葡萄牙REINVENT the Event在埃斯托利尔落幕：以主题贯穿全场探讨活动行业如何赢得注意力

The Portuguese REINVENT the Event showed that we compete for attention not with more content, but with relevance, emotions, considered dramaturgy, and human authenticity.

​At the advent of REINVENT the event, Europe was caught in the middle of a pandemic. The first edition pivoted online and convened over 1,700 attendees. Since 2023, though, the Portuguese events community has been meeting in person in Estoril. In a few years, REINVENT has grown from a digital crisis response into a recognisable voice in the Portuguese events industry.

​This year’s event at the Estoril Congress Centre drew nearly 600 attendees. The number is telling, but it doesn’t capture the point. The event’s essence was in the packed main hall, the lively exhibition zone next to it, the full workshops, and the talks that didn’t end with the final applause. The event became a bustling space where Portuguese industry recognises and benchmarks itself and awards its best.

​What our dear colleagues at Event Point International created, especially Rui Ochôa and Cláudia Coutinho Sousa, is, in my opinion, one of the industry’s most elegant and inviting events. Elegance is not synonymous with luxury, though. It means congruity. When branding, scenography, graphic language, attendee journey and programme rhythm speak the same language. Nothing screams; nothing is redundant, and everything works confidently.

​An event living its theme

The central theme of this year’s REINVENT was Events Competing for Attention. With this, the organisers set a high benchmark. In an era when every stage faces attendees armed with phones, an excellent speaker is no longer enough. Attention must be earned.

​REINVENT caught attendees’ attention by intertwining the main stage, exhibition area, five workshops, one-to-one meetings, online meetings, and The Eventeers Awards. Content didn’t stay confined to the hall; it spread across the venue. The programme grew from the content, reinforcing the central idea rather than shifting away from it.

​The introductory speech honoured the people who enter a space and work hours on end to create moments others experience in minutes or seconds. The phrase “somos todos eventos” (we are all events) paid homage to the technical teams, creators, subcontractors, project leaders, and all the other invisible hands behind events. Rui Ochôa and Cláudia Coutinho Sousa primarily hosted the community. They unveiled novelties and shared the credit for the event among their team and partners. The message was univocal: REINVENT is not an event about the industry, but an industry event.

​You cannot capture attention without personal meaning

Miguel Assis from VOQIN’ Agency led the central discussion: “There is no attention without emotions”. He connected neuroscientist Tiago Reis Marques, actor and producer Ricardo Pereira and Rodrigo Sousa Teixeira from Cisco. Their three outlooks quickly converged on the first claim: an event doesn’t need more emotion, but more personal meaning.

instead of filling every minute, we need to create two or three key peaks and a strong ending. Some things cannot be explained; they must be lived.

Tiago Reis Marques clarified that brains devote attention to that which they deem important. Emotions are the fastest sign of this importance, but a creative solution can eclipse the main message or brand. The message must thus exist at the emotional peak, not beside it. Ricardo Pereira noted that an audience can easily tell when an emotion is faked, and even the finest actors can’t save a poor script. Rodrigo Sousa Teixeira added an example of a musician who connected 22,000 people with a song about his wife’s illness. The conclusion was simple: instead of filling every minute, we need to create two or three key peaks and a strong ending. Some things cannot be explained; they must be lived.

Humans come first and last

The keynote speaker at REINVENT was Gerd de Bruycker, former Head of Events at Cisco and founder of NimbleX. He opened his presentation, titled Shining Eyes, Smart Machines, with a personal memory of Microsoft TechEd in 2000. The Bryan Adams concert and the announcement of the Barcelona event gave him shivers; a spark lit in his eyes and pushed him to act. Gerd sees this as the essence of a great event: it changes an outlook, evokes emotions and encourages actions. The profit is only the after-effect.

Artificial intelligence can speed up exploration, planning, translation and measuring, but it cannot replace human judgement or take responsibility for execution.

De Bruycker summarised his view with a simple equation: “Humans at the start, artificial intelligence in the middle, and humans at the end”. The more content exists, and the easier it becomes to access, the more precious human judgement, presence, trust, emotions and relationships become.

The return on relationship

The discussion around the newly published European Experience Index 2026 was particularly exciting to me, as I had the chance to speak. 27Names’ annual research contrasts client and agency views on the future of events. Rui Batista from UP Partners moderated the conversation, which included Ralf Specht, Mariana Ferreira Grace, and me.

The research findings show a huge divide: the percentage of clients who rate relationship profitability among key KPIs has jumped from 16% to 56% in a single year.

