I am Liz, and I work for Business Net Solutions Ltd UK - the software development company behind Mobile Scorecard.
Earlier this year, I came across an advertisement for Rise Web Summit, to be held in Hong Kong, July 2018. It was said to be the biggest tech conference in Asia according to the Korean Times. My heart was beating fast and I had an adrenaline rush as I knew this would be a great opportunity to network and introduce Mobile Scorecard to Asia.
I did not tell my boss about it right away, and unbeknown to him, I applied as a volunteer. A few months after, I received an email from Rise that I had made it as a volunteer at the conference - I was thrilled! Right away, I printed business cards, booked my flights and a hotel for my stay in Hong Kong. Finally, I told my boss and the rest of our team - they were excited for me too!
A new experience in many ways
It was time to pack my bags and attend the conference. I was welcomed by a bright and vibrant Hong Kong. I could smell and see something beautiful and spectacular was about to take place. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre would soon witness a beautiful chaos of geeky developers, hopeful start-ups, keen investors and keynote speakers. In the first evening I experienced Hong Kong’s bright skyline as it came alive after dark and it got me so excited for the days to follow.
The next day it was time to hit the conference. The exhibition centre was huge and the sheer numbers of visitors highlighted just how important this event was for business networking. I thoroughly enjoyed working as a volunteer and the best part was that once I was finished my shift, I was then free to explore the exhibition venue.
A place for passion
It was amazing to see hundreds of startups from all different industries battling for the attention of venture capitalists for funding or partnership. I saw passion in action and everyone had faith in what they had created.
Investors were roaming around and carefully examining which technology start ups were worth investing in. There was also a variety of discussions, round table sessions and plenty of other useful information to take in from the centre stage. I loved that Rise had a mobile app for conversations between attendees, as it made it easier to reach out to people I wanted to network and connect with.
Business networking at night
The evenings are when the real fun happened. I have vivid memories of Night Summit where attendees let their guard down and conversations were not as intense as in the conference halls. At Night Summit, attendees were interacting on a personal level rather than as businesses. It was therefore easier for me to give out my business cards when I knew people were in lighter spirits.
What it meant for us
The experience taught me that I can. BNS - the company I am representing, can. Like other startups I had the opportunity to discover that Mobile Scorecard really does have a place in the market and now that we have had a taste, we have a vision to expand it further afield.
Mobile Scorecard is a solution that can be tailored to suit all different industries and we are determined to meet with new prospect companies, investors and partners to talk face-to-face about our solutions and the benefits it can bring to its users.
Mobile Scorecard is going to Web Summit Lisbon!
Web Summit is the umbrella brand of the Rise Conference in Hong Kong. It is said to be the biggest tech conference in Europe. I am elated to share that Mobile Scorecard has been chosen to exhibit as an Alpha startup in Web Summit Portugal on November 5-8 and I look forward to taking our amazing product and letting the world know that we can and we will. If you're heading over there and you're reading this article let us know!
To finish - here's a photo of me and the other Rise Web Summit volunteers (Front row - 3rd in from the right)!