has offered to ensure that more investors attend at the request of the government in order to ensure its continued success

Remember it's an investment for the Portuguese government too, they will want to see its success. They certainly won't be attacking something that brings thousands of visitors to Lisbon and garners the city massive publicity as a tech hub

Ireland was not seen as a tech hub because of the web summit and Lisbon will not be seen as a tech hub because of the web summit.

Have you been totally brainwashed by PC?

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

Maybe Paddy has realised this and the Portuguese government has offered to ensure that more investors attend at the request of the government in order to ensure its continued success

Remember it's an investment for the Portuguese government too, they will want to see its success. They certainly won't be attacking something that brings thousands of visitors to Lisbon and garners the city massive publicity as a tech hub

What are they investing in ? Most of the start up fail.

mzungu

Tarzana2 wrote: »

The point is it shows that he does indeed give a sh1t what people think of him. That's why he realised the emails in the first place. He wanted to justify moving to Lisbon and feverishly want to bring people onside. When in reality, people were OK with the Lisbon until he realised the emails.

True dat! His ego was his undoing there. All of this was needless and could have so easily been avoided.

Muahahaha

The Corinthian wrote: »

Of his sales and business practices, well, caveat emptor. They don't really fill me with respect for WS, but neither does anyone who falls for pretty obvious high pressure sales tactics like those.

This is a salient point. Cosgrave might have pressured sales tactics and clearly some start ups are annoyed at him. Rather they should be annoyed at themselves for being naive enough to fall for it.

WarZ

Foxtrol wrote: »

Ireland was not seen as a tech hub because of the web summit and Lisbon will not be seen as a tech hub because of the web summit.

Have you been totally brainwashed by PC?

Not because of the web summit but hosting it is favourable to that image. Lisbon is becoming a major hub at the moment and the WS will undeniably add to this

bucketybuck

ted1 wrote: »

In reality they burnt there bridges here, but I suspect the main reason is that it simply needed a change. If your going on a jolly do you really want to go to the same place over and over

But are people going over and over? Is it the same people and same companies buying tickets year on year?

darkpagandeath

Muahahaha wrote: »

So tell us all how much more successful you are than Cosgrave? I don't think you can but I'm happy to be proven wrong. I doubt there are many Irish 32 year old who have been as successful as he has in business, there's plenty of people jealous of it though

If its so successful why are people comparing it to a scam ?

seamus

Tarzana2 wrote: »

He didn't need to justify it. Nobody expected him to. He decided he needed to, for some reason.

I think Paddy's own ego got the better of him and he made the rookie mistake of allowing the Internet to get to him.

I suspect Paddy genuinely believes he was hard done by, by the short shrift he got from the Taoiseach's office. So he announces that they're moving to Lisbon in the hopes that it'll cause national uproar.
But instead a few people go, "Ah jaysus that's a pity", and a few other people say "don't let the door hit you", and otherwise people don't really care.

Furious that moving his web summit wasn't a national embarrassment and the talk of the Dail, he decides that the email trail is his trump card - "This will bring down the Dail", he thinks.

And so here we are. An implosion entirely of his own making, ensuring that his web summit will probably never be hosted in Ireland again, at least not on his terms.

Foxtrol

ted1 wrote: »

In reality they burnt there bridges here, but I suspect the main reason is that it simply needed a change. If your going on a jolly do you really want to go to the same place over and over

I’d see it more as they’re getting direct government cash and if it does well abroad it is a much more valuable asset than an event that is stuck in one country.

It was already a massive gamble which makes their actions over the last few weeks even more idiotic.

seachto7

Can you imagine Merkel or Cameron getting roped into the finer points of a trade fair in Germany or the UK?

Let's not forget Croke Park would bring more into Dublin on a weekend.

WarZ

darkpagandeath wrote: »

What are they investing in ? Most of the start up fail.

What a silly point. I guess no one should ever invest in any start up then.

WarZ

darkpagandeath wrote: »

If its so successful why are people comparing it to a scam ?

Another absolutely stupid post. Are you denying its a success now? €65 million evaluation and 30,000+ attendees and growing. In 4 years.

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

Not because of the web summit but hosting it is favourable to that image. Lisbon is becoming a major hub at the moment and the WS will undeniably add to this

No, Lisbon is starting on the Road to become some kind of tech hub a long way to go on that one though.

gandalf

WarZ wrote: »

Another absolutely stupid post. Are you denying its a success now? €65 million evaluation and 30,000+ attendees and growing. In 4 years.

Hang on it was 35 million a few pages back?

Again have you actually attended the Web Summit at all?

WarZ

Muahahaha wrote: »

This is a salient point. Cosgrave might have pressured sales tactics and clearly some start ups are annoyed at him. Rather they should be annoyed at themselves for being naive enough to fall for it.

This a million times over. Complaining about the space given to them and the amount of competing start ups? Do some god damn research before investing thousands and not even establishing basic details.

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

Another absolutely stupid post. Are you denying its a success now? €65 million evaluation and 30,000+ attendees and growing. In 4 years.

link ?

WarZ

gandalf wrote: »

Hang on it was 35 million a few pages back?

Again have you actually attended the Web Summit at all?

Sorry 35million, whatever it doesn't change the success of it.

I have attended once.

