The 9th edition of ArabNet Beirut 2018 will take place on February 20-22. The event will feature more than 80 speakers from the MENA region and beyond the Middle East to discuss opportunities in digital media, entrepreneurship, and much more.

 

ArabNet Beirut 2017 will host a Banking Innovation Track. The Banking Innovation Day will bring together 150 bankers, technology providers and agencies to discuss the latest innovations in banking technology, from smart branches to mobile payments. The Day will feature two full tracks, one focused on digital marketing for banks, the other on digital products / channels - which will allow leaders in the banking sector to source suppliers and service providers who can help them navigate these digital transformations.

There also will be a full day featuring Founder's Day, previously known as Prototype Day, that will be dedicated for workshops only.

Moreover, there will not be 1 or 2 competitions, but 4 competitions! In addition to the entrepreneur competitions (Ideathon and Startup Battle) the conference will include 2 competitions: Innovation Avenue and Creative Combat.

The Innovation Avenue will be dedicated to the makers, developers and designers of hardware and/or smart devices in the MENA region. Innovation Avenue will help these makers and innovators showcase their product and connect with potential partners, developers, media, and investors to help them grow.

A jury will select the top 6 innovators from across the MENA region, based on innovation and creativity, market potential, usability and reliability, design, and competitive advantage.

The Creative Combat is for the marketers and advisors: This competition aims to highlight young talents in the regional advertising, communications, and media industries. Teams of 2-3 students or professionals will have to come up with a plan for an effective digital marketing campaign that addresses a specific creative brief in just 10 days.

3 finalists will be invited to showcase their campaign plans where they will receive guided training and feedback. They will also pitch their campaign before a panel of judges and conference attendees, and the winning team will be awarded $5,000.

The Ideathon competition addresses startups at the idea stage in the web or mobile sector. 10 lucky finalists will get the chance to attend and pitch in front of investors. The 3 winners will receive cash prizes to help make their ideas come true.

The Startup Battle, which has been recently upgraded from Startup Demo, aims to support early-stage startups from across the MENA and help them grow their businesses. 10 finalists will have the opportunity to pitch locally and 3 country winners will compete regionally.

The 3 country winners will be flown to Dubai for the ArabNet Digital Summit where they will compete at the Startup Championship. The Startup Championship winner will receive $20,000, along with an acceleration scholarship in Silicon Valley and in-kind prizes from partners.

Lastly, ArabNet will be launching a new research titled “Lebanese Innovation Economy - Tech Startups”. The research analyzes Lebanese tech startups through the lens of the following six pillars: ease of access to funding, ease of access to talent and tech skills, strength of infrastructure and support organizations, ease of access to markets and customers, a culture of entrepreneurship, and finally regulatory frameworks.

Register today here #ArabNetBeirut