Forum to focus on next Steve Jobs
AL-HAADI ABU BAKAR
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, October 1, 2011
THE fourth annual technology and entrepreneurship forum in Brunei, to be held next month, will explore how innovation-driven technology has inspired change and how entrepreneurs use innovation to bring value to business and society in the information age.
The focus for this year would also be on finding the next great innovator, in the league of Apple’s Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, said Hadi Shafie Othman, iCentre manager.
“We’ll be showcasing some of the Brunei talents who are working hard in the high tech sector, and we hope to inspire more people to join the start-up in this sector,” he said.
He said the upcoming Think Big Innovate 2011 forum is expected to be a platform for inspiration, for learning and for ideas in building better businesses, markets, a stronger industry, a firmer framework for encouraging entrepreneurship, and understanding how the world is moving towards different emerging technologies.
“We had in mind to spur the development entrepreneurship in Brunei when we crafted the programme, so for this year, we have rebranded the event from what was once called the Think Big Technology Forum to Think Big Innovate Forum. Hence, this is not just going to be another technology forum,” he said.
He said the forum will boast a fresh outlook and is hoped to encourage even less tech-savvy people to attend and benefit from the forum, covering topics such as opportunities in ICT entrepreneurship, business innovation, digital marketing and social media.
“The message delivered in the previous forum last year was that business can still thrive, particularly in an age of mobility and connectivity. To date, we have seen many companies in Brunei coming up with different applications on the mobile phone and also witnessed new partnerships between businesses and the telcos on this front,” said Hadi.
Hadi also said that this year’s forum will introduce a new format with multi-track sessions, a TED (Technology Entertainment Design) conference-inspired presentation and a networking lunch.
Derek Sivers, founder of CDBABY, the largest online seller of independent music, will talk about the commercialisation of ideas and how to foster the environment to create innovation. He will also join the panel on social media to speak on the advantage, the opportunities and the risks in social media.
Sivers is the winner of the 2003 World Technology Award in entertainment. He recently published a book titled “Anything You Want” that details his journey into entrepreneurship.
Hadi said the forum will also feature distinguished thought leaders and entrepreneurs from the region such as Ann Burgraff, mentor advisor at NUS Enterprise and former VP of corporate marketing at Salesforce, Hew Joon Yeng, co-founder of PigeonLab Pte Ltd, and Kelly Choo, co-founder and business development director at Brandtology, as well as other speakers from the government and business sector.
Think Big Innovate 2011, themed “Innovation… Inspiring and Driving Change” will be held at The Empire Hotel & Country Club on October 20.
Co-organised by the iCentre and Asia Inc Forum in partnership with Microsoft, BIDB and DST, the forum is expected to bring together 250 delegates from the ICT industry, government, business community, educational institutions, students and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The Brunei Times