🇵🇹 On Tour IV: Timeline & Scope

Good news, everyone: we have the program for the upcoming edition of the Summit ready (12 sessions), and the confirmation from the local brewery that they'll serve their blonde ale and bohemian pilsner on tap (Letra); the two most important aspects of any legal conference – solved!

In this issue: the timeline for all the core and the extracurricular activities at the Porto edition, and the outline of the program (a more detailed look a the agenda – next week).

TIMELINE

Half of the Summit's impact is about the content, and the other half is what happens off stage – this is why we have 90-minute lunches, and 2-hour breakfast bars; some of the most productive discussions happen in smaller groups around the table, or following the morning runs.

From the perspective of "I learned new things that impact my work", the conference begins on Wednesday, October 7 and runs for 2 days.

From the perspective of "I went to Porto and met awesome new contacts", the conference begins on Monday, October 5 and runs for 4 days.

MONDAY – October 5

🌆 Sunrise: 07:33
🌃 Sunset: 19:12

🍻 Drinks on the Roof (16:00-00:00)

At least 50 people are already in town (more than a dozen will arrive on the weekend, due to flight logistics). From 16:00, the community gathers for an unofficial Drinks on the Roof event at the rooftop bar of Timbre Virtudes.

Timbre Virtudes is just 550 meters away from NEYA Porto (two of the hotels where the majority of the attendees are staying this year), and the rooftop bar serves both the food and the drinks right until midnight.

TUESDAY – October 6

🌆 Sunrise: 07:34
🌃 Sunset: 19:10

Using Metro from Aeroporto

Attendees continue to arrive throughout the morning. We highly recommend to use the metro – on the direct line, go to Ⓜ️ Casa da Música or Ⓜ️ Trindade, which are about 2.000 meters from the venue and most of the hotels. From the stations, you can grab a cab (they are black with green roofs in Porto) or take a stroll down to the river.

Save time: if you have a contactless VISA or MC, you don't even need to buy a ticket for the metro – avoid the queues for the ticketing machine, validate your trip by tapping on the machine on the way in (costs €2.30, works at Ⓜ️ Aeroporto; we only discovered this on the last trip after spending 10 minutes to buy the travel cards).

The Venue

Summit On Tour IV runs at Alfândega do Porto (take note of the pronunciation, please: alfândega is borrowed from Arabic, and is spelled as alfAndega rather than as alfandEga). In 2026, we take over the wing and the nearby part of the quay (in June 2027, we'll be at the Noble Hall).

The venue is located between the two main hotels, NEYA and Timbre Virtudes. Attention: the access is from the gates on the right side (when facing the river) – you can still get to the quay through the main entrance, but it may be complicated to find your way inside. To access the conference in the most direct way possible: use the gates in the quay.

🏃‍♂️ Practice Run (10:00-11:00*)

The running community starts the day with a practice run, departing at 10:00 from the front doors of NEYA Porto. Depending on the group, and its ambition to reach the ocean and have a coffee there (5-7km one way), the run will end at 11:00 or somewhat later.

If you signed up for the Running Club, you will receive a separate email in about 2 weeks with more details. The runs at On Tour IV are coordinated by Aleksandra Mirgorodskaia, with Andy Ramos assisting at the Relay Race – connect with them to join the runner WhatsApp group (we also heard the rumors that Evelina Georgiades may fly in, in which case the practice run all the way to the ocean is absolutely unavoidable!).

🪪 Registration: from 16:00

Your attendee bag with the badge, the notebook, your Garden Dinner ticket, and the speaker directory (plus a Speaker's Special Package if you're presenting at the conference) is available from 16:00 at the venue, at the registration desk.

We have also produced a limited number of enamel pins, which are available free of charge from the same desk throughout the event, while supplies last. –

🥂 Opening Reception (16:00-22:00)

To provide you with the social setting as early as we can, we start the opening reception at 16:00 by serving the drinks in the quay. Wine, beer, sparkling tea, whatever helps you de-stress after the travel. From 17:00, we bring in the starters. And from 18:00, the hot food is on. The reception stops at 22:00.

On the menu, we'll have salmon tartare on blinis, vegetarian samosas, chicken pies and beef croquettes; traditional cod fritters with chutney, prawn ceviche, beetroot hummus; salted cod and chickpea salad, quinoa salad with roaster pumpkin seeds, and both Greek and Caprese salads.

And those are just the starters: from the mains, we'll offer Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (Portuguese salt cod casserole); a slow-cooked veal shoulder with asparagus; and a live cooking station with the vegetarian paella (tomato broth, red and green peppers, courgette, aubergine, green beans, mushrooms, peas and spinach).

If you stick around until the desserts arrive, we offer orange and olive oil cream; fresh fruits; mini Patel de Nata, and miniature Bolas de Berlim.

