During the last few years we have witnessed incredible growth and transformation in the digital advertising industry, which were driven mainly from the expansion of mobile tech and the new types of wearable devices on the market. According to 2016 internet advertising revenue report digital video has generated the greatest gain of any format across desktop and mobile. The revenues continue to go up, despite the mass adoption of apps and programs for ad blocking. Many experts predict that the industry will be driven forward by the need to deliver better and fewer ads to the customer. Most of them believe that 2017 will be the year that messaging services will take the lead. The reason for that is the rise of chat bots, who are attracting more and more budgets. But new types of bots are bringing some risks along with the value they add. Machines that create fake clicks and views can also steal information for our credit cards. This will put additional pressure on the cyber security and privacy experts, who will have to find out new ways to protect us from ad frauds and detect the toxic bots. Right now about 60% of Google’s net global ad revenue comes from mobile, up from about 45.8 percent in 2015. The company expects that by 2018 almost 75% of its ad revenues worldwide will come from mobile ad placements. The development of messaging apps like Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp is proving that customers want a more direct and private communication. We can expect to see entirely new options for paid content. The global practice chairman of Edelman Digital Kevin King predicts that the billions of daily users in the messaging platforms will enable marketers to make the best of new engagement opportunities. He is sure that these conversational experiences will combine past revolutions in e-commerce and text services, while in the highlighting the potential of AI. Meanwhile, the mass production of VR and AR devices will bring significant improvement in software and will increase brand efforts to penetrate this new market. If you want to keep up with the hottest trends in the world of marketing Webit.Festival is the right place for you. During the Marketing & Innovation Summit, you can listen to top level speakers such as the Global Editorial Director of Wall Street Journal Custom Studios Fara Warner, the President and Global Brand Director of Havas Worldwide Jason Jercinovic and the Head of CMO practice of Forbes Media Bruce Rogers.

We are living in increasingly digital world, but there are several emerging technologies, that will probably be a catalyst for long-term innovation. In 2016 tech like AI, VR, AR, Chatbots and automated cars took major leaps in terms of their adoption and we can certainly say that robots are no longer coming, because they are already here. In the age of digital transformation disruption has become the key word for innovative businesses. And now almost every industry from transport to finance is facing big changes through technology. This year we can expect more connectivity, more automation and more significant impact of technology in investment and business than ever before. Here are the 5 most important technological trends that everyone must watch for: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Artificial intelligence is already a part of journalism, healthcare and even customer support with the rise of chat bots. Many expert believe that 2017 will be the year we embrace the cultural shift and start trusting AI with more and more jobs, that were previously done manually. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed us the best of smart homes innovation with his house virtual assistant, but there is still a lot to come. Gartner defined AI and machine learning as the two most disruptive trends of the year. Virtual Reality (VR) This year virtual reality is finally breaking the limits of digital entertainment and gaming sectors and is going out in the mainstream. The two spheres, that are most likely to benefit from the invasion of VR are Education and Healthcare. But soon the next reality will be found in nearly every aspect of our lives. Now it’s up to the business to find out how virtual reality can add value to its marketing, customization of products and much better customer experience. Immersive experiences with AR and VR are reaching tipping points in terms of price and capability but will not replace other interface models. 3D Printing Although 3D printing can hardly be defined as a new technology, the real advances in this field came during the last 5 years. 3D printing is going to disrupt manufacturing, e-commerce and retail, not only with new method for mass production, but with ways for personalization. Meanwhile, the idea for Tesla’s smart factories, in which machines are building machines, are just a step towards the concept of self-replication robotics, drones and home systems. Digital Identification & Biometrics With the coming age of IoE we are quickly moving to a time, where our personal information will all be stored biometrically. This process has already started with fingerprint sensors on our phones, but soon the biometric identification will spread to face recognition and iris scans. This year will mark the beginning of ”digital twin” representation. This innovation will allow analysis and simulation of real world conditions and improving of operations using data on how the components of a device operate end respond to environment. Automated vehicles The era of automated vehicles is just around the corner. It will affect not only the sector of transportation, but also the labour market, city traffic and air quality and even the way we spend our free time. The driverless cars will offer numerous social benefits, such as better personal mobility, decline in the number of injuries and fatalities and increased productivity, due to the time freed up while traveling. Although we can’t expect a fully autonomous car this year, we will see more and more companies present their concepts about their future models, where the driving is not the focal point of the user experience. In the next few years we will see self-driving taxi services, provided by companies like NuTonomy, Uber and Lyft, while automation giants, such as Ford, BMW and Toyota will continue their work on providing the best product for this new market niche. You can learn more about the newest trends in technology sector by attending to Webit.Festival Europe. During the two-day agenda of the festival in Sofia you can listen to top level speakers from all over the world, who will share their experience on topics, such as Marketing & Innovation, FinTech & Blockchain, Big Data & Cloud, IoE, Digital Transformation, Security & Privacy, Health & Wellbeing and Mobility.

