Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave had said last November that
the venue, Lisbon's Altice Arena, had been booked for 2021 and he expected the
event to return in-person.
Organisers said on Wednesday they were in regular contact
with health authorities to set up a COVID-safe event.
It has not yet been decided whether masks or tests will be
required, communications manager Katherine Farrell told Reuters, but the venue
is being prepared to ensure social distancing is possible.
According to the Portuguese government's current plans,
compulsory use of masks in outdoor areas will be lifted in September but will
still be required in large gatherings and be compulsory indoors.
Elements of the conference will be streamed online, as was
the case prior to the pandemic, Farrell said.
"We couldn't be more excited to return in-person.
Seeing people safely connecting in-person again, and re-experiencing the magic
of face-to-face interactions, will be incredible," CEO Cosgrave said in a
statement.
Over 1,000 speakers and 1,250 startups are lined up to
attend the Summit, which will take place from Nov. 1-4, the company said.
Around 104,000 attended the online-only event last year.
Organisers said they expected over 40,000 people to attend the conference this
year. Just under 70,500 tickets were sold for the 2019 event.
The number of daily new coronavirus cases rose in June and
early July to levels last seen in February, when Portugal was under a strict
lockdown, but has been falling slightly since late July as the vaccination
campaign progresses.
Some 71% of Portugal's population has received one dose of a
COVID vaccine, and 62% are fully vaccinated, according to government data.
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