The Bridge conference, which will be held on the Adriatic coast in Umag from May 27 to 29, is one of the leading European gatherings for leaders in the fields of music, entertainment and technology. This year, through cooperation with the Jukebox Ventures fund, a call was announced, worth up to a million pounds for music-technology projects, with the possibility of investing in the most promising ideas through financing, marketing and strategic development.
The conference will be held in the exclusive setting of the Adriatic coast, where people from the music business, as well as investors, will have the opportunity to take a deeper look at the connection between music, technology and culture.
Bridge will once again bring together an exceptional line-up of speakers, leaders, managers and innovators from the global world of music, entertainment and technology, through a carefully curated program that explores the future of music at the intersection of technology, artificial intelligence, investment, artist development and the increasingly dynamic relationship between culture and digital innovation.
Confirmed speakers include some of the industry leaders such as: Maria May (Chief Electronic Music Agent, Creative Artists Agency), Steve Hogan (Agent and Partner, WME), Greg Parmley (CEO, International Live Music Conference), Holger Jan Schmidt (General Secretary, YOUROPE), Fruzsina Szép (Festival Director, SUPERBLOOM and Lollapalooza Berlin), Sara Bazian (Strategic Partnerships Manager, YouTube Music), Ivan Milivojev (Co-Founder, EXIT Festival), Lisa Brannigan (Green Fields, Glastonbury) and others, while additional speakers will be announced soon.
EXIT's Bridge conference Umag 2026, foto: EXIT promo
Dušan Kovačević, co-founder and director of EXIT Festival, whose many years of work in the field of music, culture and social impact inspired the creation of the Bridge Conference as a platform for advanced industry dialogue, said: "Bridge was born from the idea that the future of music will be built at the intersection of creativity, technology and human connection. With Jukebox Ventures as a partner this year, we are creating a space where bold ideas, industry leadership and concrete investments meet to shape what is to come, because for real business success, even the best ideas must have direct access to the right people, which Bridge enables."
"At Jukebox Ventures, we believe the next wave of innovation in music and entertainment will come from founders who have traditionally been excluded from these circles. Bridge is exactly the platform to change that, and we believe the best way to achieve this is through direct contact, live meetings and building real relationships. By bringing together the industry's most talented minds with a genuine commitment to supporting underserved talent, we're not just investing in startups, we're investing in the future of the entire sector. We're extremely excited to be part of this story," he stated. is the founder of the Jukebox Ventures platform, Alex Jukes.
This investment platform, which supports early-stage companies at the intersection of music, technology and culture, will curate the music-technology part of the conference program and organize an accelerator session with the possibility of securing funding of up to £1 million for innovative projects. Successful candidates will also receive a 50% discount on the registration fee for participation in the conference.
The three-day conference will be held at the exclusive Petram Resort & Residences in Savudrija. After the great success of the debut edition, Bridge has already positioned itself as a unique event on the global music scene, combining quality discussions with the widely known hospitality of the Istrian region.Additional speakers and program details will be announced in the coming weeks.The full schedule, including panel discussions, keynote sessions and the Jukebox Ventures pitch competition, will be available at bridgeconference.net.