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

This a million times over. Complaining about the space given to them and the amount of competing start ups? Do some god damn research before investing thousands and not even establishing basic details.

Second ago one commented on investors, now one is blaming the start up. Make up ones mind are investors investing in the start up or are they terrible and doomed to fail ?

WarZ

darkpagandeath wrote: »

No, Lisbon is starting on the Road to become some kind of tech hub a long way to go on that one though.

You don't have a clue, maybe read up on Lisbon

gandalf

WarZ wrote: »

Sorry 35million, whatever it doesn't change the success of it.

Well there is 30 million of a difference

I have attended once.

Just out of curiosity when?

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

Sorry 35million, whatever it doesn't change the success of it.

I have attended once.

link ?

WarZ

gandalf wrote: »

Well there is 30 million of a difference



Just out of curiosity when?

I'm replying to about 5 different posters simultaneously if you can excuse my slip of concentration

I attended the first day this year

Foxtrol

WarZ wrote: »

Not because of the web summit but hosting it is favourable to that image. Lisbon is becoming a major hub at the moment and the WS will undeniably add to this

It’s a tiny add when you compare it to the big tech names that the IDA and Enterprise Ireland have brought in.

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

You don't have a clue, maybe read up on Lisbon

Yes, I do it's only starting on it's road to being a tech hub. Seems to be looking for Eu investment and also there is worry about the university's being able to keep up and actually provide the expertise.

Rezident

Can't wait til this "web summit" whatever it is, is gone from here. Irrelevant to me and irrelevant to most web users.

Ctrl Alt Delete

WarZ wrote: »

I think the government plugged what could have become a media storm and jumped on by FF in an election year. Claims that FG are threatening our tech industry and are out of touch (even if the loss of WS does not do this the average older voter would lap it up) would have followed.

By making the WS look worthless and by attacking its founder the govt has avoided bad publicity

And Cosgraves handling of it has been a disaster and as I've stated he needs a PR firm to handle this but it's clear he was under massive pressure to justify the move something that should never happen

That's a fine story but here's the cold truth FG/Lab have not the remotest notion of how to do that.

If you would like proof simply look to their many many many PR gaffe

darkpagandeath

Oh and just to add I think we all know why it's moving to Lisbon, There is a start of a budding start up market just getting legs a Fresh market if you will. If it get's a decent amount of Eu funding for the tech start up sector that will mean a lot of turnover.

gandalf

WarZ wrote: »

I'm replying to about 5 different posters simultaneously if you can excuse my slip of concentration

I attended the first day this year

Ah ok.

As I said I attended the second one and from that I had a very positive opinion on the WS and regarding PC after that experience.

Last year I have the exact reverse feeling after I attended all three days. Personally I do think it has outgrown its remit and there is a major gap for a more focussed Startup only event.

Eoin

WarZ wrote: »

The move made sense and all he has to do is survive the onslaught resulting from him having the audacity to move the event from Dublin.

FFS, please actually read what most people are saying.

The problem is not the move. Big deal - he outgrew Dublin, so congrats to him. His attitude - right from his petulant closing speech last year through to the ridiculous demands for the government to do his job and pay his expenses - has been piss poor. That's what people have a problem with. And that's before his dubious business practices.

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

seamus wrote: »

I think Paddy's own ego got the better of him and he made the rookie mistake of allowing the Internet to get to him.

I suspect Paddy genuinely believes he was hard done by, by the short shrift he got from the Taoiseach's office. So he announces that they're moving to Lisbon in the hopes that it'll cause national uproar.
But instead a few people go, "Ah jaysus that's a pity", and a few other people say "don't let the door hit you", and otherwise people don't really care.

Furious that moving his web summit wasn't a national embarrassment and the talk of the Dail, he decides that the email trail is his trump card - "This will bring down the Dail", he thinks.

good analysis. my opinion was somebody (prob that Gavin lad) did an FOI to get the emails so web summit decided to release first and get ahead of the story. now i'm not sure, i'm leaning towards your view that they're just idiots.

good luck to him, i never knock a lad and his hustle. sure most conferences are scams anyway, just a tax writeoff and a pissup.

paddy needs to heed Michael O'Leary's advice to never start believing your own bullshít

WarZ

Eoin wrote: »

FFS, please actually read what most people are saying.

The problem is not the move. Big deal - he outgrew Dublin, so congrats to him. His attitude - right from his petulant closing speech last year through to the ridiculous demands for the government to do his job and pay his expenses - has been piss poor. That's what people have a problem with. And that's before his dubious business practices.

I've admitted he is terrible at PR but there's a lot of people downplaying his success and not giving him any credit. Also having pops at him for not appearing on live TV when he is likely experiencing pressure that they could never imagine (yes due to his lack of media skills).

WarZ

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Second ago one commented on investors, now one is blaming the start up. Make up ones mind are investors investing in the start up or are they terrible and doomed to fail ?

You have now become intelligible. Congratulations!

darkpagandeath

WarZ wrote: »

I've admitted he is terrible at PR but there's a lot of people downplaying his success and not giving him any credit. Also having pops at him for not appearing on live TV when he is likely experiencing pressure that they could never imagine (yes due to his lack of media skills).

:pac::pac::pac::pac:

http://www.independent.ie/business/article30688369.ece/ALTERNATES/h342/2014-10-24_bus_4145863_I1.JPG