SPEAKERS
SPONSORSHIPS
AGENDA
TICKETS
HOTEL

APPLY TO SPEAK
AT SMBCON/24

The Alternate Intelligence

10 -12 November, 2024
Bangkok | Hotel Hilton Sukhumvit

Agenda

Two days of learning, networking
and fun in Bangkok!

The Alternate Intelligence

10 -12 November, 2024
Bangkok | Hotel Hilton Sukhumvit

SPEAKERS
SPONSORSHIPS
AGENDA
TICKETS
HOTEL

Agenda

DAY ZERO Sunday, 10 November 2024

ICT / Local	Details
5:00 PM	Registration Arrive at the hotel and register
7:00 PM	Welcome Cocktails \| Venue TBD Join us for cocktails followed by dinner. Get to meet your fellow attendees and set the tone for the next two days of exciting content and fun.

DAY ONE Monday, 11 November 2024

ICT / Local	Details
9:00 AM	Welcome Note Rajeev Gupta \| President, ALSMA
9:15 AM	Keynote Address \| TBD
10:00 AM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
10:40 AM	Tea Break \| TBD
11:00 AM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
11:40 AM	Sponsor Talk \| TBD
12:00 PM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
12:40 PM	Lunch Break \| TBD
2:00 PM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
2:40 PM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
3:20 PM	Tea Break \| TBD
3:45 PM	Sponsor Talk \| TBD
4:00 PM	Keynote Address \| TBD
4:45 PM	Panel Discussion \| TBD
5:30 PM	Closing Notes \| TBD
7:15 PM	Networking Dinner \| TBD

DAY TWO Tuesday, 12 November 2024

ICT / Local	Details
9:00 AM	Opening Note \| TBD
9:15 AM	Keynote Address \| TBD
10:00 AM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
10:40 AM	Tea Break \| TBD
11:00 AM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
11:40 AM	Sponsor Talk \| TBD
12:00 PM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
12:40 PM	Lunch Break \| TBD
2:00 PM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
2:40 PM	Guest Speaker \| TBD
3:20 PM	Tea Break \| TBD
3:45 PM	Sponsor Talk \| TBD
4:00 PM	Keynote Address \| TBD
4:15 PM	Closing Note \| TBD
4:30 PM	Lifetime Achievement Awards \| TBD
5:00 PM	ALSMA Board Meeting \| TBD
7:15 PM	Networking Dinner \| TBD

DAY ZERO Sunday, 10 November 2024

ICT / Local	Details
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM	Registration Lobby, Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok Please present your registration QR code at the registration desk to collect your badge and welcome bag.
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM	Welcome Networking Cocktails Poolside, 7F, DoubleTree by Hilton Join us for canapes and drinks and get to meet your fellow attendees and set the tone for the next two days of exciting content and fun. Welcome Networking Cocktails sponsored by Uberall

