SMBCON/22 - Agenda

6th-8th November, 2022
Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand

About SMBCON/22

After more than 2 years we will meet again in Bangkok, Thailand from the 6th to the 8th November. The event will be held at the Sofitel Sukhumvit.

SMBCON/22 (ALSMA Annual Conference 2022) is the region’s leading conference serving companies that provide digital advertising, marketing, operations, and commerce tools to small businesses throughout the Asia-Pacific region. SMBCON/22 is an unmatched forum for companies with shared interests to learn, connect, and form relationships leading to profitable partnerships.

You can now register for the SMBCON/22 here. Early-bird fees are available until the 15th of October so register now.

We look forward to seeing you again in Bangkok.

SMBCON/22 Agenda

The conference theme of this year’s conference is “Pause/Play” and we will be exploring how the business environment changed in response to the pandemic. Hearing about how Thryv Australia adapted to it and what you think the main SMBs challenges are and how Thryv as a SaaS company will respond to them would be ideal.

Program Overview

Sunday, November 6

19:30 – 21:30  Registration and Cocktail Reception

 

Monday, November 7

09:00 – 09:30 Registration 

09:30 – 12:15 Conference Program

12:15 – 14:15 Networking Lunch 

14:30 – 17:00 Conference Program 

18:00 – 22:00 Networking Cruise Dinner

 

Tuesday, November 8

09:00 – 09:30 Registration 

09:30 – 12:15 Conference Program 

12:15 – 14:00 Networking lunch

14:00 – 16:00  Board of Trustees and Heads of Delegation Meeting

Detailed Agenda

Sunday, November 6

19:30 - 21:30

Registration and Welcome Cocktail Reception

Belga Rooftop Bar & Brasserie (32F), Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

Monday, 7 November

09:00 - 09:30

Registration and Welcome Snacks
Please approach the registration desk to collect your name badge.

Ballroom 1 (7F), Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

09:30 - 09:40

Opening Remarks
Oscar Sousa-Marques, President, ALSMA

09:40 - 10:15

Keynote Address: Elise Balsillie, Head of Thryv Australia
Elise will share how Thryv Australia adapted during and after the outbreak of Covid19. She will share her perspectives on the main challenges SMBs face in the post-pandemic era. And she will describe how Thryv, as a SaaS company, will respond to those needs. Thryv Australia is the product of U.S.-based Thryv’s 2021 acquisition of Australia's Sensis. Thryv is a legacy Yellow Pages company that has pivoted into a SaaS company by offering SMBs an all-in-one business management software solution.

10:15 - 10:45

Featured Talk: FCR Media
Yosh Sagie, Consultant, FCR Media

10:45 - 11:15

Networking Break

11:15 - 11:45

Headline Talk: NTT TownPage
For decades, NTT TownPage has been Japan’s most recognized local directory brand. The company has a long history of enduring through disruption brought on by new technologies, changes in consumer behavior, and now, a global pandemic. A senior representative of NTT TownPage will share their company’s journey in helping its loyal small business customer base continue to prosper through a once-in-a-generation crisis like Covid 19.
Misumi Hiroyuki, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, NTT TownPage Corporation; Hideaki Tsumita, General Country Manager, APAC & Japan, Wix.com

11:45 - 12:15

Panel Discussion: Selling to the Modern SME
It has never been easy to sell to SMEs. They are always busy, demanding, and unwilling to spend time being sold to. And their needs constantly evolve. The crisis and rapid technological advancement are making this challenge even greater today. Our panel of leaders will offer some experience-based insights on selling to the modern SME.
Paul Donlan, SVP - Global Strategic Sales Partnerships, Wix.com; Trevor Nadeau, Founder, Local Knowledge; Benjamin Fuchs, Partner Growth Manager, advantago

12:15 - 14:15

Networking Lunch

Voilà (2F), Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

14:30 - 15:00

Headline Talk: Wix
Paul Donlan, SVP - Global Strategic Sales Partnerships, Wix.com

15:00 - 15:30

Headline Talk: DPC
Miggy Bautista, VP - Business Development, DPC

15:30 - 16:00

Panel Discussion: Industry Leadership Panel, Pause/Play
What has been the experience of leading a local search organization through the pandemic and recovery? We will gather several such leaders to share their experiences and perspectives on what the experience taught them about leadership and what they think the "new normal" will look like going forward.
Ricardo Bautista, President, DPC;
Rajeev Gupta, CEO, Adaan Digital Solutions;
Elise Balsillie, Chief Revenue Officer, Thryv AU

16:00 - 16:30

Networking Break

18:00 - 22:00

Networking Dinner Cruise

Please be at the hotel reception at 18:00 for dinner transfer.

Tuesday, 8 November

09:00 - 09:30

Registration and Welcome Snacks
Please approach the registration desk to collect your name badge.

Ballroom 1 (7F), Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

09:30 - 10:00

Keynote Address: Yext
Artificial Intelligence + Customer Experience = The New Alchemy New applications of AI are emerging daily with huge ramifications for the customer journey. Join us for a discussion of how conversational AI will negate Conway's Law through a new alchemy of AI-powered customer experiences.
Christian Ward, Chief Data Officer, Yext

10:00 - 10:30

Headline Talk: Trevor Nadeau, Founder, Local Knowledge
Most of us do not regard our postal services as leaders in delivering great customer experiences and services. If you don’t already know this, just check out some Facebook reviews for your local postal service. Still, as much we may not like our national postal services, by and large we do trust them. Trevor Nadeau, founder of UAE-based location management platform Local Knowledge, will share his company’s experience in helping national postal services in developing and emerging markets change negative consumer sentiment into positive reviews. And to do this while offering postal services a new source of recurring revenue while addressing an essential digital transformational need for SMBs, including digital location intelligence, discovery on Google, and more.

10:30 - 11:00

Networking Break

11:00 - 11:30

Headline Talk
Benjamin Fuchs, Strategic Partnerships, advantago

11:30 - 12:00

Panel Discussion: Building a Local Search Brand in 2023
What platforms should publishers, SaaS platforms and other local search players rely on to build their brands in the current environment? Facebook or TikTok? Podcasts? Newsletters? We'll ask some of our industry leaders where they invest in content, how much time they spend creating content, and which activities and platforms produce the greatest returns for their brands.
Trevor Nadeau, Founder, Local Knowledge;
Elise Balsillie, Chief Revenue Officer, Thryv AU;
Paul Donlan, SVP - Global Strategic Sales Partnerships, Wix.com
Miggy Bautista, VP - Business Development, DPC

12:00 - 12:15

Closing Remarks
Oscar Sousa Marques, President, ALSMA

12:15 - 14:00

Networking lunch

Voilà (2F), Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

14:00 - 16:00

Board of Trustees and Heads of Delegation Meeting

Wednesday, 9 November

11:00 - 16:00

Golf Tournament
Please sign up when you register for the conference if you wish to attend.

*Note: The agenda is subject to change without prior notice. 

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