A message on the German O’Reilly community blog indicates that the Web 2.0 Expo Europe, an annual event held in Berlin, Germany, has been suspended for this year in the face of the worst economic downturn in decades. (translated version here) The event, co-produced by O’Reilly Media and TechWeb, had been running for only two years.
Web 2.0 Expo Europe was widely known as an outstanding event for the European tech community with a host of excellent speakers, but like many companies O’Reilly and TechWeb are feeling the sting of the declining economy and are being forced to make difficult decisions. Obviously, this is bad news for European entrepreneurs and startups.
We’re still trying to get an official comment at this point.
The blog post reads that Europeans who would like to visit Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco can register using the code “websf09eu” and thus enter a lottery to win a free entrance ticket plus 3 free nights at a hotel and $1000, but also acknowledges this is not a real substitute for a full-fledged European counterpart of the Web 2.0 Expo.
Let’s hope it’ll be back once we get through the storm.
(Disclosure: I run Plugg, an alternative European Web 2.0 conference, and Web 2.0 Expo SF is one of our sponsors here at TechCrunch)
It is a problem for many events, but from all my conversations with the people behind the Expo I see the strong desire to make something happen with and for the European community, so I am very confident it will be back later.
One of the reasons why Europeans need a “local” event is simply that a trip to the states is considered not only international but international abroad, making it extremly hard in a corporate environment to get the OK for such a trip.
But attending these events are important to allow the community to get together and learn / exchange etc.
Thus having something like
http://plugg.eu/
http://2009.thenextweb.com/
http://www.next...nce.com/next09/
http://events.c...nified.com/fowa
http://www.lewebparis.com/
and others is of high relevance, especially when they are held in english.
[disclosure: I am part of the advisory board for the Web 2.0 Europe and next09 but also have a high interest of more europeans getting together
]
There is also http://democamp.org
true
freefreebiefinder.com/
A pity to see Web2.0 go. The other conferences you mention don’t seem to have that problem (at least I can be sure for one in particular).
It could be that ‘the American approach’ for organizing an event just didn’t work out that well. For European companies it is always very difficult to succeed in the US, this shows that it is hard for Americans to cross the ocean as well.
A tough year for conference organisers indeed and a pity about Web 2.0 cancelling their Europe event. Companies cuttting back their travel expenses and sponsors lowering sponsors budgets are the main reasons IMO. Nevertheless, I believe there is a need for the European tech oriented conferences to keep going.
Nicole listed already some of the most important in web. You may add to the list Mobile 2.0 Europe – http://mobile20.eu on June 17-18-19 in Barcelona, covering innovation in mobile in its convergent area’s.
Hope to see you there!
Since O’\Reilly created the entire Web 2.0 nomenclature to run his conference, I guess this literally marks the end of the Web 2.0 era.
From India,
Anjali Sen
It may be my screen resolution playing tricks with my eyes, but your pic definitely looks like a lady giving some special mouth fun to somebody.
No?
Not wanting to bash O’Reilly + TechWeb, but people are starting to giggle behind their backs that their main uber conferences are called “web2.0 “.
Web2.0 is over, and in Euroland in particular where the recession has really hit, it’s time to change course and provide conferences that meet the demands of the market.
Doing more with less, innovation in hard times, etc etc. It’s not “web2.0″, it’s something else.
I think O’Reilly + TechWeb will get away with it again this year here in slightly more frothy San Francisco. But even then it might be time to bring it bed and move on.
Wow, this is a major blow for the tech community. Sad this had to happen. The economy has to turn around soon enough though, yes?
-Craig
http://twitter.com/ckanal
Founder/editor http://www.breakingtweets.com
What a major bummer. I hope the others are not canceled.
Liftconference is still here http://liftconference.com/ and well crowded
My view from Germany – In 2008 they closed the 2nd largest ICT fair http://www.systems.de
this year Web 2.0 Expo and currently there are many rumours about the CEBIT as well.
But with many successful start- ups in Germany like http://www.spirofrog.de & http://www.openmapi.org and others I am sure Germany as a hub of innovation will survive and the events as well!
That’s a shame. I went in 2007 and was planning to go again this year.
I wouldn’t go to the one in the USA, as I refuse to be fingerprinted just to visit a country.
yes, fingerprints – the wrong way to start transparency.
As sad as this may be ’cause I always liked the quality of it, business and the evolution of Social Media (aka Web 2.0) goes on.
Lots of Barcamps, gatherings and inspiring talks will be held somehow – and apart from that, maybe we should focus more on bringing the social media to work in all relevant fields of society and business.
greetings from Berlin
Whattay a bummer! But something of this order was pretty much expected looking at the economic outlook globally
Really?
WEB 2.0 in the deadpool then
@Ali – well we will have to see, but in the longer run, this isn’t surprising that this would be canceled either.
Hi there,
really too bad!!
We are holding our first start-up-camp in Germany with execellent speakers and a whole lot of start-ups here in Cologne on march 6th with the support of Sun! Great success so far, over 230 registrations until now! see more at
http://www.start-up-camp.de
But we are far from being as successful and large as the web 2.0 conference! SO it really is a shame! But we will keep on founding….
Kai
Too bad … though it wasn’t that hot last year anyway. But still – great venue in Berlin and a good opportunity. Let’s hope things clear up soon.
Hope they come back next year
rhank you for the article
So disappointing…let’s hope that the world overcomes the severe financial meltdown as soon as possible and return to our original state…
outch… well, just waiting the next year
sad, anyway, till when is this web 2.0 term going to live.
what? this is a incredible news michael
why ?
waiting for the LeWeb announcement saying they also cancel
That is sad news
too bad!
It’s a little sad, but this may mark the death of “Web 2.0″ as we know it.
Mmm… isn’t this whole Web 2.0 thingy about not meeting meeting so much anymore in person? You don’t need a church to believe you know.
Web 2.0 dead? No way i’m heading up the organisation of the 2nd annual Mobile Web 2.0 Summit (3 & 4 June, London) and the interest in the event is incredible. Please get in contact with me to regist your interest. If you say that you heard about the event through this post on techcrunch i’ll give you a 25% discount. No problemo! Looking forward to hearing back from you all. Matt
Finally, Web 2.0 is being abandoned in favor of Web 3.7 RC6. These new versions have been coming out for years, and it’s baffled me as to why there hasn’t been a massive push to upgrade till now.
LeWeb09 WILL happen dec 9 and 10 {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/mSRwB3dbw5_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”LeWeb09 WILL happen dec 9 and 10 ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/WpjuKRm73r”}}}
Hate to say it, but their web 2.0 conference franchise is now long in the tooth. Won’t attend this year (and have no regrets). The world is about more focused conferences now that can add real value, not a meetup to hear the same Mark Z talk over and over.
Pity – I was looking forward to this….
They did the same thing a half year ago in Japan.
http://asiajin....eillys-absense/
It is sad.
YEAH… I hate Europeans cause they basically suck but think they’re so cool when it comes to tech. Now web 2.0 is finally dead and the eurotrash can finally wakeup and realize xmlhttprequest is not real technology.
they should’ve never tried. retards.
very sad news
Bad news. I was at the conference last year in Berlin and it was pretty cool and useful.
Well how about we run it virtually then? Less cost, no travel issues, still heaps of collaboration opportunities?
LEMON O’brien….. you’re bitter and twisted and obviously lead a lonely, shallow little life
What a major bummer. I hope the others are not canceled.
Well how about we run it virtually then? Less cost, no travel issues, still heaps of collaboration opportunities?