Despite of having the lion share of the world’s money, financial markets are among the most conservative fields of business and are usually focusing more on the results than on development and deployment of innovative solutions. But the fast spread of disruptive companies like Robinhood, which allows free stock trading, has made 2016 really amazing for the FinTech industry and led to its moving into the mainstream. Just five years ago FinTech was not something that most people would invest in, but now, it has become one of the hottest industries in the startup world. Why? Just because it gives the chance for a new company to offer services and compete with the big banks. Let’s just think about how easier it has become to make a bank transaction online than it was few years ago. Now every big financial institution is obliged to incorporate online banking in its platform to be competitive on the market. The internet platforms for crowd-funding are just another example of how FinTech has made our lives better and has empowered people to invest in projects on the other side of the globe. This type of technology continues to dramatically change the landscape for several spheres and the process is not going to slow down in the near future. Experts predict that in 2017 we are going to see credit and debit cards becoming more and more useless in the developed world, where cash is quickly giving way to phone financial transactions. The CEO of Vena Solutions Don Mal says that now having a smartphone in your pocket is much more important than your physical wallet. His expectation is that in the next five years the market for contactless cards will double and most of the retailers will accept mobile wallets. Meanwhile the biometric sensors on our phones will work not only for the HealthTech industry, but also for better payment security. In the near future we will see an multistep process for verification, which may include fingerprints, iris scans and facial recognition. Of course the better financial technologies will benefit not only the rich. In fact, they can be even more important for people in developing countries. In Kenya the system, that locals call “mobile money”, allows those without access to bank accounts to deposit, withdraw, and transfer cash with a simple SMS. According to Science Magazine’s study the access to M-PESA, the country’s most popular mobile money system, lifted hundreds of thousands of Kenyans above the poverty line. The network was introduced in the country in 2007 by Kenya’s largest mobile service provider - Safaricom. It is now used by at least one person in 96% of Kenyan households. You can learn more about the newest trends in FinTech and Blockchain sector by attending to Webit.Festival 2017. During the two-day agenda of the festival in Sofia you can listen to top level speakers from all over the world, who will share their experience on topics, such as Marketing & Innovation, Big Data & Cloud, IoE, Digital Transformation, Security & Privacy, Health & Wellbeing and Mobility. Among them will be the Executive VP for Global product strategy of Wirecard Christian Von Hammel-Boten and the venture capital investor and CEO of Novus Ordo Capital Liliana Reasor.

We are living in the time of the Fourth Industrial Revolution - a process that unites biological, digital and physical spheres. And perhaps the most important condition for unfolding of this process is the coming age of Internet of Everything (IoE). According to most experts, it will bring an enormous shift on our way of living, solving problems and creating value for business. In the near future our cars, houses, fridges, stoves, light bulbs, clothes and visual devices will all be interconnected. This has the potential to create new capabilities, richer experiences and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, countries and individuals. A Business Insider analysis calculates that by 2020 there will be around 34 billion devices connected to internet worldwide, compared to 10 billion in 2015. Internet of Things (IoT) devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices as smartphones and tablets will be around 10 billion. Over the next five years the market for IoT solutions will reach nearly $6 trillion. Business is looking like the top customer of this kind of products because of the perspective for lowering of operation costs, increased productivity and expanding to new markets. By year 2020 more than 5 billion people will be connected to the web. This is nearly seven times more than their number in 2000. The new internet users will come mainly from Africa and Asia and their connection will be mobile. This creates entirely new economic reality, which is already happening. Just yesterday the idea of smart homes was interesting mostly for geeks and wealthy executives from the tech industry. But platforms like Amazon’s Alexa are soon going to make this concept affordable for nearly everyone in the developed world. With the coming of more people online, companies like Google are trying to make their services more accessible with smaller apps for budget devices and offline support. Today the tech giant announced that its Google search app for Android will save our queries while we are offline and deliver the results when our internet connection is established again. As Android is the most used operating system in developing economies where the internet quality is low this new feature will be pretty helpful for the millions of new users. Soon the company is going to apply it for iOS too. Meanwhile, Google is working with LG on producing the first Android Wear 2.0 devices - the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style. The smartwatches will be revealed on February 9. Both devices have options for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, while the sport model features cellular connectivity with 3G and LTE data, as well as GPS. As for now the expansion of wearables benefits mostly retailers and technological businesses, but the new features in these devices have the potential to improve our day-to-day activities and quality of life. IoE will make us more self aware in every life aspect of life, from eating habits and sport to management of our home and finances. You can learn more about the rise of mobile tech, sharing of information and connected devices during Webit.Festival 2017. During the two-day agenda of the festival in Sofia you can listen to top level speakers from all over the world, who will share their experience on topics, such as Marketing & Innovation, Big Data & Cloud, IoE, Digital Transformation, FinTech & Blockchain, Security & Privacy, Health & Wellbeing and Mobility.

