Thriving in the war arena

Lviv has proven to the business events industry that even during war, events can evolve and thrive. One such example is IT Arena, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, showing resilience during the pandemic, then the war, and now emerging as a global showcase of how successful events are able to adapt and meet the needs of a changing business landscape.

When IT Arena started in 2014, the October event drew 800 attendees, steadily increasing from 1,400 in 2015 to 3,816 attendees in 2019. Its hybrid format saw a jump in attendees from 4,076 in 2020 to 5,345 attendees in 2021.

New opportunities

Then with the onset of war in 2022, the event was held at a former glass factory which was revitalised into a creative space, !FEST Republic, and Lviv National Opera. It scaled down to 1,000 attendees. The turning point in its event design was the decision of Lviv IT Cluster, organiser of the event, to feature a discussion on advancements in military tech.

This year, it hosted a whopping 3,364 onsite attendees from more than 30 countries, and over 100 speakers. Out of the 3,364 attendees, 836 participants were from 22 countries; and 30 speakers were foreigners. Venues used included the National Opera and Ballet Theater.

IT Arena, together with the defence technology development cluster Brave1, introduced a special competition category for defence start-ups. The first place in this category went to Himera – a compact digital radio station for communication within military units.

Besides conference speeches, there were practical workshops, an art exhibition re-imagining the technological aspects of the world, and quality networking opportunities were offered.

Arina, an AI host, cast a look into the future and showed attendees what the world might look like in a decade. The band, Onuka, performed at the closing ceremony.

This event featured the most ambitious startups. The total prize fund amounted to US$489,000. The main category winner was the S.Lab team, which develops environmentally friendly packaging as a replacement for industrial polystyrene.

During the minister’s talk at the Lviv National Opera House that can host 1,000 pax, attendees saw a live demonstration of how the Digital Ministry of Ukraine uses drone tech in the battlefield.

15 venues for safety

This year, attendees were split into many small groups across 15 venues. Yuliia Katynska, deputy director of Lviv Convention Bureau, said: “Lviv is positioned to be a walkable city. You do not need to take a bus or car. You can just walk from one place to another enjoying its architecture and parks around. A lot of unique locations are concentrated close to each one.”

Attendees walked from one location to another within a 2-3 km radius. They also had the opportunity to visit museums, theatres, libraries, public spaces, restaurants and cafes. The organisers familiarised participants with the city's map and explained security measures before the event. Added Katynska: “Moreover, they showed all venues beforehand to make sure that there were shelters and all needed infrastructure in case of a threat. Attendees were grateful to have more time to experience the city on their feet, to see the residents, to feel the city’s vibe.”

Strong community draw

The biggest advantages in attending this event was the chance for attendees to network, find business partners, learn from prominent speakers, conduct relevant discussions, view amazing presentations, and to support each other during hard times, said Katynsk.

She added: “It cannot be done in the proper way via Zoom. Tech industry professionals declare that coming to Lviv and taking part in the event is also their small contribution to Ukraine’s victory. They got familiar with new projects and now they have a chance to think about joining them.

“They know that there can be win-win cooperation as the IT sector in Ukraine, with its growing numbers, demonstrates potential. Of course, the organisers followed the maximum safety measures, familiarised the participants with all the safety rules so that they felt comfortable to come.”

Ukraine’s IT sector

Lviv’s IT Cluster unites 270 companies and startups and more than 90,000 specialists. The turnover of Lviv's IT industry increased from US$280 million in 2015 to $895 million in 2020. Ukrainian IT exports in 2022 amounted to about US$7.3 billion in revenue, despite the ongoing war.

“The IT community is very active. They always find new ways to cooperate and pay special attention to business events. IT Arena Conference is a very important platform for them to meet the right people at the right moment. It became one of the best networking events not only in Ukraine, but in Eastern Europe. It is very dynamic and flexible,” said Katynsk.