Chained dogs suffer from stress and behavioral problems and are also more vulnerable to being attacked by other dogs

November is the month of Magusto – the traditional autumn festival –but from now on November will also go down in history as Month of Summits.

Earlier on tens of thousands of visitors invaded the Altice Arena at the Web Summit and on the 24th and 25th at least 1500 dogs are expected to take possession of the LX factory in Lisbon at the Dog Summit (https://www.dogsummit.pt).

Their caretakers – with or without their four-legged friend – will be treated to numerous workshops and lectures on training, healthcare, nutrition, and wellbeing. Moreover, the vast exposition area will accommodate a great variety of start-ups and companies offering a large number of services and products to the beloved animals.

‘This project is a first in Portugal’, say Cristina Pena and João Brochado – the couple that organizes the event – in the newspaper Público. ‘We want to emphasize a positive approach in the rearing of dogs instead of an aversive approximation. We often come across training methods based on punishment and negative reinforcement, leading to aggressiveness and anxiety in the dog.’

Therefore, much attention will be given to training methods that respect the welfare of the animals. Except for renowned trainers from home and abroad, there will also be veterinarians and behavioralists among the speakers.

Animal protection associations – like the civic movement Unchain your Dog  (http://www.quebraacorrente.pt) – will of course not be missing from the event.

‘In the end, the one who has to be educated is the caretaker, not the dog.’


Bom fim de semana                                                         Enjoy the weekend                   

 

‘The best technology conference on the planet’ – Forbes
‘Where the future goes to be born’ – The Atlantic
The giants of the web assemble’ – Wall Street Journal
A great conclave of the tech industry’s high priests’ – New York Times

What do have 70.000 visitors (from 170 countries), 1200 speakers ( one third are women), 2500 journalists, 2000 start-ups, 210.000 coffee cups and a metro strike in common?


They are all part of the Web Summit 2018 (www.websummit.com) – one of the world’s biggest technology and innovation conferences – to be held in Lisbon’s Altice Arena (November 5-8).


The spectacle will be preceded by a Surf Summit in the seaside town Ericeira, continued after hours by a Night Summit downtown and concluded with a Sunset Summit in the Portugal Pavilion at the Parque das Nações.

The event – created to connect technology with industry – is the global stage for conducting business, recruiting talent and promoting brands.
In 2016 held for the first time in Lisbon, this year’s manifestation will be even bigger and better than the one in 2017, with a tree planted for every participant to encourage sustainability.

Since the two previous editions yielded 300 million euro annually on accommodation and transport, government persuaded the organization to maintain the Websummit in Lisbon over the next ten years – until 2028 – and is willing to invest therefor 11 million euros per year.

‘I think the summit is a great idea and excellent for the reputation of the country’, says António Saraiva, president of the Confederation of Portuguese Industries (CIP). ‘But I doubt a revenue of 3 billion euros in 10 years. There are very little honest investments with such a big profit.’
‘What do these estimates rely on?’ Where is the rationale?
To me, it smells a little bit like a show-off with next year’s elections coming up.’

The Portuguese Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHRESP) is more optimistic, expecting the 70.000 visitors to spend at least 61 million euros during their stay in the capital.
That the metro will strike on the first and last day of the happening is unfortunate but inevitable in a country like Portugal.

Enjoy your stay                                                                              (pic SAPO)