PLDT TechIsland 3.0: A summit that equips MSMEs for holistic digital transformation
TechIsland 3.0 was recently held at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. This is PLDT Smart SME Nation‘s annual tech summit for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and being on its 3rd year already, the summit’s theme has evolved. In its first two years, the summit has focused on aiming to educate, enable, and empower MSMEs to solve business challenges through technology. This year’s business-to-business (B2B) ICT forum theme will focus on three words: Challenge, Change, Conquer.
The PLDT SME Nation executives who met us over lunch briefed us about the objectives of the tech summit as well as how they intended the roster of speakers to empower the attending MSMEs to be able to expand their business territories and markets by using available digital technology.
A group of highly esteemed speakers filled the morning sessions. DENTSU Jayme Syfu’s ‘chairmom’ and CEO, Merlee Jayme, who is one of the country’s most renowned advertising practitioners, presented digital marketing trends and how successful companies adapted to the modern digital landscape. PLDT Chief Strategy Officer Winston Damarillo shared strategies on how businesses could go digital through specifically-designed solutions for MSMEs. Laurence Cua, general manager of Uber Manila, recounted real-life application of digital technology. Alfredo Tan, Facebook Canada Group’s Director of Global Marketing Solutions and Interim Country Director of Facebook Philippines, spoke of digital trends that can help businesses jumpstart their digital journey.
Unlike the previous two summits which were limited to IT practitioners, TechIsland 3.0 was opened up to professionals in the fields of marketing, sales, engineering, finance, and procurement. The afternoon sessions were breakouts divided into four categories:
The Captain – for CEOs and owners (focused on global expansion)
The Navigator – for sales and marketing (focused on digital trends and market activations)
The Trader – for finance and procurement (focused on streamlining systems)
The Engineer – for operations and IT (focused on software security)
All these sessions were powered by innovative digital business solutions from PLDT SME Nation.
