As I look back on the week that just passed—a week filled with talks, workshops, networking, and future thinking—I can’t help but notice how absent the Swedes were. At an event that was bursting with innovation, AI, digital nomadism, and entrepreneurship, participants from Sweden were almost nonexistent.
It’s both surprising and disappointing. Because if there’s anywhere you should be right now—if you claim to understand or work with AI—it’s here. At Bansko Nomad Fest. Right at the heart of the movement shaping the future.
A Festival That Has Become Something Much Bigger
Bansko Nomad Fest started as a gathering for digital nomads—people who work remotely and live life on their own terms. But this is no longer just a festival for those working from cafes in Lisbon or Bali. This is now a global epicenter for the future of work, technology, society, and lifestyle.
AI, automation, future leadership, entrepreneurship, personal freedom, decentralization, community-driven development—these themes run through every part of the event. And it’s not just talk. It’s hands-on. It’s knowledge you can’t Google or wait for in a Stockholm conference next year. It’s happening now.
From Spectator to Participant
I’ve been to Bansko before. I’ve felt the energy, seen how this place attracts people with drive, vision, and the courage to design their own lives. But this year, I took the step from being a spectator to becoming a real participant.
As stage manager for the main stage, I not only had the chance to watch and listen to some of the world’s most exciting speakers in AI, the future of work, and entrepreneurship—I became part of the team behind the festival itself. That’s a milestone for me, both personally and professionally. And it opens the door to even more opportunities going forward.
This is no longer just a freelance job. This is my entry ticket to a global network of people who aren’t just talking about the future—they are building it.
Why Are the Swedes Missing?
And that’s exactly why the question keeps echoing in my head:
Where are the Swedes?
There are thousands of people in Sweden today calling themselves AI experts. LinkedIn is flooded with speakers, coaches, consultants, and “AI strategists.” Many of them are sitting comfortably in offices in Stockholm, Gothenburg, or Malmö talking about what’s coming.
But the future isn’t coming.
It’s already here.
And it’s happening in Bansko, right now.
Here, you listen to the people building the tools that the rest of the world will be using in six months or a year. Here, you understand how fast this development is moving. And here, you realize that the old models—management consulting, traditional leadership, business structures—are no longer enough.
AI Is No Longer "Coming"
Throughout the week, I sat in on talks that completely shattered my own view of reality. We’re not talking about AI possibly changing the world. We’re talking about it happening right now.
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Generative AI systems creating full-length movies from text prompts.
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Business models running on real-time data, automation, and AI-driven decisions.
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Creators earning a living from AI-generated content, art, music, and even code—without previous experience.
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Legal, health, education, finance—every sector is undergoing a silent but explosive transformation.
The scary part?
Many in Sweden don’t seem to realize this. Not yet.
Sweden – Are We Already Falling Behind?
Sweden has long seen itself as a tech-forward country. We were early adopters of broadband, mobile phones, and startup culture. But as I stand here in Bansko, surrounded by people from the U.S., Germany, the UK, Australia, South Africa, Ukraine, Brazil, India, and so many more—I see a different reality.
Sweden is no longer leading.
Sweden is falling behind.
Not because we lack competence or resources, but because we are stuck in old structures, old ways of thinking, and an outdated self-image.
We believe a breakfast seminar about AI at a Stockholm hotel is enough to stay in the game.
It’s not. Not anymore.
This Is About Courage
To understand what’s happening, you need to be where it’s happening. You need to jump. You need to surround yourself with people who don’t think like you. People who may be 20 years younger. Or from countries you’ve never even visited.
It takes courage to leave the safe bubble. Courage to admit you don’t know. Courage to be a beginner again.
But it’s also exactly here—in this place—that the future is being built. Not in the comfortable conference rooms back in Sweden.
I’m Part of It Now
And me?
I’m part of it now.
Part of the circle that creates, develops, and grows Bansko Nomad Fest. And this is just the beginning. New opportunities are opening. New projects. New collaborations.
I have three startup ideas of my own that were born right here, from conversations, workshops, and those magical encounters that only happen when you step out of your old context.
This is real. This is the future. This is now.
A Message to Sweden
To those working in AI, tech, the future of work, or innovation in Sweden:
Why weren’t you here?
And to anyone who calls themselves an expert in AI, automation, or future business—but has never even heard of Bansko Nomad Fest:
Wake up. This is reality.
Bansko is no longer just a ski resort in Bulgaria. It’s a global hub for the future of work, business, and technology.
In Closing
When I stand on the main stage and look out at the audience—young entrepreneurs, coders, AI experts, creators, and digital nomads from all over the world—I feel one thing deeply:
I am exactly where I’m meant to be.
And I’ll be back. 2026 and beyond.
But next time, I hope to see more Swedish faces in the crowd. Because this isn’t about a vacation in the mountains.
This is about being there when the future is built.
And as we say here:
“The show must go on—but so must you.”
By Chris...
Digitala Nomadkonferenser & Festivaler 2025
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