🍻 Drinks on the Roof (22:00-00:00)

Once the reception closes, we expect a number of people to continue their conversations at the rooftop bar of Timbre Virtudes. NEYA Porto has a rooftop bar as well, but we expect Timbre to be "the" roof to go to, as it's larger space and has more staff on-site.

WEDNESDAY – October 7

🌆 Sunrise: 07:35
🌃 Sunset: 19:08

🥇 Relay Race 4.0 (07:00-07:45)

This is the 4th time when the Relay Race will happen, with the fanciest prize that we ever could dream of: a copy of the recently released EU Video Games Law.

At the moment, we plan the race to happen either right in the quay of the conference (easy to organize) or at the nearby park. Watch out for the email if you're on the running list, or talk to Aleksandra, Andy and Evelina if you're not there yet.

🍵 Breakfast Bar (08:00-10:00)

From 08:00, we're ready to serve you tea, coffees and a bit of food in the quay. The coffee station is from SO Coffee Roasters, and the teas are from Infusões com História (in teabags for On Tour, loose leaf for the next edition).

Sessions A (10:00-12:30)

We kick off the conference at 10:00 with a few updates on the organizational side (and maybe a guest of honor welcoming you to the city – who knows?), and then go for 2 hour-long sessions, with a 15-minute coffee break between them: 🎙️ What's Left of Copyright and 🎙️ User Generated Challenges.

By the way, this is the first time when we'll experiment with an ultra-wide screen, which should be more useful for information-dense slides:

🥗 Lunch (12:30-14:00)

Depending on the weather, the lunch will be outside, on the river, or inside of the terminal (we, of course, root for the outdoor version).

The name of the first lunch is "From the Atlantic to the Garden". Offered: carrot and ginger soup, a vegetarian version of Caldo Verde, garden salad, roasted beetroots with oranges, chickpea salad with spinach; a salt cod salad with black-eyed peas, salmon fillets, poultry rice with the traditional turkey sausages and baked vegetable brás; plus turnip greens, and roasted pumpkins, aubergines, courgettes and mushrooms.

To go along with the coffees and teas: baked apples with cinnamon and walnuts; lemon cream with mixed berries; fresh seasonal fruits from the local growers; chocolate mousse with sea salt flakes; and traditional (for Porto) orange Swiss rolls.

Sessions B (14:00-18:00)

The afternoon block has 4 sessions. We'll start with 🎙️ Legal Radar: China 2026 合规通关, a must-see for anyone doing business in China; followed by 🎙️ Legal Radar: Hong Kong SAR (do you know enough about HK to have an opinion on whether signing with a Hong Kong-based office of your partner is preferable for your specific deal over the mainland office?).

After the coffee break, we'll talk about why you or your client may want to list their company on the stock exchange – and how do you delist, if this is no longer the best way forward, at 🎙️ The IPO Game panel.

And after one more coffee break, a somewhat theatrical performance awaits you at 🎙️ BREACHED! – a live simulation of a privacy breach, where audience choices will matter. Crisis management. Investors. Insurance. Regional experts.A CTO and a producer who try to understand what exactly has happened, and what to do about it, together with their in-house counsel – a 90-minute session, with audience participation (and a whole sack of Japanese candy for those who will propose valid solutions!).

🎂 Garden Dinner (18:00-22:00)

We aim to have the dinner tables ready for you from the moment we wrap the privacy breach simulation, so there's no need to go back to the hotel. From 18:00, we'll offer the drinks, and from 18:30 you can take your seat at the table (if you haven't 🎟️ booked the Garden Dinner originally – as of now: applies to 22 attendees –you can add before September 15 by emailing Alma).

The concept of the dinner is "Porto at the Table". By the way, the whole menu for the Summit is created by chef Hélio Loureiro, who works on this together with Só Catering – more about him, here.

In your attendee bags, you will find a ticket for this dinner – please take a seat at the table in the same color as your ticket, as this defines the type of food served there.

On the table: bread, salads and aged Portuguese cheeses. To start with: roast beef and cured turkey and veal cecina (meat tables); smoked salmon, cod carpaccio, smoked swordfish and tuna ceviche (fish tables); roasted aubergines, pumpkins with goat cheese and grilled artichokes (vegetarian tables).

Pre-selected main courses: a braised veal cheek with porcini and spinach risotto (meat), a seabags fillet with prawn açorda and fresh coriander (fish) or an asparagus strudelon with sautéed mushrooms and rosemary-roasted cherry tomatoes (vegetarian).

For dessert, we'll offer a French version of the orange tart with dark chocolate and almonds (French, because it is less sweet than the Portuguese traditional recipe) with a glass of port.

🍻 Drinks on the Roof (22:00-00:00)

Timbre. Rooftop. Need we say more?

