Availability of accurate data and technology has been identified as a major tool to boost business activities during economic recession.
The Chief Executive Officer of Terragon Group, Mr. Elo Umeh, who said this in his opening remarks at the second edition of Terragon – Lagos Business School breakfast forum– stressed the need to make data work for marketing activities. The theme of the forum was, ‘Smart cities: Strategic positioning in the time of recession’.
Umeh said, “The value of marketing technology lies in what it enables, which is a customer’s ability to engage with a brand wherever they are and the platform they favour at that moment. To earn customers’ trust in your brand, you need to leverage data. Tapping into the power of data and mobile enables businesses to take marketing beyond awareness and lead generation to driving sales and conversions.”
According to him, this year’s topic was set to engage participants on the conditions in which a megacity like Lagos could help drive innovation, harness the value of the millions of mobile connections in the metropolis by using the power of data and technology for efficiency in a time of recession.
Guest speakers for the event were: an ex- deputy chief information officer and former Smart City director for the Barcelona City Council (2012-2015), Mr. Ramon Ferrer; and Professor Joan Ricart, a Professor of Strategic Management and Chairman of the Strategic Management Department at the IESE Business School.
Describing a smart city, Ricart said it takes the integration of software, services and technology to improve resource efficiency in homes, buildings, utilities and transport infrastructure. “Technology in isolation is unlikely to make a city smart. In any case, people will be choosing cities for more than its technology. Only when the technology is connected to the needs and aspirations of citizens will its full potential be realised,” he said.
Speaking on ‘Smart city vision: An opportunity for transformation’, Ferrer said there was the need to start the dialogue for making Lagos a smart city.
He said, “Barcelona is the first global smart city and the journey to this success took 30 years. With the current level of technology advancement/discussions in Lagos, the right alliances, industry partnership and a strategic plan can fast-track the process to earning the smart city status within a quicker period.”
Earlier, the CEO of Teragon stated that the Terragon – LBS breakfast forum– was born out of a partnership with both organisations. He said it was designed for senior management audience across various sectors, addressing the possibilities within the digital ecosystem and how businesses can harness the opportunities through globally competitive solutions that are locally relevant in a highly competitive economy.
No comments:
Post a Comment