In December 2017, we hosted our annual EEMA Digital and Analytics Summit in Dubai, addressing some of the most pressing issues facing business leaders globally. The theme focused on reinventing traditional business models to become a leader in the digital world. Heightened customer expectations and the increasing threat of disruption are forcing businesses to challenge their existing ways of operating to stay relevant. We brought together leading institutions to share perspectives on how to successfully respond to these complex challenges and embark on digital transformations at scale.
Representatives from 90 organizations across five industries attended the summit—including start-ups and corporates from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East—and engaged in rich dialogues with distinguished speakers and peers on pressing topics across industries. Miguel-Angel Rodriguez-Sola, former chief digital officer of Lloyds Banking Group, delivered the keynote speech and shared his invaluable insights and lessons learned running a transformation to be ready in the digital era. This was followed by a rich lineup of speakers exploring the latest technologies and topics in digital transformations, including advanced analytics, cloud adoption, and digital business building.
Panel discussions brought together corporates and start-ups to explore how they compete or complement each other in a digital economy. Breakout sessions included discussions on industry-specific digital trends and strategies. Digital booths were set up throughout the convention to present live examples of cutting-edge technologies and their practical implementations, ranging from the “Internet of Things” booth showcasing the potential solutions IoT can deliver, to the unique “Spark Beyond” automated research engine that applies machine learning and artificial intelligence to ask questions and discover complex patterns in data.
While attendees came from a variety of backgrounds, from the region’s most reputable technology corporations to newcomers in the start-up ecosystem, a common thread that ran true was the importance of reinvention in the digital and connected age we live in today.