THURSDAY – October 8

🌆 Sunrise: 07:36
🌃 Sunset: 19:07

🎖️ Hero Run (07:00-08:00)

Every year we have a few runners who are ready to run even on the last day. We salute you – with a double espresso, from the safety of the breakfast area. If you're one of the super-humans and plan to join the Hero Run, please coordinate with Aleksandra.

🍵 Breakfast Bar (08:00-10:00)

Probably your best option for a peer-to-peer* deep dive on any topic.

*– as long as the other peer is also there in a decent time.

Sessions C (10:00-12:30)

The second day of the program starts with 🎙️ Age Assurance 2026 and, after a coffee break, continues with 🎙️ Playing Non-Zero Sum Games (war stories from the negotiation table) that will cut 10 minutes into the lunch. I'm not giving here more details about the sessions, as we'll have a dedicated issue of the newsletter on that later on.

🥗 Lunch (12:40-14:00)

The concept of the second lunch is "Flavors of the Northern Portugal". How do you feel about a soup of roasted tomatoes and basil, and a leek, courgette and herb velouté, with salads of fresh cheese and greens, quinoa and apples, and lentils with roasted pumpkin and spinach? Plus some roasted peppers with onions.

Among the hot dishes: roasted Portuguese salt cod with corn bread; roasted veal loin with pumpkin purée and turnip greens; and a vegan version of the famous Porto-style tripe: white beans, twokjnds of mushrooms, and roasted vegetables, as a stew.

To wrap the lunch, we invite you too sample the red berry tart (served in micro portions; take as many as your doctors allow), a traditional Portuguese biscuit cake, fresh seasonal fruits and a Portuguese version of chocolate éclairs.

Sessions D (14:00-18:00)

The afternoon block has 4 more sessions, with a coffee break after each of them: 🎙️ CP 2026, an update on regulation and enforcement in the consumer protection area; 🎙️ Hidden Obstacles (casting a spotlight on the requirements that your studio or your clients are probably already non-compliant with); 🎙️ Distributed Talent, Consolidated Risks (how to hedge when some of your key talent works remotely); and 🎙️ Legal Radar: Portugal – all you need to know about hiring, relocating, setting up or doing business in this wonderful country.

🍷 Closing Reception (18:00-22:00)

Because of budget considerations, we plan on packing some BLT sandwiches with a can of Super Bock for you as a takeaway, as the final touch.

Or maybe not... how about a menu which chef Hélio called "Sailor's Dinner"? In his own words: "A relaxed and genuinely Portuguese experience, built around three live cooking stations; great produce; fire; tradition."

We'll start with a table of greens, with bread and butter and hummus and pickles, and then:

• Live-cooked chicken paella (chicken, rice, peppers, tomatoes, fresh herbs and lemon, prepared in a large paella pan and finished on the spot – a Portuguese-inspired, rustic and generous interpretation, built around familiar and comforting flavors);
• Live-cooked Atlantic fish soup (a rich broth made with fish and seafood, tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh herbs and toasted bread – served with bread croutons and mixed-grain toast rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil); and
• Vegetables over the coals (seasonal vegetables grilled to order – courgette, aubergine, broccoli, peppers, onions, tomatoes and corn on the cob; a colorful, vegetable-led and highly aromatic station that works both on its own right and as an accompaniment to the other two stations).

We hope you won't leave before tasting the chestnut custard dessert (the base is the traditional Portuguese-style custard, enriched with chestnut, served in small bowls and finished with caramelized sugar brûléed to order; coffee brings a subtle roasted note, while the fleur de sel enhances the flavors of the chestnut and caramel; traditional at first glance, but memorable in flavor!).

🤓 Wine Tasting (21:00-00:00)

A group of about 12 attendees has booked a wine tasting with a Portuguese sommelier that starts at 21:00 on Thursday. If you'd like to join them, Vanessa P. Lerner is the organizer – talk to her (available while the spaces are available; paid activity, requires a ticket with the sommelier).

LAST MINUTE REQUESTS

We are currently at 220 attendees, and we can place 10-20 more (like in Limassol, we're keeping the doors open for those who want to listen in without committing to a specific seat). You can still apply for registration here:

The two "main" hotels where we had special discounts, are now fully booked (NEYA and Timbre Virtudes), but we have a few other options that we can recommend – you can ask Alma for the links:

If there's anything else that you need to adjust, add, or otherwise solve, to make the most of this edition – please let us know. At this time, we are still able to read the emails as they come in 🤭.

PARTNERS

Lastly, here's a big shout-out to all the partners of Summit On Tour IV who made this conference possible: as you may notice, this year we're able to provide more without raising the prices. The draft beers, the ice cream (yes, we'll have it!), the coffee station and all the other features that help you stay focused and make the more of the Summit, these are thanks to the generous support of these firms.

Much appreciation to our top-tier partners –

And to our core brands –

As well as to the fantastic regional support network –

Next week, we start with the introduction of the individual sessions and their speakers. Until then – and see some of you in 4 weeks minus 2 days!

S | CO