DAY ONE Monday, 11 November 2024

ICT / Local	Details
8:45 AM	Registration Grand Ballroom, 3F, Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok Please present your registration QR code at the registration desk to collect your badge and welcome bag.
9:00 AM	Welcome Remarks Rajeev Gupta \| President, ALSMA ALSMA’s President welcomes the delegates, offers an overview of the event that will unfold over the next two days, and shares a few suggestions for how the delegates can optimize their experience at SMBCON/24.
9:15 AM	Keynote Address Gengen He \| International Partnership Manager, Alibaba Amap Leveraging an Overlooked Opportunity with Big Data and AI Dr. Gengen He is an expert in the geospatial and mapping industry, with more than two decades of experience at the highest levels. In his keynote, Dr. He will offer strategic suggestions for effectively capitalizing on the demographic of overseas Chinese travelers by leveraging big data and AI. This demographic is very large and offers a tremendous opportunity to marketers.
10:00 AM	Keynote Address Philipp Kandal \| Chief Product Officer, Grab Building Digital Products in the AI Era Anyone who travels in Southeast Asia understands Grab’s importance to the region. As a true regional super-app, Grab doesn’t merely offer rides. It provides food, parcel, and grocery delivery, digital payments, and more. As CPO, Philipp Kandal is focused on creating products that are trusted and loved by Grab’s users and partners. At SMBCON/24, Philipp will share a valuable perspective on blending AI with human interaction to drive value in technology.
10:40 AM	Networking Break
11:10 AM	Panel Discussion Jared Turner \| CTO, Boostability Brendan King \| CEO, Vendasta Lex ten Veen \| EVP, Uberall Moderated by Charles Laughlin The SME Digital Toolkit What is the basic digital toolkit for SMBs in 2024? And how is it being shaped by recent events? What is the bar minimum an SMB must have in place to be considered a digitally enabled SMB? And who is best provisioned to deliver this toolkit to SMBs in the region?
12:00 PM	Panel Discussion Sumita Arora \| COO, Adaan Digital Solutions Miggy Bautista \| SVP, Directories Philippines Corp. Doris Wong \| VP Advertising, HKT Advertising Moderated by Peter Buxton The Role of Service Agencies in APAC In the local search/SME digital marketing world, every region is different in one very important respect. Every region has some variation in terms of the constituencies that aggregate small business customers. And are hence the ideal partners for international tech companies. In the APAC region, smaller service agencies play an important role in this regard. This panel will examine the important role these agencies play in the region, as partners for market access and in other important ways.
12:40 PM	Networking Lunch Scalini Restaurant, 2F, Hilton Sukhumvit
2:00 PM	Guest Speaker Brendan King \| CEO, Vendasta Connecting Data and AI Brendan King is the CEO of the global digital marketing platform Vendasta, which has been at the forefront of deploying AI to small businesses through its extensive partner network. At SMBCON, Brendan will share a vision for how AI and data can combine into a powerful force multiplier for SMEs.
2:40 PM	Panel Discussion Frank Grasso \| CEO, FeedOps Sudy Rao \| AVP Sales, Synup Swami Sekar \| Operating Partner, Accelerating Asia Ventures Moderated by Elise Balsillie The AI SME Opportunity Speakers representing a range of technology disciplines will gather to ponder one of the key questions underlying this event – is artificial intelligence a net positive for SMBs in APAC and globally?
3:20 PM	Networking Break
3:45 PM	Pocket Presentation Jared Turner \| CTO, Boostability The Latest in Local SEO Jared Turner is a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer of Boostability. There are few people in the world who know more about local SEO than Jared. And he will share an update about how to keep the major search engines happy and ranking your business and those of your customers.
4:00 PM	Keynote Address Paul Korber \| APAC Channel Sales Lead, Microsoft Advertising Prompting the New Era of Search and Generative AI Paul leads Microsoft’s channel sales operation. His talk will explore the transformative power of Generative AI and its impact on the future of search. Discover Microsoft’s strategic advancements in AI, including the integration of AI in advertising through Copilot, and how these innovations are reshaping the digital landscape. Paul will delve into the evolution of search and the role of AI in enhancing user experiences, sharing best practices for advertisers to optimize their campaigns using AI-driven tools. This will be a useful primer on the future of AI in search, focusing on proactive, personalized, and pervasive assistance.
4:40 PM	Guest Speaker Swami Sekar \| Operating Partner, Accelerating Asia Ventures The Outlook for APAC Venture Investing SMBCON welcomes APAC-based investor Swami Sekar to share his perspective on the region’s current environment for funding startups. Is startup funding more or less difficult to find? What sectors are attractive to investors in the latter half of 2024? And what does an early-stage company need to show to raise that pre-seed, seed, or Series A round in the current environment?
5:30 PM	Lifetime Achievement Award Before concluding the day, ALSMA will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to longstanding members of the region’s local search community to recognize their positive impact on the industry.
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM	Networking Dinner \| Oranuch Bangkok Restaurant This is always a great opportunity to continue discussions initiated during the day, deepen existing bonds, and forge new connections. Please wear the DINNER BADGE provided for entry. Gather at Hilton Sukhumvit’s lobby at 6:30 PM for transfer. Dinner sponsored by Vendasta

