A WINNING FORMULA: TOP BRAND STORY AGENCY PARTNERS WITH LEADING TECHNOLOGY FIRM
Idea Hive, Johannesburg based brand storytelling specialists have partnered with Digitex Solutions, a local information technology company to provide cutting edge digital storytelling marketing solutions. This in response to the growing need for value driven marketing disruptions. In this ever-evolving digital world that sees brands needing to adapt to a new way of telling stories, this is exciting news.
The specialised art of storytelling has kept Idea Hive relevant and has created the special position that they hold in the branding world. The huge changes that technology has brought about in recent years have affected not only the way that brands communicate with consumers, but also the way consumers are engaging with the stories of the brands they love.
‘’This relationship also forms the bedrock in crafting AI Data-Driven brand strategy and campaigns for our clients’’, says Yaw Dwomoh, CEO of Idea Hive. “New technologies have created fresh opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations. Online storytelling involves creating and sharing stories using digital tools, hence the partnership provides a holistic solution for our clients”, Yaw adds.
Everyone can have a great idea but transforming that idea into a digital masterpiece that sends the client into definitive action at a touch of a button, is what makes all the difference. Our marketing decisions will now be driven by real-time data analytics and intelligence, adapting to a range of market conditions. Our customers may now take advantage of being informed as key data drivers change, based on our niche AI algorithms.
“We are very excited about the opportunity this partnership affords us, enabling us to adapt into the marketing advisory service provider brands have been looking for,” says Dwomoh.
According to an old Native American proverb, “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” Good stories do indeed draw people in. They are narratives that connect, engage and move us to laughter, to tears, and most importantly to action.
While the fundamental values and principles of storytelling remain unchanged, how we tell these stories is quickly evolving. Rapidly changing technology is redefining what makes a story captivating. There are now more ways than ever of delivering the message and your brand’s story. Idea Hive, along with Digitex Solutions, can now converge the two, making the marketing experience one that leads to measurable action.
About Idea Hive
At Idea Hive we create and execute pioneering Brand Storytelling Solutions to illuminate your brand’s power. We apply a strategic framework which extracts and aligns all the key components of your brand’s story. Our team of curious, creative, driven and critical thinkers mould all the elements into a cohesive Brand Storytelling Solution that will change how the market sees and experiences your brand. We craft and execute heartfelt and character-driven Brand Storytelling campaigns that position your brand/and or organisation to achieve its full market potential. We offer an array of tailormade solutions around our services which includes branding, design, influencer marketing, visual content and communications. All solutions are anchored in ensuring that each Brand Story is told exceptionally, uniquely and to the right audience.Imagine a world where brands defeat normal and ideas inspire change.When we change, we change the world around us.
For more information please visit: Web: ideahive.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IdeaHiveBST/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idea-hive-brand-story-tellers-149335176/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdeaHiveBST
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideahivebrandstorytellers/
Press Office
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Are the challenges of legacy systems and updating to new technologies giving your organisation sleepless nights?
Keeping abreast of technology changes affecting the banking landscape is tough. From AI and machine learning to mobile, fintechs, digital, data, cloud and many more, new developments are happening all the time.One option in making things a little bit easier to understand is to attend TCI’s upcoming BankTech Southern Africa 2020 Conference.
The BankTech 2020 conference is the only event in SA which will address the pitfalls of legacy systems and empower attendees with the right set of insights to negotiate dealing with and improving legacy systems without impacting on operations.
This event is taking place on 26 & 27 February 2020 at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Johannesburg will feature close to 30 top speakers, eight sessions and a panel discussion. Attending this event will provide the ideal platform to attendees to get the latest news regarding technology developments – both locally and international.
Here are a few topics to be addresses at this event:
- Digital implementation within finance
- Why technology adoption is mandatory
- Disruption of fintechs in the financial industry
- Using behavioural economics to increase the uptake of digital banking platforms
- Fostering business growth through open banking
- How artificial intelligence will benefit financial services
- Exploiting traditional information technology frameworks in governing new technologies
- Addressing regulatory challenges through technology
- Automating fraud detection and prevention
- Embracing cloud in emerging financial services
- Deployment of traditional payment solutions in the cloud
- Big data, analytics and technology
- Data governance implications of moving to the cloud
With more than 100 banking conferences held, Trade Conferences International has for the past 10 years become the leading banking conference organiser in South Africa. With signature events such as Mobile Banking, Payments Southern Africa, Transaction Banking, AML & Financial Crime and Big Data and Analytics in Banking, TCI became a trusted conference organiser for the financial industry.
