EDITORIAL & NEWS FOR 2019
Crossing the threshold of 100,000 visitors in 2018, VivaTech has affirmed its place as one of the world’s most important tech events.
Our ambition for 2019 is to permanently install VivaTech as a major annual showcase for the international tech scene, demonstrating the global influence of Paris throughout the week of the event.
VivaTech’s 2019 edition doubles down on the factors that have contributed to our success since the beginning: prestigious top speakers, hundreds of sessions to shed light on recent trends, the emphasis on collaboration between startups and leading companies through the Open Innovation Labs, and of course, the celebration of innovation with our Hall of Tech.
Several major themes provide the structure for VivaTech in 2019:
First, two weeks before the European elections, we bring together all stakeholders – European commissioners, major corporations, entrepreneurs, investors – to assess the particularities of the European tech scene, to gauge the capacity of European companies to compete with their American and Asian counterparts, and to help more European unicorns emerge. The launch of our very first prize – the Next European Unicorn Awards – is a stop in this direction.
Since the creation of VivaTech, we have been convinced that technology can serve society and the common good, making a positive impact in education, healthcare, work or social inclusion, and Tech for Good is a major pillar at VivaTech again this year. On the first day of VivaTech we’ll see a recap of the Tech for Good summit organized by the French presidency. We are also opening some new areas and offering a multitude of initiatives and innovations along with a dedicated program track during the three days of the event.
Finally, we are campaigning for the importance of women's place in tech. Women are today largely underrepresented at the head of startups, on digital teams and fundraising. With several initiatives this year in partnership with women's networks – awards, meetings with the biggest VCs –we are seeking to do as much as we can for gender parity at VivaTech and beyond.
Julie Ranty & Maxime Baffert, co-managing directors of Viva Technology
- 2 days reserved for professionals (16 and 17 May) and 1 day open to the general public (18 May)
- 2 halls (Hall 1 and Hall 2.2): 56,000 square metres and the Dôme de Paris (formerly the Palais des Sports) with seating for 4,400
- 21 LABS
- 9 program tracks, five stages, 180 sessions, 450 speakers expected
- 100 Open Innovation Challenges: 10,300 applications received, 57% from outside France (up from 50% last year), two-thirds from Europe
- VivaTech Tour: 40 meetups in 23 countries over 6 months to spread the word about VivaTech to digital ecosystems around the world
- The main stage moves to the Dôme de Paris: Stage One (4,400 seats)
- A second Hall features a “Better Life Avenue” as well as a Talent Center, a GovTechLounge and a Business Center
- New sectors represented: Consumer Electronics and Automotive
- Several new parks to discover: AI, GreenTech and Gaming in addition to Mobility and AR/VR
- VivaTech launches its first-ever competition for European scaleups: The Next European Unicorn Awards
- United Tech of Europe: How does Europe rate on the global technology landscape?
- Tech4Good: How to make technology work for the common good and have a positive impact?
- Women in Tech: How to remedy the persistent underrepresentation of women in tech and startups?
- Jobs: Encouraging and recruiting the talents of tomorrow
Artificial Intelligence, 5G, blockchain, quantum computing, connected healthcare, the new space race, mobility, the environment