Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads: European Freelancer Week Programme (October 16-25)

October 5, 2020 – A new approach for the Pearl of the Adriatic – Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads, and more details on the events for European Freelancer Week later this month. Tickets are now available.

There is a gentle breeze of change blowing across Croatia, a breeze which is slowly getting stronger and taking route all over the country.

COVID-19 may have caused carnage in terms of the economy, infections and deaths, but it has also provided us all with an opportunity to take stock of all around us, and to embrace the digital revolution.

Nowhere has this been more true than in bureaucratic Croatia, where some quite astonishing things are happening in the hastened journey to Croatia 2.0.

Just 44 days after Split-based Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic requesting a digital nomad visa for Croatia, the Prime Minister met de Jong, then tweeted his assent, starting the process for Croatia to become only the second country in Europe (after Estonia) and the fifth in the world to introduce the visa, which should be available in early 2021.

With Croatia offering the best lifestyle in Europe, and many remote workers/digital nomads seeking lifestyle for their temporary home base, the potential for Croatia to position itself at the forefront of this digital revolution with such progressive bureaucracy is enticing indeed. And the good news is that the opportunity has been grasped not only by other officials.

Top of the list on those who have followed the Prime Minister in exploring this new digital nomad path has been the City of Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board. From the moment of meeting Mayor Mato Frankovic and Tourist Board Director Ana Hrnic this summer, Team Dubrovnik has been actively supporting initiatives to promote the city to digital nomads. Having dealt with numerous administrations over the last 10 years of the Total Project, I must say that the energy and openness of Hrnic and Deputy Mayor Jelka Tepsic, has been very refreshing.

As previously reported on TCN, together with its Croatia-based remote work and lifestyle specialists, Saltwater, the City of Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik Tourist Board, we will be hosting a series of events for European Freelancer Week from October 16 – 25, followed by a dedicated month-long initiative next Spring to develop digital nomad strategies for the city. More on 2021 shortly on TCN, but for now let’s focus on Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads during European Freelancer Week and the conference which will be broadcast live and online.


DAY 1: Friday 16 October 2020 16 – 20h CET \| LIVE + ONLINE
TIME	SESSION	SPEAKERS
16:00 – 16:15	Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads	Mato Franković Mayor of Dubrovnik
16:15 – 17:15	Digital Nomad Scene in Croatia	KEYNOTE: Jan de Jong PANEL: Digital Nomads and Businesses
17:15 – 17:25	Digital Nomad Needs: INTERNET in CROATIA	Event Guest to be announced
5 MINUTE BREAK + GIVEAWAYS
17:30 – 18:30	Wellbeing & Productivity	SPECIAL GUEST: Dr. Wallace J. Nichols Marine Biologist & author of Blue Mind
15 MINUTE INTERMISSION \| YUYA MATSUO GALLERY
18:45 – 19:00	Digital Nomad Needs: FINANCE	Event Guest to be announced
19:00 – 19:45	Digital Nomad Travel & Lifestyle	SPECIAL GUEST: To be announced.
19:45 – 19:55	Digital Nomad Needs: MEDICAL	Event Guest to be announced
DAY 1 CLOSE + GIVEAWAYS
20:00	Local DJ live stream. AFTER PARTY: IRL guests @ Lazareti venue.

The entire event will be held at the historic Lazareti just outside the historic stone walls of the city. The Dubrovnik Republic was the first place in the world to introduce quarantine back in 1377 in Cavtat, and the Lazareti were introduced a few centuries later to enable the famous trading power to keep on doing business, protected from disease. As a symbol of remote working during the current pandemic, I can think of no symbolically more appropriate location.

Day One kicks off online and live at 16:00 with a sign of Dubrovnik’s commitment to this new direction – an opening address from Mayor Frankovic himself. Dubrovnik Tourist Board director Hrnic will also be speaking.

Mayor Frankovic will be followed by two exceptional keynote speakers. First up, the man responsible for persuading the Prime Minister to introduce the visa, Jan de Jong, who is travelling down from Split to take part in the conference and has promised an announcement during his speech regarding an update to the visa issue.

The other confirmed key speaker on the first day is NY Times bestselling author and marine biologist Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, who will be holding an interactive session about how digital nomad life is a Creative Disequilibrium – looking closely at Productivity and Wellbeing based on his career as a scientist and creative. You can learn more and support the work of Dr Wallace J. Nichols over on Patreon.

More confirmed speakers will be added shortly, including a global travel and lifestyle authority, who will be announced after the early bird ticket sales window has closed.

You can learn more about the confirmed speakers so far here.

Tickets are available here, including details of early bird tickets. There are also a limited number of tickets available free for residents of Dubrovnik if you would like to learn more about the digital nomad lifestyle and opportunity. Regarding ticket purchase, please note that once you buy a ticket, you will be emailed your receipt and then a link and instructions on how to attend within.
Event program and speaker information is on saltwaternomads.com/events
Speaker Bios: https://saltwaternomads.com/speakers/

DAY 2: Saturday 17 October 2020 17 – 20h CET \| LIVE + ONLINE
TIME	SESSION	SPEAKERS
17:00 – 17:45	Brave New You Visibility Coaching Q&A	HOST: Ginny Krauss ginnykrauss.com
15 MINUTE BREAK + OVERFLOW Q&A
18:00 – 18:45	COVID19 Pivots and Comfort Zones Q&A	HOST: Daniel Linares daniellinares.com
15 MINUTE BREAK + OVERFLOW Q&A
19:00 – 20:00	Recap and Next: Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads	HOST: Tanja Polegubic saltwaternomads.com
DAY 2 CLOSE + GIVEAWAYS 2 HOUR VIRTUAL DJ – DUBROVNIK CITY WALLS

You can learn more about the confirmed speakers so far here.

Tickets are available here, including details of early bird tickets. There are also a limited number of tickets available free for residents of Dubrovnik if you would like to learn more about the digital nomad lifestyle and opportunity. Regarding ticket purchase, please note that once you buy a ticket, you will be emailed your receipt and then a link and instructions on how to attend within.
Event program and speaker information is on saltwaternomads.com/events
Speaker Bios: https://saltwaternomads.com/speakers/

More speakers are being added, and the event page will be updated accordingly, and a final agenda published shortly on TCN.

ALL EVENTS 16 – 25 October 2020
CONFERENCE DAYS 1 & 2
TIME	DATE	LOCATION
16:00 – 20:00	Friday 16	Online & Lazareti, Dubrovnik
17:00 – 20:00	Saturday 17	Online & Lazareti, Dubrovnik
BRUNCH MEET UPS
9:00 – 11:00	Saturday / Sunday 17 & 18 and 24 & 25	CITY OF DUBROVNIK See: dubrovnik.hr
FREE COWORKING
9:00 – 18:00	Monday to Friday 18 to 23 October	Lazareti, Dubrovnik

See you in Dubrovnik!

The digital nomad revolution is coming to Croatia. To keep up with the latest news, including that all-important visa, follow the new TCN dedicated Digital Nomad section.