Normal registration fee: R9 500 + VAT = R10 925 p.p
10% group registrations (3 or more): R8 550 + VAT = R9 832.50
15% group registration (5 or more): R8 075 + VAT = R9 286.25
To register as a delegate e-mail Project Manager Bandile Ngobese on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities e-mail: Ryno van Ellewee on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 011 803-1553/0009.
AfricArena Forges Global Partnerships to Scale African Innovators
Eleven startups from across the African continent, identified as “entrepreneurs for humanity”, were awarded the opportunity to partner with the AfricArena challenge corporate sponsors at the end of the second AfricArena technology conference in Cape Town today.
Saturday 17 November, Cape Town – Amongst others, Air France KLM selected DiscoverIkasi and Sea Monster, both from South Africa, to assist with improving the travel experience and sustainability of its subsidiary Joon. Vinci Energie, will work with Senegal’s Oniriq and South Africa’s DataProphet on innovative energy solutions in Africa.
See the full list of winners, sponsors and challenges below.
During 2018, in the run up to AfricArena2018, 60 startups pitched their businesses in regional events in eight cities across Africa. Many of which were invited to take part in a series of challenges set by the AfricArena sponsors, all looking to solve uniquely African business problems.
SOLUTIONS FOR THE AFRICAN MARKET
The AfricArena 2018 conference was anchored and endorsed by major international sponsors La French Tech, Silicon Cape, Vinci Energies, AirFrance KLM, Engie, Saint-Gobain, Methys, Rogerwilco, City of Cape Town, Proparco, RCS, and Leroy Merlin.
The following sponsors specifically came to South Africa and AfricArena to explore innovation opportunities within Africa and abroad: RCS, Saint-Gobain, AirFrance KLM, Vinci Energies, VivaTech, Leroy Merlin, Engie, Sanofi and FSAT Labs.
“We expect to have a different approach from these startups, a bright idea that could be easily implemented, and also to benefit from what is very high potential in terms of innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives. And to find solutions that are very well adapted to the African market,” said Jean-Michel Mathieu, CEO of Joon, a subsidiary of Air France.
“African entrepreneurs are very willing to find solutions, to take risks, they address vital expectations and needs, and they are looking at the challenges with a very frugal mindset. I think this is a lesson for us as well, we learn a lot working with them and collaborating with them to find the right solutions and we take this inspiration back to Europe with us,” said Lydia Babaci-Victor, Chief Innovation and Development Officer at Vinci Energies.
Vincent Viollain, co-Founder and Head of Partnerships and Startups at VivaTech, the biggest tech conference in Europe said: “The leapfrog ability of African technology has become a bit of a cliché. But when you get a chance to see it, you’ll see that it’s actually true. African technology is frugal, its smart and it can have an impact locally as well as globally. In our winner, Aerobotics’ case we believe the solution can move beyond physical borders, and also have application in different industry sectors.”
AFRICARENA WINNERS:
The startups who won the challenges, were grateful of the experience and excited to be moving forward with some of the largest corporations across the globe.
“Oniriq provides access to African rural populations through energy and the internet. It’s great to be here at AfricArena, it has been a journey. For two months we’ve been participating in this challenge since the selection two months ago in Dakar with Vinci Energies team and we’ve been in discussions since. For us the win is a great achievement and we’re looking forward to starting our collaboration in Senegal,” said Rodolphe Rosier, Founder of Oniriq.
“We’d like to thank AfricArena and VivaTech for the opportunity to present and we’re really happy to have won and we cannot wait to be in Paris in May. We’re already expanding around the world and this presence at VivaTech 2019 will give us a great opportunity to meet the European market,” said Nasreen Patel, Head of Product at Aerobotics.
