AfricaCom is the biggest B2B tech event in Africa. It attracts over 10,000 people annually from the entire digital ecosystem spanning the telecoms, media and ICT industries. The new, weeklong festival format and re-brand of AfricaCom will set the bar even higher for industry players through the expansion of the event offerings, creating a broader platform for delegates involved in powering the digital economy in Africa.
In line with these new plans, AfricaCom has launched a new, easy-to-navigate website from which it will reveal more about what’s new at AfricaCom 2016.
Jake McNulty, head of marketing, KNect 365 TMT (an Informa business), said: “We see an exciting opportunity to elevate AfricaCom to a powerful vehicle for digital transformation, economic development and social empowerment. It's going to be a bigger and bolder event with an audience of over 10,000 people, that spans the entire digital ecosystem – a week-long festival of thought-provoking content, immersive satellite events, fun new social activities, and unique networking experiences.”
The relaunch will reinforce the fundamental purpose of AfricaCom, which is to connect the digital ecosystem by bringing thought leaders and industry players together and equip them with the necessary information and tools to connect all people and businesses in Africa. The new conference programme is designed to inspire, challenge assumptions, fuel debate, and tackle the most difficult and controversial questions facing the African telecoms, media and ICT industries.
New features for 2016 involve a series of social events such as the AFest (a music festival at the Shimmy Beach Club); AStars (a leaders under 30 programme); VIP Experiences, including golf days; and the Long Street Takeover (bar crawl).
Additional conference features boast the: Leaders In Africa Keynotes - a series of international names discussing Africa’s digital development story at the end of each day; and new content tracks for Enterprise ICT and Telco Big Data.
Last year we saw an increase of 10% in attendance so AfricaCom intends building on that success to create a vibrant platform from which the community can do more to accelerate connectivity and shape Africa's digital future.
This year attendees have a plethora of opportunities to interact with disrupters, innovators, pioneers, investors, visionary leaders, industry heavyweights, regulators, and governments.
“We’re working closely with industry experts to inject fresh vigour into our sessions to ensure that attendees emerge feeling informed, energised and equipped to transform new ideas into action,” adds McNulty.
“AfricaCom is a critical platform to help accelerate the spread of ideas and collaboration throughout Africa and the rest of the world. We want to create insightful, year-round dialogue on the most pertinent topics at AfricaCom, and networking opportunities that stretch way beyond the last day of the show. The technology space in Africa is vibrant and constantly evolving so we want to evolve in line with the industries we champion and act as a business and technology portal for the architects of Africa’s digital future,” concludes McNulty.