DAY TWO Tuesday, 12 November 2024

ICT / Local	Details
8:45 AM	Registration Grand Ballroom, 3F, Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok
9:00 AM	Day Two Opening Remarks Charles Laughlin \| Event Moderator Conference moderator, Charles Laughlin, summarizes key points from SMBCON Day One and offers a brief look at the day ahead.
9:15 AM	Keynote Address Natalie Ruiz, CEO, AnswerConnect Integrating AI with Human Interaction Natalie Ruiz is a much-heralded entrepreneur who leads AnswerConnect, a company transforming customer experience through human-powered solutions tailored for small and mid-sized businesses. Natalie shares her perspective on the pivotal role of integrating AI with human interaction to create unparalleled value. (Note: Natalie will join the session virtually)
10:00 AM	Panel Discussion Elise Balsillie \| Head, Thryv (Australia) Miggy Bautista \| SVP, Directories Philippines Corp. (Philippines) Hiroyuki Misumi \| Executive VP, NTT TownPage (Japan) Moderated by Charles Laughlin The Nuances of Developing Partnerships in APAC A group of senior leaders from the APAC region will offer a candid assessment of the nuances of developing meaningful partnerships with publishers, agencies, and other key small business aggregators in the APAC region.
10:40 AM	Networking Break
11:00 AM	Guest Speaker Neal Polachek \| Co-founder, Dialog How Are SMEs Embracing AI? Longtime local search analyst Neal Polachek presents findings on how SMBs use AI to run their operations better, faster, and more profitably. Neal supplements Dialog’s survey data with original survey research and interviews featuring APAC SMBs sharing their experiences with AI. This drives home the reality that this technology, while still early-stage in local search, is having an impact.
11:40 AM	Fireside Chat Paul Donlan \| Group Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships & NA Enterprise Sales, Wix The Intelligent Website: Transforming Digital Presence for SMEs Paul Donlan, a leader in strategic partnerships and enterprise sales at Wix, sits down with moderator Charles Laughlin to explore the evolving landscape of websites and digital presence for SMEs. With his expertise in positioning Wix solutions for enterprises, Paul shares his insights into the role of AI and intelligent design in shaping websites that dynamically meet the needs of small businesses.
12:00 PM	Panel Discussion Trevor Nadeau \| Managing Director, Local Knowledge Lex ten Veen \| EVP, Uberall Gengen He \| International Partnership Manager, Alibaba Amap Moderated by Charles Laughlin Is Google’s Global Search Dominance at Risk? As AI tools like Chat GPT have emerged, there have been growing questions about how AI will transform the search landscape. Will the behavioral changes brought about by AI also disrupt the balance of power in search?
12:40 PM	Networking Lunch Scalini Restaurant, 2F, Hilton Sukhumvit
2:00 PM	Pocket Presentation Oak Kodchasorn \| Business Development Director, Gogolook Guarding Against Fraud and Impersonation
2:20 PM	Fireside Chat Ashwin Ramesh \| CEO, Synup The Future Of Search & Discovery For SMBs In An AI World In conversation with Charles Laughlin, Ashwin will discuss the evolving landscape of local marketing and share his insights on navigating digital challenges to help SMBs thrive in a competitive market. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a pioneer in local marketing solutions!
2:50 PM	Networking Break
3:20 PM	Keynote Address Paul Massard \| \| Global Executive Trainer & Coach Mindfulness in the Age of AI: Elevating Inward Potential to Collaborate with Tomorrow’s Technology. Paul Massard, a renowned expert in mindful leadership and multicultural business dynamics, explores the intersection of mindfulness and AI. In this session, Paul shares his insights on how self-awareness and mental clarity can empower leaders to effectively collaborate with advancing AI tools, fostering balanced and purposeful leadership in the digital age.
4:00 PM	Conference Closing Rajeev Gupta \| President, ALSMA ALSMA President Rajeev Gupta and members of the ALSMA board will share their takeaways from SMBCON/24 and update the audience on ALSMA initiatives.
4:20 PM	ALSMA Board of Trustees & Heads of Delegation Meeting \| Boardroom, 3F, Hilton Sukhumvit ALSMA Members & invitees only

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