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PLDT Smart SME Nation TechIsland 3.0: Challenge. Change. Conquer.
Saturday, April 23
PLDT Group believes in giving back to the community. The group of companies gives importance to social responsibility and one of its programs is the tech summit for SME. PLDT Smart SME Nation's annual business convention for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is back, this time to help Filipino MSMEs discover uncharted terrains in the ever changing digital landscape.
Now on its third year, TechIsland 3.0 aims to educate, enable and empower MSMEs to solve real life business challenges through technology. In the past years, the forum focused on introducing MSMEs to ICT solutions for business. According to VP and PLDT Smart SME Nation head Mitch Locsin, "TechIsland 3.0 will now focus on conquering new territories and markets in today's dynamic business by harnessing digital tools and platforms."
Challenge. Change. Conquer.
For 2016, TechIsland 3.0 is all about overcoming challenges, embracing change and conquering opportunities.
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| Mr. Eric R. Alberto, PLDT EVP, Head of EICB and CEO, ePLDT |
According to PLDT EVP, Head of EICB and CEO of ePLDT Mr.Eric Alberto, there are 119 million mobile subscribers in the Philippines. The number is higher than the total population of the country and continuously grows annually by 4 percent. The social media user growth is at 28 percent.
Mr. Alberto has been the Enterprise and International Carrier Business Head of the PLDT Group for five years. His business group is accountable for over 65 billion pesos annual revenue turnover. At TechIsland 3.0, he led the highly esteemed group of speakers as he shared insights based on his experience in guiding PLDT Group's Enterprise and International activities. He formally opened the event and welcomed game changers in the field of IT as well as the innovators in the fields of marketing, finance and operations, engineering and sales.
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| PLDT Group executives during the press conference |
DENTSU Jayme Syfu's 'chairmom' and chief executive, and one of Philippine advertising industry's most renowned practitioners, Merlee Jayme, discussed digital marketing trends and how successful companies have adapted to the modern digital landscape. Meanwhile, PLDT Chief Strategy Officer Winston Damarillo shared strategies on how businesses can go digital through specifically designed business solutions for MSMEs.
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| Mr. Laurence Cua, Country Manager of Uber Philippines |
Laurence Cua is the Country Manager of Uber Manila. Uber aims to increase the safety of transportation in the country by providing accessibility of information -- bringing accountability, transparency and traceability to transportation. He enlightened the audience on real-life application of digital technology.
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| Mr. Alfredo Tan, Interim Country Director of Facebook Philippines |
Mr. Alfredo Tan is the Group Director of Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook Canada where he leads a team responsible for strategic marketing relationships with agencies and Fortune 500 companies in key verticals. He is also the Interim Country Director for Facebook Philippines. He completes the roster of guest speakers for the TechIsland 3.0. He tackled digital exploration and how Facebook has evolved to serve the business community. He also talked about digital trends that can help businesses jumpstart their digital journey.
Breakout Sessions
The breakout sessions in the afternoon was divided into four categories designed to target specific segments of an organization.
The Captain. They are the CEOs and the owners. The Captain focuses on global expansion through digital technology.
The Navigator. They are the sales and marketing delegates. The Navigator highlights the digital trends and market activations.
The Trader. They are the delegates from the world of finance and procurement. The Trader was taught about streamlining systems.
The Engineer. They are the delegates from IT and operation. The Engineer were treated in an afternoon of learning about software security.
All sessions were powered by innovative digital business solutions from PLDT Smart SME Nation.
Pioneering Digital for MSMEs
The PLDT Smart SME Nation TechIsland 3.0 was held at the Harbour Tent of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila last April 22, 2016. It is the highly anticipated business-to-business ICT forum. It was attended by more than 1,500 participants including industry leaders, multinational organizations, start-ups and MSMEs from various industries.
The last two TechIsland events were limited to IT practitioners. This year's TechIsland 3.0 was open to more people including professionals in the fields of marketing, sales, engineering, finance and procurement. It is also a historic in TechIsland's history because the slots were opened to the general public on a first-come-first-served basis.
