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Startups that are looking to enhance their leads, build strong relationships with the world’s prominent business figures, and are looking to boost up their brand name, do not miss out on global tech-conferences like the TNW Europe Conference 2018.

If the name doesn’t ring a bell, TNW Conference is a tech-centric festival that attracts global tech-executives, investors and innovative startups under one roof. Offering amazing networking opportunities from business meetings, roundtable sessions to elevating their knowledge and skills by getting insights into the right ingredients for a positive ROI. If you’re a curious startup owner or an investor, wanting to know the key takeaways of TNW Europe Conference 2018, held in Amsterdam on May 24 and 25, you’ve come to the right place because we’re bringing you Esam Hammad, Executive Director – Customer Engagement of Tamkeen Bahrain and Omer Rana, CEO & Co-Founder of Elephant Social to tell you all about their experience!

According to Esam, “TNW is one of the leading events for online businesses and forward thinkers looking to discover the latest innovations in the tech world. We received an invitation from the organizers to attend the event and assess its relevance to our customers and our priorities in Bahrain as a startup hub. This year around 15,000 attended the conference, which is its biggest edition so far.”

Omer, having worked over a decade globally in tech and advertising, shared his unique perspective as a seasoned digital expert saying, “Understanding that we don’t know everything, helps us take the most from any event. My biggest takeaway from the event was the brave ideas of enthusiastic startups and cross-disciplinary projects where art, science, and commerce came together at TNW.”

  • Inspiring global tech players in the tech scene.

On networking with international markets, “TNW opened doors to explore and learn more about how global companies are handling their growth on a massive scale. One notable speaker shared advice on entering the Chinese market in tech and tips on learning to cope with its copycat nature.” For Omer, this was crucial information, as he is heavily involved in tech and leading a Bahraini startup with Dr. Khalifa Al Khalifa.

  • The degree of innovation.

Technology is rapidly moving in Europe, faster than the GCC. “We have robots that look like human beings, augmented realities and ideas that seem way ahead of our time. Not all of this information reaches us. First-hand access to latest tech gives you an ‘edge’ if you are to compete globally.” Added Omer.

  • Interactive workshops.

Esam told us that the conference had something for everyone, and the content was organized into specific tracks for different industries such as machine learning, music, etc. There were also a gathering of international ecosystems at the StartupCity Summit, which gathered people from cities all over the world to talk about growing startup ecosystems.

Esam and Omer told us how events similar to the TNW Conference could be beneficial to the tech scene in the Kingdom of Bahrain:

  • Partnering up with the right people.

Omer told us that getting brands like Amazon Web Services (AWS) involved in setting up similar concepts in the Kingdom will attract good speakers what are willing to share great content. He added that brands are eager to roll into partnerships for tech events with their own goals, but the diversity will add to the success of the event. One example he shared was from TNW’s partnership with Paypal that made the conference a cashless, queue-less process.

  • Involving the Bahraini youth.

An event similar to the TNW can expose Bahraini youths and graduates in different fields like design, engineering, and technology through workshops and sessions. Involving them in the tech scene will add value to the Kingdom’s vision in becoming a digital and knowledge-driven economy.

  • Opportunities to thrive.

Esam mentioned how the tech world might not be very familiar with our part of the world, which gives us an opportunity to create new international platforms and build on the success of events like Bahrain Tech Week, that’s going to kick off in late October this year, and StartUp Bahrain week. Next year Bahrain will be hosting the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, and we are certain our international audiences will find a lot of inspiration in Bahrain.

  • You get what you give.

The most important advice is “Just remember, if you go to any event, the more you put yourself out there, the more you will get back. Talk to people with a reason, ask advice, don’t let any opportunity pass you by”, said Omer.

Esam encourages Bahraini startups to attend TNW conference 2019 even if it was for inspiration, since there’s something to take away from every talk, and it’s always the smallest of ideas that can spark a breakthrough for a startup. He told us that it could be an excellent platform to access investors from that market or discover partnership opportunities.

Enjoyed reading this feature? Then go ahead and read more features about Bahrain’s innovative startups here.