“This is not just a win for DiscoverIkasi, it’s a win for the communities we work with across South Africa. It’s going to give them a lot more exposure. This is what we’ve been working towards since starting the business, to get to a platform where I can market DiscoverIkasi, our market, our experiences and the townships on an international stage. Now we need to go back home and form a strategy to scale the business across South Africa,” said Ntsebenziswano (Benzi) November, Founder of DiscoverIkasi.
The startups attending the conference will also each be receiving credit from AWS as part of their prizes. Each startup in attendance, winner or not, will receive $2000 in AWS credit.
A WORD FROM THE ECO-SYSTEM
Kerry Petrie, General Manager of Silicon Cape, host ecosystem of AfricArena, states: “It’s such an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs from all across the continent to connect and share, building bridges that may hold future partnership, export and market opportunities. It builds the visibility of the pan-African community for a local, regional and global stakeholder audience. We have to work together to increase investment in African ventures from 1%. And AfricArena is playing a pivotal role in making that a reality.”
Reflecting on the event, Christophe Viarnaud, CEO of AfricArena, expanded on the philosophy behind the conference. “AfricArena’s open collaborative Pan-African model, highly inclusive and embarking all categories of investors, ecosystem contributors, and corporates focused on innovation in Africa, has demonstrated very high impact throughout 2018 with 16 events on 3 continents. The grand finale at AfricArena2018 has shown the energy and excitement from 15 corporates, over 150 investors and 70 startups, with over $2m deals being done, startup-corporate partnerships being struck and a wave of energy and innovation from African entrepreneurs. We could not be more excited about the future, comments Viarnaud.
THE WINNERS:
Air France KLM Challenge 1 DiscoverIkasi
Air France KLM Challenge 2 Sea Monster
Engie Challenge Arnegy
Leroy Merlin Challenge BizAR Reality
Saint-Gobain Challenge 1 Swift GeoSpatial
Saint-Gobain Challenge 2 The Student Hub
Sanofi South Africa Challenge Iyeza Health
The RCS Group Challenge ThisIsMe
Vinci Energies Challenge 1 Oniriq
Vinci Energies Challenge 2 DataProphet
Vivatech 2019 Challenge Aerobotics
SPONSORS AND THEIR CHALLENGES:
Air France KLM Challenge 1 – optimising the airline’s travel experience while reducing its environmental footprint
Air France KLM Challenge 2 – using technology to enrich subsidiary Joon’s travel experience for its passengers
Engie Challenge – ensuing a reliable energy supply in urban areas
Leroy Merlin Challenge – immersive showroom experience that shows off a large variety of products
Saint-Gobain Challenge 1 – using satellite trend analysis to predict urban and climate challenges
Saint-Gobain Challenge 2 -- a solution to upgrade professionals’ skills across Africa, especially in remote areas.
Sanofi South Africa Challenge – optimising patient treatment adherence and completion rates
The RCS Group Challenge – storing and securing customer identity and authentication credentials
Vinci Energies Challenge 1 – using digitalisation to optimise industry and energy performance
Vinci Energies Challenge 2 – How to make energy more accessible in Africa using technology such as energy efficiency flow solutions, energy flow optimisation, blockchain and artificial intelligence
Vivatech 2019 Challenge – using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate growth and sustainability in the agriculture sector
-- ENDS --
For more information on AfricArena or this press release, please contact:
Mika Stanvliet | 081 534 6237 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About AfricArena:
AfricArena is a conference that showcases Africa’s best startups and innovators in front of an audience of local and international investors looking for world-class talent.Celebrated as the largest tech ecosystem accelerator on the African continent, last year’s edition of AfricArena saw more than 80 startups presenting to over 100 investors with 25 countries being represented and over $2M worth of deals done. This year's edition saw 70 startups from 32 countries pitching to over 600 attendees. This year they are predicting that funding for African startups will crack US$1 billion. Earlier this year AfricArena launched a global tour to source the world's best tech innovators solving uniquely African problems, and the tour covered 66 000 kilometers in total. AfricArena is the ultimate deal-flow platform, bringing investors and startups together in one central location.
