Start-Up Europe: Get out and network – Best events to attend in 2014

An old Chinese curse says “May you live in interesting times” and surely no one can deny that current developments in technology qualify as interesting. As a result, it’s not easy being a start-up – around 60% see their 3^rd birthday and only 35 % get to 10 years old (according to studies from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation).

To improve your chances of survival, attending the right events, with media, investors and generally likeminded people present is mandatory. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the best technology startup events in Europe:

DATE & LOCATION	NAME	DESCRIPTION
JANUARY 18^th–19^th, 2014 Berlin, Germany	Hyberlin	You’ve probably missed it, but don’t worry, there are plenty of months left this year! Hyberlin is an international event series that connects European innovators with business leaders, policy makers and media. Its mission is to foster the digitalization of Europe's economy and to help pioneering brands reach a new generation of digital consumers. With various events throughout the year.
FEBRUARY 11^th–12^th, 2014 London, UK	FinovateEurope	If you’re interested in financial and banking latest tech innovations, then this is the event that best suits you! FinovateEurope is a two-day showcase of cutting-edge financial and banking technology innovations from leading established companies and hot young startups. Anyone with an interest or stake in the future of European banking and finance technology should be present at this conference. This includes anyone who is responsible for developing or marketing new products and services, anyone who needs to keep up to date on the latest innovations in the industry, and anyone who can benefit from the opportunity to view in-depth demos from cutting-edge startups and leading established companies.
FEBRUARY 24^th–27^th, 2014 Barcelona, Spain	MWC (Mobile World Congress)	You shouldn’t miss this one! Mobile World Congress is one of the largest exhibition for the mobile industry and a conference featuring prominent executives representing mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners. This year, the MWC will focus on debating the future of mobile industry with in-depth analysis of the trends that are shaping it.
MARCH 18^th–20^th, 2014 Athens, Greece	Future Internet Assembly	This one is pretty significant! Stay tuned for when the registration will be available! FIA Athens 2014 will focus on reshaping the Future Internet infrastructure for innovation, and more specifically on the formulation of the new Internet technological landscape based on network/cloud integration & virtualisation SDN/NFV and innovative software, services and cloud technologies that enable application innovation.
APRIL 8^th, 2014 London, UK	FailCon	The European entrepreneur community will be here! Don’t miss this one! FailCon is a one-day conference for technology entrepreneurs, investors, developers and designers to study their own and others' failures and prepare for success. FailCon Europe will bring together teams from across Europe to unite the European entrepreneur community in a spirit of sharing lessons learned and helping one another succeed.
APRIL 24^th–25^th, 2014 Amsterdam, Netherlands	TNW (The Next Web Europe Conference 2014)	If you want to meet and listen to the influencers of technology and innovation, here is where you should be! The Next Web Events organizes leading tech conferences. With editions in Europe, Latin America and North America, TNW Conference brings together the international tech community to do business and learn about the latest trends in web and mobile. This year 2,500+ attendees will travel to Amsterdam to discuss the latest technology trends, learn about best business practices and meet the world's influencers of technology & innovation.
MAY 20^th–22^nd, 2014 The Sage Gateshead, UK	Thinking Digital	It's for you if you want to connect with a community of innovators, inventors, leaders, makers and creators of our future! The Thinking Digital Conference has grown quickly to become one of the UK's premier conferences on technology, new ideas and inspiration for people in and around the Web, media, mobile media, digital marketing, PR & venture capital. It is a highly influential annual UK conference exploring technology, new ideas & our future. It was recently described by The Next Web as 'The UK's Answer to TED'.
JUNE 4^th–5^th, 2014 London, UK	Innotech Summit	Spend two of your summer vacation days attending this summit! You’ll make some valuable new contacts and reconnect with leaders from tech community! The InnoTech Summit is the first event to bring policy makers into the entrepreneurial tech start up world. It connects entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers to catalyze business growth, technological development and job creation in cities around the world.
JULY 4^th–5^th, 2014 Berlin, Germany	Tech Open Air Berlin	Are you into tech, music and art? If the answer is yes, then you should attend the TOA Berlin festival. Tech Open Air Berlin aims to help the entrepreneurial and creative community grow through collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Enjoy events hosted by some of Berlin's best startups in the city that's full of surprises. Hear compelling stories, participate in open mic discussions and network with smart people at memorable parties.
SEPTEMBER 17^th–18^th, 2014 Antwerp, Belgium	Fast FWD	Do you plan to launch a new feature or product? At Fast FWD you can inspire a large crowd on the main stage! Fast Forward ("FWD") is a European focused tech and startup festival that aims to bring together some of the brightest startups, investors and speakers during a two-day whirlwind of inspiring talks, product launches, hackathons and startup competitions.
OCTOBER Dublin, Ireland	Web Summit	The cream of the crop! The cherry on the top of the cake! This is the event you must not miss! The Web Summit is a technology-industry conference held in Dublin, Ireland since 2010. The event is Europe's biggest tech conference and one of the world's largest. The topic of the conference is centered on internet technology and the audience is a mix of CEOs and founders of tech startups together with a range of people from across the global technology industry, as well as related industries.
OCTOBER Prague, Czech Republic	WebExpo Developer Conference	A great opportunity to connect with your peers! Check it out! WebExpo is an unique event in central Europe which connects people from different areas of the Web – business, development and design. The conference is packed with networking events for you to connect with the world's most innovative technology companies.
NOVEMBER 30^th–1^st December, 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria	StartUP Conference NEXT	Recommended for later stage startups! The StartUP Conference NEXT is the biggest annual entrepreneurship forum in Bulgaria. The Conference is a two-day event where entrepreneurs, investors, students and young people meet, talk and exchange ideas.
DECEMBER Paris, France	LeWeb	*If you’re looking to kickstart your business, attract the global media or discover the next Big Idea, go to LeWeb Conference!* LeWeb brings together the most influential audience in the Internet ecosystem. Top industry entrepreneurs, executives, investors, senior press & bloggers gather for 3 days in Paris to focus on the key issues and opportunities in the web marketplace.