Creativity was the keynote and digital was the next letter in the alphabet for the SMS-happy at Mobile Connect, the wireless technology extravaganza hosted by Vodacom and First Tuesday at Sandton`s Convention Centre on Tuesday this week.
Some 400 delegates, including key mobile technology players, mobile entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and marketers, attended a series of workshops on cutting-edge technology and its business and marketing applications. The highlight of the day was an informative and entertaining keynote address on "The consumer of mobile services - a new but fascinating animal" by Finnish author Tomi Ahonen, an expert on third-generation (3G) technology. Ahonen is a world-renowned business consultant in the emerging areas of advanced mobile technology and data services, also known as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).
Delegates were greeted with signs asking them to check in by sending an SMS. They were then photographed by a Nokia mobile phone camera, appearing on CCTV screens in the lobby. Sponsors and exhibitors entertained and amazed with expos on things to come, including a Mini Cooper fitted with a Nokia Bluetooth car kit. Networking, naturally, was the order of the day.
Kicking off the event`s activities at 4pm was a series of workshops that were aimed at educating attendees on cutting-edge technology in various sectors. The first of these was `Interactive Marketing`, which looked at the success of using mobile technology within marketing campaigns - two specific showcases were the recent Hunters Dry and Sony Music campaigns. The `m-commerce` workshop covered mobile payments, authentication and security and was hosted by Leon Perlman from cellular.co.za, and the `consumer application` workshop, which was hosted by Gavin Penkin of Exactmobile and Mike Hainebach of I-Touch covered games, ringtones, logos and overall content.
Lastly, and relevant to so many of the attendees, was a workshop for entrepreneurs which gave advice on getting started , hosted by Pieter De Villiers of Clickatell, in the mobile industry with guidance on how best to make ideas a reality.
The latter part of the event`s proceedings started with Michael Wright of international networking forum First Tuesday introducing the "Mobile Live" in which a few lucky delegates were allowed 100 seconds to pitch their new ideas and ask for what help they needed to launch them in the mobile industry.
This was followed by Ahonen`s address. He said: "With third-generation technology, the cellphone becomes our wallet, our identity and the centre of our social activity. I can`t wait for the moment I arrive in Johannesburg and don`t need a credit card. I`ll be able to use my mobile phone to pay the taxi, check into my hotel, check out again, paying through the phone, and step onto the aircraft, checking in with my mobile."
He went onto say that G3 applications are being used most at present in Austria, Finland, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Italy and Sweden. "In Finland, for instance, fast-food outlets have been accepting payment through mobile communication for the past two years, garages recognise the caller`s identification, bus tickets are sold and you can even buy a lottery ticket on the phone. In Japan, mobile maps are used two million times a day. In Norway, mobile parking is becoming the norm. In Croatia, half of all parking is paid for by mobile phone and in Korea, phones act as Visa cards. And it will happen in SA," he said, noting that, in about three years, the next generation of mobile phones will be in familiar use in SA, whether in business applications, in advertising or in virtual home applications, using a completely new network.
Commenting on the event, Chris Ross, director of Vodacom Connect, said: "This has been a huge success and we are very excited that Vodacom has been and will be part of this new wave of mobile communication."
Vodacom Connect is focused on enabling wireless application service providers (WASPs) to run mobile services using the Vodacom network. Based in Midrand with its own staff and resources, the unit operates as a division of Vodacom (Pty) Ltd.
First Tuesday, the international networking forum, which started in London at the height of the dot-com boom, holds bi-monthly networking events focused on innovation in various business sectors. Mike Wright, First Tuesday Executive, says: "The success of the event proves that the mobile industry offers enormous opportunities for growth and profits, as well as the fact that those in the mobile space find it valuable to network and share ideas as they are in an ever changing environment."
For more information on First Tuesday, log onto www.firsttuesday.co.za.
First Tuesday and Vodacom combined resources in this case to encourage and stimulate the WASP industry which is changing constantly in SA.
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