For more information visit: https://africarena2018.com
Conversica Signs South Africa’s Intele.Chat as Alliance Partner for its World Leading AI Driven Lead Engagement Software in the Region
Cape Town, South Africa 23rd May 2018 - With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) now becoming more pervasive in the Enterprise, the way brands can engage with the market, clients, consumers or end users has dramatically changed. Intele.Chat will join Conversica’s Alliance Partner Program to grow sales of their award winning AI powered technology to enhance the B2B & B2C sales and marketing interface, bringing improvements to key business operations and improved productivity for South African based Enterprise clients.
“We are very excited to partner with Intele.Chat”, said Victor Belfor, SVP Business Development at Conversica. “Intele.Chat is the premier conversational AI consultancy and thought leader in the region. Intele.Chat is uniquely suited to represent our Automated Sales Assistant which follows up on every sale lead and converts them to opportunities by using natural language conversations. Because the messages appear to come from a real person, the engagement rate is very high.”
“For me, Conversica is a technology that takes your sales and marketing operation to the next level”, said Nick Bradshaw, CEO Intele.Chat. “I have been in business development for over 20 years and Conversica solves many of the age old problems we face as sales and marketing professionals, namely; keeping leads engaged, relentless follow-up, post tradeshow engagement, re-engagement with old leads, cross selling, focus on higher quality leads, lead nurturing and keeping conversations going until timely hand-off to the sales rep is required”.
Belfor concluded, “The Conversica AI virtual assistant can get the best phone number, the best time to call, and sales feedback without you lifting a finger 24/7 365 days a year. Used by more than 1,200 companies worldwide including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, EPSON, Chrysler, Conversica’s sales assistants are built on a proven AI platform integrating natural language processing (NLP), natural language generation (NLG), and machine learning (ML) capabilities”. Bradshaw concluded, “Conversica’s Artificial Intelligence sales and marketing AI technology is easy to configure and deploy using a subscription based model. We look forward to taking this product to market in South Africa.
About Intele.Chat
Intele.Chat is part of the Conversational Commerce Group and we help South African clients leverage conversational commerce technologies be they human powered, augmented or fully automated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the B2B & B2C sales and marketing interface, bringing improvement and efficiency to your sales operations. Conversica’s AI sales and service assistants are multi-award winning products and are used by hundreds of clients around the world to reach out and qualify sales and service leads 24×7, verify contact information, collect requirements, and set appointments. Intele.Chat serves Conversica’s clients in the Southern Africa region. To learn more and book an appointment / demo visit www.intele.chat
About Conversica
Conversica is the leader in AI-powered business conversations and the only provider of AI-driven lead engagement software for marketing and sales organizations. The flagship Conversica® AI Sales Assistant helps companies find and secure customers more quickly and efficiently by automatically contacting, engaging, qualifying, and following up with leads via natural, two-way conversations. Used by more than 1,000 companies worldwide, Conversica’s sales assistants are built on a proven AI platform integrating natural language processing (NLP), natural language generation (NLG), and machine learning (ML) capabilities and engage prospects over multiple communication channels and in multiple languages. Recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor, Conversica is a portfolio company of Providence Equity, Kennet Partners and Toba Capital and is headquartered in Foster City, Calif.
Press & Media Links
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +27 7957 33206
Web: www.intele.chat
All trademarks & company names mentioned are protected by their respective owner
Transformation a critical discussion point at the IT Leaders Africa Summit
“Embracing change in an era of ‘business unusual’” #ITLA18
The 9th Annual IT Leaders Africa Summit was recently hosted at the brand new, green star-rated CTICC East Wing in Cape Town on 9 & 10 May 2018. Over the past decade of existence, the event has quickly established itself as the premier gathering of CIO’s and business IT professionals on the continent. Attendees from across Africa congregated in Africa’s tech hub to share best practices, and discuss the strategic roadmap to managing the evolving challenges, opportunities and risks associated with the IT departments’ ever-increasing scope of technology implementation and its related oversight.
Brett St Clair, CEO of Siatik and renown international speaker – delivered a powerful warning to the audience; “disruption is happening incredibly quickly; especially in the IT space – there are so many technologies that are hitting IT, wave after wave – and each technology generates another wave of technology, which can be very scary as the rest of the world feels like it is doubling efficiency and leap-frogging ahead whilst we continue to lag behind in Africa – constantly having to catch up.”
