[This is a sponsored article with BIT Expo.]
Many factors contribute to a startup’s success, from having the right talent, funding opportunities, proper networking, and more.
Regardless of what stage your startup is in now though, taking the next step can still be intimidating. Sometimes, it’s even hard to tell where to start.
This is where the Business, Investment, and Talent (BIT) Expo, a business matching exhibition that’s happening from August 25 to 28, 2022, may come in handy.
Over the course of four days, it aims to bring new or existing SMEs, talents, as well as investors together for networking. Here’s what to expect.
Learn relevant business trends from current industry players
There will be several talks that will touch on crucial topics that business owners, especially new startups, might be interested in.
These will explore themes such as digital technology transformation, new startups and entrepreneurship, leadership, and many more.
Each theme is broken down into specifics, with topics such as the good and bad of raising funds during the early stage of startups, how startups can know when to scale, and how to pre-plan a company’s share structure in favour of capital activity in the future, for example.
You can find the full itinerary of the topics and the timetable for each of them on BIT Expo’s website.
Countless opportunities to network with like-minded businesses
During the exhibition, there will be 150 exhibitors on-ground like traditional snack manufacturer Lekor Bites, IT rental platform SmartRental, and online auction platform BidNow, that will be showcasing their products and services.
This makes it easy for you to strike up a conversation with them, whether you’re in the same industry or not. It’s one way to improve your own business, or even build a potential partnership with them.
There will also be 150 speakers including CEOs from Oxwhite, Signature Market, and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry which will be scattered throughout the exhibition grounds who will be more than happy to answer any enquiries you may have.
Oxwhite is an apparel brand that’s tailored towards the Asian physique.
They’re known for their viral marketing strategies to garner attention such as customising social media content based on their audience, only selling a limited number of their shirts through pre-orders, and taking advantage of referrals.
Signature Market, on the other hand, is an ecommerce platform that has been providing healthy food to the Malaysian market since 2014. It received almost RM4 million in Series A funding from Axiata Digital Innovation Fund and RHL Ventures back in 2019.
Last but not least, there’s also the CEO of Exabytes, a business that focuses on providing cloud, digital, and ecommerce solutions to businesses. Initially started in 2001, they’re now serving more than 160,000 customers over 121 countries worldwide.
There will also be B2B matching services during the expo. However, this is only limited to those who bought the all-access pass (more information on the tickets can be found at the end of the article).
On-site learning to tighten up your pitching skills
Time and time again, the importance of a good pitch for a business is emphasised.
Sure, YouTube tutorials on how to pitch exist, but they’re not the same as watching someone pitch in person, where there’s something actually at stake.
That said, BIT Expo will be hosting the semi-finals and finals of their demo day accelerator, where you can observe first-hand the different types of pitches done by the contestants.
It’s a good opportunity to take notes on how to pitch before a live audience, answering questions mid-pitch, projecting confidence in your body language, and how judges, consisting of mentors, investors, and potential business collaborates, might respond to certain actions by the pitcher.
From what you’ve picked up from the pitches, you could also test out your newfound knowledge, leading us to our next point.
Showcase your talent at problem-solving
On the last day, there will be a talent show that you could take part in and stand a chance to win cash prizes. In total, there will be six sessions, each one giving a winner an RM10,000 cash prize, out of the RM60,000 prize pool.
After registering as a talent, you would have to answer a themed question that depends on the session you’re in. Each session will cover a different topic, which includes (to be confirmed on BIT Expo’s Facebook page):
- Corporate Identity;
- Digitalization of Corporate;
- The New Workspace;
- Omni Channel in New Market;
- How to Improve Productivity; and
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in SMEs.
You can answer the questions to these topic on their official contest website. The top five answers from each of the six sessions will be chosen to pitch their ideas on stage for eight minutes.
The contestant with the best pitch for each session will win an RM10,000 cash prize.
In addition to that, it’s free entry for the last day, so you can bring those who are interested to take part to increase the chance of winning.
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If you’re interested in attending the expo at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, you can get your tickets at BIT Expo’s official website. Note that the ticket price depends on how many days you plan to attend.
Here’s a breakdown of the price of the ticket and the benefits you will be getting, depending on the tickets you purchase:
| Ticket | Price | Benefits |
| 1-day standard ticket | – RM68 (Early Bird) – RM88 | – 1-day entry (Accessible for any of the 3 days) – Day 4 (Talent Malaysia) Free Entry – BIT Expo Special Lanyard (One Day) – BIT Expo Exhibitor Vouchers – BIT Expo Booklet – BIT Expo Special Goodie Bag |
| 2-day standard ticket | – RM136 (Early Bird) – RM179 | – Same as the 1-day standard ticket |
| 4-day all-access ticket | – RM388 (Early Bird) – RM488 | – 4 days’ pass – B2B matching – VIP Lanyard – Booklet – Premium Name Card (100 Pieces) – Woven Goodie Bag – Designer T-Shirt – Exhibitor Vouchers – Limited Edition Badges – BIT Expo 2023 Invitation Letter |
Featured Image Credit: IFT FIRST