Yet, only 19% of clients and 11% of agencies know how to measure it. I chipped in by warning about the danger of the “beautiful average”: AI can rapidly create a good enough idea, yet human judgement, creativity, and authentic relationships make the difference. Such relationships usually occur during breaks, not on or in front of the stage. The difference lies in creative thinking, human judgement, and human contact. The general conclusion was unequivocal: algorithms master the screens, but the audience owns the hall.

Technology as a character, not decoration

Mexican artist Tupac Martir, founder of Satore Studio, doesn’t see technology as an add-on, but as part of the narrative. He has worked with household names such as Beyoncé, Elton John, Sting, and Prada, and has contributed to the series Fallout. His principle is simple: every light, image or technical element must serve a purpose. His works attest to his mentality. The installation Sesé turned the demographic history of Mexico City into light and sound. At the same time, Cosmos Within Us translated memory’s deterioration into a seeming reality of music and touch. Technology not only showcases itself, but serves the story and human vulnerability.

Martir’s credo, which he advertises as Dogma AI, demands transparent AI use: we must reveal its percentage and take responsibility for the final result.

His advice applies to any event: if we remove a technical element and the story remains untouched, it was only an expensive effect.

The day’s common thread was clear: judgement, bravery, taste, and the capacity to listen to audiences make the difference. The more speakers discussed algorithms, the clearer it became. Artificial intelligences produce beautiful averages quickly. Competent teams must go beyond that.

​The experience before a photo

Luís Manuel Gachineiro, Maria Flor Gameiro, Miguel Pires, and Patricia Nunes Coelho discussed whether we create events for people in the hall or for the audience on the screen. First, we need a powerful spatial experience, and we must plan its continued digital existence before the event. Maria Flor Gameiro emphasised that a real, unexpected moment works more powerfully than yet another photo in front of logos. The Samsung S25 presentation reinforced this: guests chose the ingredients, Gemini wrote the recipe, and the kitchen cooked it. Technology thus became part of an authentic experience. The conclusion is straightforward: first, we must create something worth experiencing, and then something worth photographing.

REINVENT followed this philosophy throughout. Its most eye-catching element wasn’t a glossy technological trick, but a hand-painted storyboard of the event. Caricatures of past editions turned the event’s history into a collective memory. In an epoch of machine-made perfection, the incomplete line of a human hand felt rather luxurious.

Estoril as a natural choice for the event

Estoril seems like the ideal and natural stage for REINVENT. The conference centre offers a setting that feels close enough for paths to cross. At the same time, the venue offers plenty of space for stages, exhibitions, workshops, and meetings. Outside the venue, Atlantic light connected the entire story, making it feel summer-like even in October. The president of Turismo de Cascais noted in his opening speech that destinations don’t win alone; they win as connected regions. The Cascais-Lisboa model and the Awesome Cascais initiative connect venues, hotels, and educational institutions. Big events don’t follow municipal lines; they follow accessibility, accommodation, and year-round tourism quality.

Speakers commenting on events outside main urban hubs confirmed this. Frederico Teixeira showed how a surfing competition in Peniche encouraged the region to grow, while João Nuno Silva showed how a festival in the mountains of São Pedro do Sula turned the absence of internet into a major advantage. Germana Cruz warned about the demanding execution in remote places, while Paulo Almeida and Tiago Araújo outlined the importance of local know-how and municipal support. Sometimes, we shouldn’t wait for the perfect infrastructure. A strong event can first signal demand and prompt destination development.

​Less content and more meaning

If I had to summarise this year’s REINVENT into one editorial finding, I would write: less, but better. The industry isn’t suffering from a lack of content, but from a surplus of average content.

We will not get more attention with longer programmes, more screens or louder effects. We will earn attention by having a clear purpose, making editorial choices, and creating moments where the message is intrinsically connected to the experience.

The Event Point team and partners played their editorial role perfectly and with incredible attention to detail.

That is why I call REINVENT an elegant event: not because of its suit, but its manners. It respects its attendees’ time, gives a face to the people working behind the scenes, includes partners in the story, and uses technology as a means to an end. Above all, the event insists that content is king, around which communities, business opportunities, and new programmes can mushroom.

Is this the industry’s most elegant event? Such claims are always a matter of personal judgement. Yet, after a sunny day in Estoril, I can write something important: REINVENT has a singular character. It does not aim to copy global giants. In fact, it copies nothing. Instead, it gives the Portuguese events industry a stage, confidence, and a voice. In a time when algorithms produce increasingly similar, average content, a recognisable character is the rarest form of attention.

Explore more about the event here: https://reinvent.pt/.

​Editorial disclaimer: The editor prepared this article based on personal attendance at the event, and it reflects the author’s personal opinion, which may not reflect the editorial board’s.

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