A common thread shared by the audience and speakers alike was that digital transformation is turning the industry on its head, and the CIO of the future needs to be well ahead of the curve to be able to deal and effectively counter the effects of prospective disruption to organisations. Transformation was also discussed on a higher level and resulted in a robust and thought-provoking debate regarding the duty of leading IT professionals to not only upskill existing staff as opposed to looking outside for talent; attendees also challenged the IT industry as a whole to work towards the development, mentoring and nurturing of millennials and more importantly women in the IT field.
Nithen Naidoo, Managing Director of Snode, who participated in the newly introduced sponsor hot seat panel discussion, encouraged the IT industry to invest in the development of future IT practitioners as this will set organisations on a sustainable path to success, “Millennials are looking for purpose – they want what they do to mean something; they want to add to something greater than themselves - and if you give them that, your organisation will be able to attract the right kind of talent…desire and [corporate] cultural fit is really important”.
This was a sentiment shared by Jamie Whittaker, Deputy CIO at Discovery, who encouraged organisations that want to succeed where others have failed, to take an ‘out-of-the-box’ approach, “In order for organisations to be successful, they need to understand that they should embrace change – It’s not business as usual but rather business as unusual”. Whittaker further elaborated that “IT is not about technology; it’s not about apps, databases or mainframes, nor the cloud – what it’s about, is People – they are the most valuable resource – they should be mentored and nourished, when you find these individuals; they should be treated correctly from the very first interaction with your organisation. Make sure that we invest in developing our people, so that they can leave at any stage, but treat them well so that they choose to stay.” The overarching message was that, change may be scary, but it should be embraced and seen as an opportunity as opposed to a threat.
The array of IT experts present at the event discussed other critical themes which are affecting the IT profession, including improving organisational cyber resilience in a world of evolving and increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks through continuous collaboration between big companies and SME’s in order to create a sense of community around the issue of cyber security. Naidoo cautioned organisations to stop viewing cyber security protection as a grudge purchase “cyber security wins battles in boardrooms, it’s a competitive advantage”.
Harnessing the true potential of data was also on the top of everyone’s minds with Collin Mamdoo, Principal IoT Specialist at Vodacom calling for “data democratisation”, with many others echoing this sentiment and encouraging both anonymous and visible sharing of data between companies. Overall, everyone acknowledged that data analytics is a key part to business success; the question rather centers on how you put that data together; which is contextual to your environment, industry, company and maturity according to Peter du Plooy, CIO of Engen, futurist and former Visionary CIO of the Year Award recipient.“Organisations that are winning; are organisations that are doing immense amounts of data analytics – they’re understanding their broader ecosystem…their customers, understanding their business inefficiencies and they are improving all of these things”.
This was a sentiment shared by Greg Groenmeyer, Head of IT Strategy & Architecture at Sanlam, “it is important for IT to be aligned to the business agenda and the overall business strategy; IT departments must always evaluate whether anything that is introduced has a business narrative – activities must be centred around mitigating the risks or improving the bottom line”
The IT Leaders Africa Summit has been providing IT executives with practical knowledge from industry experts and thought leaders since its inception 9 years ago. With the assistance of an advisory panel of experience C-level IT executives, the summit covered the most current trends translating business strategies into IT functions, as well as many controversial and interesting debates on the future of IT in business.
“It has been exciting to witness the growth of the event as the IT industry matures. Kinetic is committed to strengthening the IT industry across the African continent through our involvement as a key information provider and business facilitator. We are encouraged by the number of companies who have already expressed interest in anticipation of the next edition later in 2018 which will be co-hosted alongside the Afrisecure Cyber Security Summit in Johannesburg” says Terry Southam, Managing Director, of Kinetic – the conference organisers.
In closing, Whittaker cautioned attendees that “Companies need to be looking for a business strategy for the digital age; if there are companies that consider business and IT to be two separate elements; they’re ripe for disruption”.
Follow @ITLeaders on Twitter and join the conversation using the #ITLA18 hashtag
For more information about IT Leaders Africa, visit: www.itleaders.co.za
About IT Leaders Africa
The IT Leaders Africa Summit has been providing IT executives with practical knowledge from industry experts and thought leaders since its inception 8 years ago. With the assistance of an advisory panel of experienced C-level IT executives, the summit encompasses the most current trends concerning translating business strategies into IT functions, as well as cyber security, governance, and disruptive technology. We have recruited the top IT executives in Africa to present on the issues concerning IT leaders in today’s rapidly evolving market to ensure that you are ahead of the curve.
