COVID-19 THE GAME JUST STARTED VIRTUAL SUMMIT (EPISODE 4)

Written By: Farah Ahmed

If you became addicted to I-Gamify summit’s inspiration, be ready for the latest overwhelming streams! This time it is all about getting personal and being creative…

Day 13: “How to Build your Branding and Communication” with Nadeen Hossam a community manager in Cairo Angels and Dalia Kamal Ahmed a PR strategist.

Nadeen set the confusion between the marketing and branding. She explained the difference between them; Branding being the essence of the company or the startup and the core of marketing strategy. While Marketing refers to the tools used while delivering the message and differs as technologies and trends change. She gave some advises on the things needed to build an effective brand, including:

You have to include brand identity, brand persona, brand experience, brand story, and brand positioning
Consistency is very important in communication, especially in the growth stage
Develop a ‘Though Leadership Strategy’.

Dalia demonstrated the meaning of PR as it constantly works on building and convincing the publics of the organization they work in and its promotions. It also builds customer reality, set recognition of their brand influence, and follows content management, blogging and growth hacking. She then talked about the PR activities that any startup should focus on, including:

The Five Ws; why, where, when, who, and what
The ROI (Return On Investment)
Start the PR in the soft launch, and not in the execution process; as it is vital for the process of credibility and recognition.

Day 14: “Between Staying Home and Relations during COVID19” with Noha A. Zahra, Haidy Taher, and Asmaa Hanafi. This exclusive panel revolved around positive parenting during the quarantine and giving some tips and tricks for dealing with your children.

Noha an expert in education and humanities, and certified in positive psychology and career coaching. She stressed the necessity of mutual realization that all the family members are stressed during this time, the importance of balancing our time together as a family, and she gave some tips on how to be creative at home. Noha then advises that to deal with the exposed ‘psychological pain’, the person should be ‘present in the moment’ by meditation and not overthink the future.

Haidy a public policy and children’s rights researcher, and expert in early childhood studies. She discussed the ways to deal with kids at home and homeschooling. She also talked about the required cooperation between the parents to plan alternative activities to schools; as the kids need cognitive, social, personal, and psychical skills development. Likewise, this collaboration between the two partners is needed to raise the children based on codified freedom.

Asmaa a nuclear engineering researcher and expert in business entrepreneurship. She laid down some recommendations to be followed during the lockdown for the aim of positive thinking and psychology of peace. It starts by time management, controlling your reactions and anger, and putting a deadline for the sake of enjoyment and time investment; as it’s an opportunity to do all postponed stuff.

Day 15: “Our Lives after COVID19” with Rabab Yousry Fattouh, Amr Moustafa, and Sherif Elsemary. That day’s stream was more social-oriented on, where experts from daily fields came to discuss their future in a very enthusiastic discourse.

Amr is the owner of Amr Moustafa Hospitality Management Solution and food and beverage manager in Saudi German Hospital. He argued that the restaurant industry is very stressful and when the quarantine arrived, it brought many opportunities for re-branding and innovation. He believes that the industry of tourism and restaurants will be affected after COVID19, where there will be a boost in E-commerce, online services, and the role of food safety.

Sherif a certified personal trainer, and fitness manager for the Pyramid Gym. He explained the negative impact of the quarantine on the psychical transformation of our bodies, and the financial strife of the families that depended on this industry’s revenues. He assures that all this will lead to high demand for the gym industry post-COVID 19, and the direction of online training as well.

Rabab an expert in micro-finance and women empowerment, and social and business etiquette trainers. She considers this epidemic to be an eye-opening experience due to the growth of hygienic behavior and sanitization. Yet, there are some negative conducts by people, such as throwing used masks and gloves, bullying the medical staff and patients which will lead to a drop in the applicants in the medical field in the future, along with spreading rumors.

Then a debate was conducted regarding specific issues and whether or not there can be alternatives during this period. Starting with the Tourism Establishments Chamber new codes and rules, food safety management, doubling the disinfection and cleansing of gyms, the importance of fitness in strengthening your immunity system, till the lack of people’s awareness.

Day 16: “Ideation Workshop” with Jailan Yousri from Cleopatra Hospitals Group, powered by Start Egypt.

Jailan, who works in the health care sector and responsible for the digital transformation in Cleopatra Hospitals Group, led the panel this time. The purpose of the session was to conduct a workshop to brainstorm applicable ideas and solutions for ‘healtech’ services. Before they start the workshop, Jailan illustrated the digital transformation in health care before and after COVID 19 in several points. Before COVID 19, people were not familiar to using an application to book an appointment with a doctor, and the concept of integrated patient profile was somehow new. With the appearance of COVID 19, there was a revolution in health care and it took a complete new progressive direction. Let’s see what the ‘new normal’ became:

Home care services
Video call application with a doctor
Huge investments in ‘healthtech’
Personalization between doctors and patients
Cut off extra expenses
Development of the concept of ‘consumerization’ led to the startups to innovate and develop in ‘healthtech’ services.

Day 17: “Transformation & Innovation during COVID19” with Ahmed ElMowalad responsible for the sales digital programs and transformation at Oracle and Mahmoud El Mantawy a freelancing digital transformation consultant and analyst.

Mahmoud opens by illustrating how the new business landscape evolves heading to a trans-formative position. He describes the business as an ecosystem having different correlations, when new technologies (disruptive technologies) emerge, they shake the business in a specific industry. Companies that can adapt to the new factors and the transformation in the landscapes, like new trends and new information, can survive. But the companies and the business partners who can’t cope and don’t pay attention to the new technologies and change in the ecosystem, are threatened to end. Then Ahmed tackled the point of the essential steps towards digital transformation after COVID 19. He clarifies that it is not about technology as they are the tools and vehicles to reach the main objectives/motives, which are the demands and decisions of stakeholders and leaders. Leadership is what drives the change the most, like when they see a pandemic a decision for transformation occurs. He considers that some companies interpret new situations, as not a loss, but a challenge to fulfill the promise for customers. So, it is a personal drive (mindset) and a decision for digital transformation (digitalization) with the motive/view to be more effective.

Subsequently, Mahmoud clarified the overlap between the 3 terms of ‘digital’ and ‘business’ and ‘agile’ transformation. Besides, he emphasized the role and the qualities of the analyst during the process of the transformation. Thereafter, Ahmed highlighted the importance of culture as being the challenge or barrier of digital transformation, financing, and business. Still, it is addressable but takes time and transparency. During COVID 19, the culture needed for digital transformation is the flexibility of workers and businesses.

Here you go the latest update of the summit! Don’t forget to check the entire panel and see their amusing responses to various questions from the audience!

Day 13: https://www.facebook.com/IGamify/videos/1135890853428711/

Day 14: https://www.facebook.com/IGamify/videos/578016052833301/

Day 15: https://www.facebook.com/IGamify/videos/584189788885111/

Day 16: https://www.facebook.com/IGamify/videos/541333883166456/

Day 17: https://www.facebook.com/IGamify/videos/928014391011691/