Leading telecoms and digital services provider PLDT together with enabler of digital business solutions in the Philippines, ePLDT, and in partnership with premier global market intelligence provider International Data Corporation (IDC), showcased transformational technologies that would redefine experience both in the enterprise and consumer markets at the 2017 Philippine Digital Convention, held from June 14 to 15 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom.
The two-day convention brought over 1,000 delegates composed of C-Level Executives, Business Owners and Key Decision Makers from the country’s top enterprises and SMEs across various industries to witness a showcase of digital innovations, upcoming trends and insights on disruptive technologies that continue to redefine customer experience.
"As disruptive technologies keep challenging old business models, large and small and medium enterprises need to discover and appreciate this emerging value proposition: that networks, applications, devices, and customer channels, all converge into one seamless ecosystem, to be able to deliver an experience expected and demanded by today’s end-customer ,” PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Eric Alberto said.
Carrying the theme “Redefining Experience,” the Philippine Digital Convention covered discussions on software-defined everything, internet of things, artificial intelligence, and cyber security.
Also set up during the convention was a Digital Expo where attendees experienced the latest and upcoming technological innovations live at work. It showcased a state-of-the-art exhibit that featured the future perspective of different industries enabled by technologies from PLDT, ePLDT, Smart, CISCO, Huawei, Samsung, Workplace by Facebook, Checkpoint, Enghouse Interactive, IBM, and ZTE, among others.
According to PLDT SVP and Head of Enterprise Jovy Hernandez, enterprise customers are looking for simplicity, immediacy, personalization, and always-on delivery of services. He identified four key enablers for enterprises to deliver a redefined experience for their customers: Software Defined Networking (SDN), the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity. Through these enterprise-grade technologies, businesses are empowered with insights that help make better business decisions, become more efficient in the way they operate, allow engagement with their customers at a more personal level, and provide digital services that are highly secure.
“We saw several breakthroughs in the past year, what we want to highlight now is how important these innovations are in helping businesses manage their entire customer value chain: from acquisition, service delivery up to retention. It is of utmost importance to ensure that they get the best experience all throughout to earn and keep their patronage and loyalty,” he said during the welcome address.
For the plenary session, top global technology thought leaders and experts shared their insights on the current digital transformation happening globally and how it impacts the enterprise experience. These include Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow, Zdravka Pasklaeva Newman, CISCO Head of SMART Cities for APac, Japan, and China, Dr. Robert Morris, Vice President of Global Labs, IBM Research, Karl Horne, CTO of Ciena, Tan Eng Tong, CEO of Cytron Technologies and Michael Smith, APJ Security Chief Technology Officer of Akamai Technologies.
Industry-focused discussions made up the breakout technology tracks, covering different sectors such as Banking and Financial Services, Business workplace, Education/Academe, Government services, Retail, and the Hospitality Industry. The discussions zeroed in on the challenges of these industries and empowered them with the right tools and technologies to future-proof their operations and elevate how they serve their customers and constituents.
An annually organized convention on its third run and focused on evangelizing strategic technology development and digital trends in business, this year’s Philippine Digital Convention sought to enlighten enterprises with relevant industry insights and immerse them in game-changing innovations that are foreseen to create a big impact on the current business landscape in the near future.