About Kinetic
Kinetic is an international conference and exhibition company established as a key strategic information provider to the IT and Telecoms sector, our mission is to equip senior management executives with knowledge, market intelligence and viable commercial opportunities.
Top African Business Names Sign-Up for First Artificial Intelligence Expo in Cape Town
As support gathers for Africa’s first Artificial Intelligence Expo, top names in the AI field have signed up for the event that will allow C-Suite Executives from across all industries to understand, embrace and implement AI in their businesses.
AI ExpoAfrica will take place on 9 – 11 September 2018 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. It is focused on real-world applications and trends driving the Artificial Intelligence economy in Africa and seeking to build an AI Business-focused community across the continent.
AI ExpoAfrica 2018 is aimed at the C-Suite and Enterprise decision-makers who are grappling to understand how AI applications can add value or impact their business today. With emerging technology breakthroughs in AI now going mainstream, understanding the business opportunity from both a supplier and client perspective has never been more paramount.
In attendance at the event will be 400 delegates, 27 speakers with 5 keynote addresses, as well as more than 28 AI exhibitors. There will also be Innovation Café housing more than 20 AI startups.
Companies and organisations at the forefront of research, investment and implementation in Artificial Intelligence across Africa such as SAP Africa, TransUnion Africa, Data Prophet, LARC AI, Siatik, MIIA (Machine Intelligence Institute of Africa), Clevva, Knife Capital, Startupbootcamp Africa, Cortex Logic, Sw7, Silicon Cape, Mint and Amani Business to name a few have already signed up or endorsed the event:
Lee Naik, CEO TransUnion Africa & Digital Transformation Expert stated: “Technology will always be one of the biggest disruptors in our industries. As a business leader myself, I have seen first-hand how the power of disruption can either cause chaos for a business or provide it with an opportunity to innovate and differentiate itself in new and exciting ways. This is why platforms like AI ExpoAfrica are so valuable: it brings CxOs, investors and innovators together to engage in real-world discussions around technologies disrupting enterprises, markets and clients. Together with my fellow speakers I look forward to sharing my perspective and some insights around what these disruptors mean for our industries.”
Frans Cronjé, MD of DataProphet said: “We are really excited to be part of AI ExpoAfrica - to showcase some of the great results of AI we have implemented in the manufacturing environment and share our experiences in seeing AI integrated into business processes, both in the local and international market. AI often goes unmentioned in Industry 4.0 conversations - but is a critical component in giving a factory its own ability to learn from its mistakes.
Keith Jones, Sw7 Co-Founder, who will be leading the Plenary and case study track as moderator at AI ExpoAfrica said: "As we see the effect of connected markets, digitisation, mobility, IoT, interoperability and big data drive access to, and increase the quality of, data business will increasingly be driven by machine-assisted decisions. The ability to leverage the available data assets to make informed decisions quickly will be what drives strategic advantage in the future. This will affect all market sectors, not just the digitised markets. AI ExpoAfrica is creating a platform to connect businesses with the community that is driving this exciting sector. The goal is to educate delegates about what is possible and connect them with people in the sector. The real-world aspect of this event will have great appeal to any business leader seeking to explore and acquire both innovative and proven AI-based solutions.”
Dr Jacques Ludik, Founder & President of MIIA & Cortex Logic CEO, will be serving as Track Moderator at the event and stated, “It’s great to see AI ExpoAfrica focusing on the real-world applications of AI. Their novel approach to include large enterprise platform and service vendors, alongside AI startup innovators coupled to a CxO audience containing decision-makers and investors makes for a perfect mix. It’s a great opportunity to see how AI is now impacting many aspects of Commerce and Enterprise in Africa, and delegates will gain great value from attending.”
The event will showcase AI Cloud platform providers, Tier 1 and 2 deployment and service providers, AI startups, investors, educators, government and AI ecosystem community builders. The event will give those attending a real feel for what’s available now or in the near future.
