Smart City.
Many of us think it’s all about using technology to make a city cooler, whether it be through high-tech machinery or innovative infrastructure when as a matter of fact, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
The Smart City & Future Commerce Convention 2017 is happening at the Setia Alam Convention Centre from 7 to 9 September and is said to be one of the biggest smart city events in Asia for the year.
The three-day convention will cover most questions you may have about smart cities. The themes include Green Cities, Smart Cities (IoT & Big Data), and Future Commerce (DFTZ, Logistics, e-commerce).
There will also be talks touching about how Selangor can benefit from this ever-changing tech landscape.
Here are 8 reasons to convince you on why you should add this smart city convention into your calendar.
1) Get personal insights from global experts flying in from 12 major cities.
It’s not everyday that you get international influencers coming down to your country and sharing a bit of their expertise.
Especially when the roster includes many big names who have had a hand in turning their cities into some of the most notable smart cities to currently exist.
One of the speakers include the former Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Antoni Vives. FYI, Barcelona is the first city in the Spanish State to be officially recognised as a Smart City, and Antoni himself was in charge of the smart urban transformation.
He is currently the CEO of the City Transformation Agency of Barcelona.
2) See the latest tech developments happening in smart cities at the exhibition.
Seeing is believing, after all.
Throughout the convention, there will be an exhibition spanning a total of 5,700 sqm of space. It is essentially an international trade show to display the latest innovation and advances that are being used in smart cities all around the world.
A total of 300 local and international exhibitors are planned to fill up the space with booths ready to show you the true potential of what a smart city can become.
3) Attend forums with global giants who will be discussing everything smart city.
Alongside the exhibition, there will be conferences throughout the 3 days split according to certain themes such as green cities and future commerce. The first one though revolves solely on smart cities.
Some of the notable talks that will be happening include a panel discussion about smart development for building a people-centric smart city, and a forum on the evolution of digital trends.
The forum will feature big names from Microsoft and Huawei while the panelists include names from successful smart cities such as Dr. Jonathan Reichental, the Chief Information Officer of City of Palo Alto (San Francisco).
4) Hear the success stories of businesses that made it by going green.
Sustainability is a recent hot topic that has now become a primary selling point for some businesses.
During the Green City Forum, there will be a fireside chat titled “Green Business, Green Opportunity” which will go into how taking the sustainable route doesn’t only bring positive impact to the environment but to one’s business as well.
The chairman of The Body Shop Malaysia, Datin Mina Cheah-Foong will be sitting in for the discussion.
Joining her is Selangor’s royal princess, Y.A.M. Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. She is a strong environmental advocate and has personally helmed green initiatives such as the viral campaign called #SayNoToPlastic.
5) Witness top merchants in the e-commerce scene being awarded.
E-Commerce is a tough playing field, and it doesn’t help that there’s a constant flow of new players to make the scene more competitive.
At the final day of the convention, an award ceremony will be held to crown the top e-commerce merchants for the year.
The finalists were chosen from over 100 entries and some of them have made quite a name for themselves among the community. One of the finalists include Bokkita Hijab Malaysia, who has already generated USD$4.9 Million in revenue!
6) Find out the future of e-commerce from big key players.
The Malaysian e-commerce industry is estimated to be worth US$1.12 billion (RM4.69 billion) in 2017, so it’s no wonder that it has been generating a lot of buzz as of recently.
The convention will have a day themed “Future Commerce Forum” and some big players will be a part of the talks, such as Lazada, 11Street, and Shopee.
In fact, they will be sitting together for a discussion on “The Future of Domestic and Cross-Border e-Commerce” where they will personally share their own experience in growing their business not only locally but internationally too.
Payment players such as iPay88 and MOLPay will also be having their own discussions on the future of payments and how evolving digital finance technology will affect them.
7) See what goes on behind one of Southeast Asia’s biggest hackathons.
If you’ve ever wondered what a hackathon is like, here’s your chance.
The first ever Selangor Smart City and Future Commerce Hackathon will be held from 8 to 9 September with themes surrounding “Smarter, Safer, Sustainable, Frictionless”. A total pool of RM13,000 in prize money will be up for grabs.
It is said to be one of the biggest hackathons ever organised in Malaysia with enough space for up to 300 participants.
You can find out more about this hackathon (and maybe register yourself) here.
8) An international convention happening right here in our country.
Conventions like these don’t come often, so it’s a chance to not be missed when it’s right in your own turf.
You won’t need to travel far to see great speakers and meet those involved in the international smart city scene.
It’s also a 6-in-1 convention, with many activities and talks to attend of various themes so it is not limited to a certain type of interest.
Tickets are still up for purchase where it is priced at USD250 (RM1,000) for 3 days but SITEC is currently offering a 50% discount where the tickets are now priced at RM500 for ALL 3 days.
For more information, you can head over to their official website here.
This article was written in collaboration with SITEC.
Feature Image Credit: shymkent.gov.kz