20 June 2018

iCEE.fest – My Aftermath

Irina # News

Hello, girls! I’m so happy I finally got some spare time, because I wanted write to you here on the blog about iCEE.fest – Interactive Central and Eastern Europe Festival – one of the largest and most important tech and digital initiatives in the Central and Eastern Europe. In the about section on their official site, the description is presented in a manner that briefly talks about the philosophy of the whole event, see below:

”Cutting out the PR bullshit (everybody claims that their project is the biggest and the greatest) we honestly can say that we are one of the largest and the most significant digital and tech related initiatives in the CEE and SE Europe region since 2012. 

We are doing our best on providing high quality, engaging content through the carefully curated conferences and master classes as well as the experiential areas (indoor and outdoor) featuring the latest items in tech and media.

We work hard but we party harder: stand up comedy shows, live music and famous DJ’s are also part of our DNA.”

Unfortunately, it was my first year at iCEE.fest. And I’m saying this because this event managed to keep me stacked on the Digiplex cinema staircases while listening to experts discussing, debating or contradicting the most discussed theories in the digital world. I mean – what are we talking about here, I had the chance to see & listen to – Andrew Weld-Moore (Head of Digital Business @Facebook), Brandon Keenen (Senior Digital Commercial Director @ CNN), Dan Oros (RO Marketing Manager @Google) and Jean-Christophe Demarta VP Global Advertising @The New York Times) debating the disruption in digital & technology (#howcool). However, I don’t intend to bore you with such a long introduction so I’ll leave you below with a series of ideas I extracted from the two-day conference.

Who? Brian Wong

What? Founder of Kiip, a mobile app rewards platform that lets brands and companies give real-world rewards for in-game achievements

Why?

For his perseverance, overflowing energy and great enthusiasm. Brian Wong has projected on the screen of the cinema a cold mail he has sent to the American Express CEO Ken Chenault, expressing his admiration for the philosophy of the company, also seeking tips for his own business. The outcome? American Express has invested in Wong’s company. He had a really inspirational speech in which he insisted on a positive approach towards challenges, the beneficial energy around such an approach (which is exactly the energy we need online, we are in 2018 after all). Use the advantage of youth, the benefit of a fresh mind. Stay young in your heart and in your mind.

photo credit: iCEE.fest

Who? Grant Sabatier

What? Fondator Millenial Money (https://millennialmoney.com)

Why? For the sake of accuracy, for how easy he made so many people resonate with his story and also for the light prospect over failure, or at least, a temporary failure that fueled an exemplary ambition. The ambition and self thought discipline have made Sabatier a millionaire at the age of 30. I liked this guy a lot. He spoke very seriously and responsible about how he was living with his parents, with less than $ 2 in his account, without perspective, without any relevant get out solution. And how he transformed this disappointment into a great advantage for him, teaching himself, completely free of charge, new things that brought him out of the comfort zone and brought him the undeniable financial success. And that’s not all, after having reached a point of financial stability (by being a millionaire though), he retired – in the sense that he gave up the company that brought him  money to focus on a more important, yet exhaustible resource – time. He put a question which, in my opinion, is rhetorical. “If a 90-year-old man would come to you and give you $ 100 million in exchange for your age, would you do it? Would you exchange time for money? “Sabatier’s presentation focused on mandatory readings for people who want financial independence and emotional balance, if you are interested in the concrete reading list, you can signal me in the comments area and I will send them to you. I already have them in my wishlist. Last but not least, Sabatier emphasized the personal footprint that each of us puts on his way to success. In other words, less imitation for more originality.

photo credit: iCEE.fest

Who & What? Mădălina Pangrate, Industry Manager @Youtube

Why? Because the focus on video is obvious and I’m not only referring to the blogosphere here. There are three basic elements that can help you in this direction, let’s say you’re about to start a channel on Youtube and you don’t know what to stake on. Authenticity, freedom, creativity. Take a look at your follow list and see if you find one or all of these items in the people you are following. Then follow this link as well. You will find all three ingredients. I memorized an idea projected on screen during the presentation, a statement made by a member of the Youtube community: “What is really unique about our generation is that we can connect with people that have the same really strange interests … and we don ‘ t feel so alone. That’s something we could not do before.” #truestory

Who & What? Yann Lafargue, Technology & Corporate Communications @Netflix

Why? Because our lives wouldn’t be the same without Netflix! Seriously now, the “blow” made by initiatives such as those run by Netflix & HBO towards the Hollywood industry has strong echoes in the millennial dynamic, as we choose to consume cinematic products in a different manner. And since we’re talking about blows, the advertising industry is another character deprived of attention by such form of entertainment, subscription video on demand. From the comfort of your home, at your complete convenience you have dozens of genres, without advertisements, without hearing someone chewing popcorn near you#MisophoniaAllTheWayEveryday

Besides, this year we will have Narcos – season 4. If you haven’t watched Narcos yet (have you been living under a rock?!?), it would be a good idea to start today, get up to date. It is reported that the fourth season will have El Chapo (the biggest drug lord of all time) in the spotlight, after filming was put under the question mark for a while when Carlos Muñoz Portal, which acted as a scout in search of locations for shooting in Mexico was found shot in the car. Narcos is a must watch.

That’s about it with iCEE.fest. A last thought, tickets for the 2019 edition have already been put on sale, if you want to get there, I advise you to take your tickets early (or to convince your company to provide you with tickets). You’ll be back with a lot of fresh ideas ready to be implemented # win-win.