With six themes and three tracks, the event is focused on real Enterprise AI case studies and the application of AI in Business, AI deployment challenges, ethics and skills plus the business innovation driving current deployment trends across all industry sectors.If you would like to join the event as a delegate or if you’d like to be an exhibitor, join the Innovation Café or apply for a speaking opportunity, please visit our website: www.aiexpoafrica.com.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
For more information on this press release or AI ExpoAfrica 2018, please contact:
Mika Stanvliet | 081 534 6237 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Top African Business Names sign-up for First Artificial Intelligence Expo in Cape Town
As support gathers for Africa’s first Artificial Intelligence Expo, top names in the AI field have signed up for the event that will allow C-Suite Executives from across all industries to understand, embrace and implement AI in their businesses.
AI ExpoAfrica 2018 is aimed at the C-Suite and Enterprise decision makers who are grappling to understand how AI applications can add value or impact their business today. With emerging technology breakthroughs in AI now going mainstream, understanding the business opportunity from both a supplier and client perspective has never been more paramount. AI ExpoAfrica 2018 will focus on real-world applications, trends driving the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Economy in Africa and seeks to build an AI Business-focused community across the continent.
Companies and organisations at the forefront of research, investment and implementation in Artificial Intelligence across Africa such as SAP Africa, TransUnion Africa, Data Prophet, LARC AI, Siatik, MIIA (Machine Intelligence Institute of Africa), Clevva, Knife Capital, StartUpBootcamp Africa, Cortex Logic, Sw7, Silicon Cape, Mint and Amani Business to name a few have already signed up or endorsed the event:
Lee Naik, CEO TransUnion Africa & Digital Transformation Expert stated: “Technology will always be one of the biggest disruptors in our industries. As a business leader myself, I have seen first-hand how the power of disruption can either cause chaos for a business or provide it with an opportunity to innovate and differentiate itself in exciting, new ways. This is why platforms like AI Expo Africa are so valuable: it brings CxOs, investors and innovators together to engage in real-world discussions around technologies disrupting Enterprises, markets and clients. Together with my fellow speakers I look forward to sharing my perspective and some insights around what these disruptors mean for our industries.”
Frans Cronjé, MD of DataProphet said: ”We are really excited to be part of AI Expo Africa - to showcase some of the great results of AI we have implemented in the manufacturing environment and share our experiences in seeing AI integrated into business processes, both in the local and international market. AI often goes unmentioned in Industry 4.0 conversations - but is a critical component in giving a factory its own ability to learn from its mistakes.”
Keith Jones, Sw7 Co-Founder, who will be leading the Plenary and case study track as moderator at AI Expo Africa said: "As we see the effect of connected markets, digitisation, mobility, IoT, interoperability and big data drive access to, and increase the quality of, data business will increasingly be driven by machine-assisted decisions. The ability to leverage the available data assets to make informed decisions quickly will be what drives strategic advantage in the future. This will affect all market sectors, not just the digitised markets. AI Expo Africa is creating a platform to connect businesses with the community that is driving this exciting sector. The goal is to educate delegates about what is possible and connect them with people in the sector. The real world aspect of this event will have great appeal to any business leader seeking to explore and acquire both innovative and proven AI based solutions.”
Dr Jacques Ludik, Founder & President of MIIA & Cortex Logic CEO, will be serving as Track Moderator at the event and stated, “It’s great to see AI Expo Africa focusing on the real world applications of AI. Their novel approach to include large enterprise platform and service vendors, alongside AI start-up innovators coupled to a CxO audience containing decision makers and investors makes for a perfect mix. It’s a great opportunity to see how AI is now impacting many aspects of Commerce and Enterprise in Africa, and delegates will gain great value from attending.”
The event will showcase AI Cloud platform providers, Tier 1 & 2 deployment & service providers, AI start-ups, investors, educators, government and AI ecosystem community builders. The event will give those attending a real feel for what’s available now or in the near future. With six themes and three tracks the event is focused on real Enterprise AI case studies and the application of AI in Business, AI deployment challenges, ethics and skills plus the business innovation driving current deployment trends across all industry sectors.”
