By Natasha Jee & Nia Natasha Hasenan
KUCHING: In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 4th International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (IDECS) 2020 will be going hybrid with controlled participants attending the event live while the rest will be attending virtually via a webinar.
The two-day event themed ‘Data and Innovation Accelerating Social and Economic Prosperity’ will be held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Oct 7 and 8.
According to Deputy State Secretary (Performance and Service Delivery Transformation) and IDEC 2020 chairperson, Datuk Dr Sabariah Putit, this time the number of participants will be limited to 500.
They will be attending the event live on the first day while the second day sessions will be via webinar only.
“Due to the standard operating procedures (SOPs), we have to comply with the maximum capacity. But fortunately, we are capitalising on digital platform.
“The state is appreciative and grateful to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg who has been leading this digital journey since 2017.
“I feel we are moving forward in terms of getting more participation instead of less through the webinar session,” she told a press conference on IDECS 2020 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Monday (Sept 28).
“Through the Facebook live streaming, we can reach out to more people, which will be beyond 5,000 throughout the state,” she said.
On IDECS, she said it was launched by Abang Johari in 2017 to strategically position Sarawak as a digital hub and also a platform for the state to look into new areas of digital economy.
Also present were Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Dr Zaidi Razak, Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence chief executive officer Dr Asleena Datuk Helmi, Sarawak Information Systems chief executive officer Dr Anderson Tiong and SMA chief advisor Professor Jugdutt (Jack) Singh.
IDECS 2020 will feature Professor Stephanie Garelli (Emeritus Professor at Institute of Management Development (IMD) Lausanne) and also Randi Zuckerberg (founder and creative director of Zuckerberg Media) as the keynote speakers on day one.
Apart from that, for the track sessions on the second day a line-up of experts such as Inma Martinez (IDECS 2019 featured keynote speaker), and Professor Suk-Young Kim (K-Pop Multimedia expert) will be presenting their topics to expose participants to the tremendous potential unfolding from Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC) across high sub-themes.
Among the sub-theme topics are Significance of Data in Health Pandemic; Data Centre and Innovation — The New Oil; Competing in The Age of A.I; Human Development in Multimedia; Competitive Advantage of KPOP through Digital Media; Impact of Covid-19 on Online Retail; Nanotechnology in Commercial Agriculture and Reimagining Energy.
The registration fee for IDECS 2020 is RM1,200 per person. For the webinar, participants also need to register to attend.
On the second day, participants can also choose any track session of their interest at RM100 per track.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to officiate at the event on Oct 7 at 10am.
A live streaming of the launch will be available on TVSarawak (TVS) and Sarawak Public Communication Unit’s (UKAS) Facebook platform.
The public and private sectors are encouraged to join the event. For further information, visit ideas.sarawak.gov.my.
