The second day of Web Summit has been cancelled ahead of the arrival of Storm Charles.
The Portuguese government told the organisers of the Lisbon conference to close down throughout Wednesday as a state of emergency is declared in the country.
The office of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said it had “already issued our recommendation that the event’s activities be suspended”.
Organisers have confirmed that they will comply. Web Summit is expecting 70,000 attendees throughout the week, most of them foreigners unfamiliar with local emergency procedures.
“The safety and security of our attendees, staff and contractors is always our absolute priority,” Web Summit stated. It is expected that the event, which features 900 speakers, will resume on Thursday.
Schools and non-essential public services have been closed nationwide, with the authorities expecting tidal flooding, severe disruption to public transport and risk to outdoor structures from high winds.