About AI Expo Africa
Taking place on 9-11 September 2018, Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, AI Expo Africa 2018 is focusing on real world applications & trends driving the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Economy in Africa and seeking to build an AI Business focused Community across the continent. With 400 delegates, 27x speakers, 5x keynotes, 28x AI exhibitors plus Innovation Cafe housing 20x AI Start-Ups, the event is aimed at CxO / C Suite delegates with the primary goal of educating business leaders about AI applications and opportunities impacting the Enterprise today as well as generating real business opportunities for sponsors, speakers & AI innovators across the region. If you would like to join the event as a delegate or would like take up one of the exhibition, Innovation cafe or speaking opportunities simply visit www.aiexpoafrica.com
Next executive challenge … co-opting the cobots
By Gusti Coetzer, director at Signium Africa (previously Talent Africa)
Future-spotting is a key strategic challenge for senior management. For those taking a forward-view, a new priority has emerged … how to react to the rise of the robots.Science fiction is fast becoming reality in manufacturing and service industries in the developed world. Businesses in Africa will have to follow suit if they hope to become competitive.
A 2016 study by the International Federation of Robotics says the number of robots sold globally with double to 400 000 units by 2018, with 70% of the demand coming from China, Japan, USA, South Korea and Germany.World Bank research says Africa has two industrial robots per 100 000 manufacturing workers and massively lags the developed world, but cannot ignore the trend.Jobs are a major focus point.
A widely quoted 2016 study by Daron Acemoglu (MIT) and Pascal Restrepo (Boston University) suggested bots would merely trigger the creation of new, better jobs.This year, they finished the first quantitative survey of job losses using real-world data. This less positive study shows bots cost 670 000 US manufacturing jobs between 1990 and 2007. In one local economy the academics scrutinised, each bot cut 6.2 jobs per 1000 workers.Acemoglu and Restrepo say US bot sales are expected to quadruple, so job losses could mount.Yet many companies that invest in robotics say they are hiring more as higher productivity drives company growth. People move to tasks with high value creation. Job losses at less automated competitors are hard to assess, however.Should executives worry? As blue-collar jobs decline, will executive numbers be decimated by machines gunning for top jobs?
Not likely …Any review of the literature confirms that humans always outscore machines when it comes to thinking, planning and decision-making. We can think ahead.
They can’t, however today artificial intelligence needs to be taken into account. It is arguably a “which came first, the chicken or the egg”?One commentator noted: “We can map out a series of steps that can lead us to a certain goal. This is what robots cannot do. They lack the ability to plan ahead of time.”Machines are faster, more precise, more consistent and more productive. Pressure on repetitive manufacturing jobs is already evident. But service sectors are not immune.One robotics application now flips burgers to consistent quality levels, with big implications for college dropouts who assume they can always get a job flipping burgers.The lesson is simple.
A good education and skills are essential for humans.In a paper to the International Management Conference in Bucharest, D.M. Florian noted: “Studies suggest robots are increasing our wages, not stealing our jobs, though there has been a decrease in the number of positions at some companies. However, the need for more qualified positions has gone up…“Technology has been proved to make humans smarter… A machine has no ability to assess situations and cannot look at a set of transactions and provide an overall picture of what they could mean.”Florian concluded: “Robots will only be able to support the problem-solving structure. They cannot replace it.”Many experts say man-versus-machine simplification is off the mark.
Man with machine is more probable. Growing sales of collaborative robots or cobots are reported worldwide.Here, one area of development is wearable robotics or exoskeletons that augment human capabilities with technology. ABI Research says about 40 R&D groups currently work in the field – the basis for a “$2-billion global market by 2025”.Military and healthcare applications are focus areas. So are industrial uses. Many firms are in the market for “motorised muscles” for heavy lifting or for sensor-actuated exoskeleton suits that “protect and serve” humans during dangerous work.In all cases, a trained and skilled person is needed to operate the wearables, hinting at a future in which humans work with cobots in many areas.Unskilled employment may therefore fall. You need skills to get the best out of cobots or “smart overalls” representing a big capex investment.The highly trained, well-educated cobot co-worker will become a major contributor to productivity and profit.
Executives will still find ‘man’ management is a key part of their task, but a new managerial style may be needed in this high-skill, high-knowledge environment.A very human, empathetic approach will be more appropriate than ‘command and control’. Ironically, the cobots could bring out our human side.
Website: www.signium.com
