The first Thursday in November, November 07, saw immedia host yet another session of its monthly Mindshift digital transformation seminars.
Focused on helping to navigate businesses through the technological shift, the seminar was attended by entrepreneurs, members of the general public and technology enthusiasts. Speaking about the seminar, Mindshift co-ordinator Kelly Pringle stated that the real focus of the event was to share information around how businesses can prepare for digitally-aware consumers. With an average audience of about 10 to 15, the seminar saw people from all kinds of industries and sectors in attendance.
Titled ‘Patterns of The Future’, the event was led by founder of immedia and now CEO Anice Hassim. With an actively engaged audience, Hassim briefly took attendees through the company’s 24-year history and the long-standing business principles and practices in existence at immedia.
The CEO, with a history lesson through the ages as context, firmly navigated the audience through all things digital. Through his vast experience and analysis in the digital space, Anice walked the audience through real-world applications of digitisation. Hassim stated that digitisation has and is still yet to bring many positive changes to the world as we know it. “The ability to empower kinds of behaviour and spread kinds of fluidity and patterns of thinking – is what digitalisation is doing to our communities,” said Hassim.
Turning to the main goal of the seminar, he demonstrated the importance of digitally active businesses by taking consensus of how many members of the audience actively use technology, most especially their cellphones. Through this, Hassim actively demonstrated those present that consumers, most especially in Durban need businesses that tap into their use of data.
This access to data and information by both the consumer and the business will result in changes to business practices and patterns. “As an emerging technology business in the 90s, we made sure we rapidly gained access to information. The way we transformed our customers was by liberating their own data to them, so that their behaviour change could start,” said Hassim.
The audience was introduced to digital practices and tools that can be implemented by businesses and the individual consumer that will take them into the fourth industrial revolution and directly impact their business practices.
“In order for businesses to go digital and take advantage of the economy, to find their own space in said economy, it is not just about deploying tech tools – it’s about changing culture and mindsets,” said Hassim.
Cautioning attendees, the CEO stated the digital is not limited to social media, it’s changing how stories are told and what value they bring to a human society. “How do we service and make our ecosystems and consumers lives better?” said Hassim. “In the new world, consumers have the ability to influence company ethics and value systems by leveraging their buying power.
Businesses need to be authentic because consumers are now individually empowered to make their up own minds,” said Hassim.
In reaction to the seminar, attendee Sandile Majola said: “the event was very productive. I have learnt many ways of using our phones on a day to day basis. The most powerful thing I have learnt is that I can actually use my phone as my office and actually make money using the apps. It was a powerful session.”
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