It’s morning rush hour. You are on your way to leave the kids at school and then to go to your office. There are hundreds of vehicles in front of and around you, you’re stuck in the traffic, but you listen to your favorite radio station, you’re in your own car and you already got used to it. That’s the current situation - traffic is unavoidable, you think. But as cities nowadays get bigger and bigger, researches predict 70% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050. What does that mean? Crowded, polluted and an uncomfortable urban environment, a lot of you would quite reasonably imagine at first. But just here, the idea of smart cities comes to the rescue. When looking forward to the bright tech future, we can think of connected technologies, ensuring a better quality of life, conscious use of natural resources, instant communication and bettering of all that needs to be bettered. Imagine sensors showing you whether there are free spots on the parking lot, technologies limiting the water you’ve unconsciously wasted and cameras identifying the thief who has just stolen your bag. Imagine, but with your eyes open - in the years ahead, these appliances won’t be dreams, but reality. And not just in the big, distant cities. Just like with human brain whose full potential we don’t always use, by now urban cities use a very small part of their full capacity in terms of smart, friendly appliances and connected technologies. But it’s just the right time that this is going to change. Now, why don’t you watch this video and think again about the morning rush hour? What if you had this vehicle on your way to work? This ‘Straddling Bus’ was shown in action in the Chinese city of Qinhuangdao, in the Hebei province. The citizens have probably been reasonably shocked at first: The enormous vehicle-prototype “eating cars” which they’ve seen is around 22 meters long, 8 meters wide, around 5 meters tall. It provides 2 meters of underneath space for cars to travel and is able to carry up to 300 passengers. Maybe now this technology still feels too futuristic, but its creators and many others think it will give the perfect solution to overcome traffic. While driven cars may still seem long-lasting for many customers, tech innovators show us self-driven automobiles are soon to be widely affordable. While it may seem smart cities are only reflecting on humans’ lives, truth is technology connects to nature to help us save, not destroy it. While many big cities’ governments already embrace the concept of being a smart city, there are a lot yet to be convinced. To learn more on the topic of Smart cities and innovation, visit the Smart Cities Summit of Webit.Festival 2017 and hear the latest trends in Digital Transformation, Smart Mobility & Transportation, Smart Energy and many more. Amongst the confirmed speakers is Erion Veliaj, the current Mayor of Tirana, thanks to whose efforts the city was awarded for successfully applying innovations in communication between government and citizens. You will also see on the scene Alexander Renz, Managing Partner at New Mobility World, who works towards a future where mobility is environmentally sustainable.

The Theory of Evolution’s author Charles Darwin once said that it is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one that is the most adaptable to change. And more than any other aspect of human society, these words are relevant to the world of business, especially in the years of the next industrial revolution. The new economic environment in the information age is putting additional pressure for businesses to change, while the new players on the market are disrupting whole industries. J.P. Morgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon thinks that all the major banks are endangered by the Silicon Valley. And if they don’t manage to up their game, the tech companies will take over their business. Right now there are hundreds of startups with ideas and money for creating alternatives to traditional banking. And if the banks don’t act quick with the digital transformation of their services, they can be overtaken by the emerging tech companies. According to Cisco System’s Executive Chairman, John Chambers, at least 40% of all businesses will die in the next 10 years, if they don’t figure out how to change their entire company to accommodate new technologies. This forecast includes even the companies in Fortune’s 500. Many experts expect that between 40% and 60% of them will not be on the list by the middle of the next decade. The process of digital transformation quickly became mandatory for anyone, who wants to survive the changes. We can see examples of that everywhere, and even industry’s biggest are trying to adapt to this next generation of computing. For most of the businesses this transformation end up with simple solutions, like using automated software for the processes, that were previously manually-driven. But there is much more. For retail and financial institutions the new technology gives the opportunity of omni-channel programmes for selling products and services in new ways, while adding more analytics. All this helps for finding new paths to the customer, and in the digital age importance of his experience is growing rapidly. Customers are more cautious than ever and are ready to turn their back on any brand that don’t align with their values and needs. Innovation and agility are the best ways to stay competitive in evolving market, and this needs constant assessment, testing and analysis of new technological solutions. But to know the most effective practices of digital transformation, you most certainly must learn from the best. This year Webit.Festival is the place, where you can meet policy makers, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, scientists and experts fascinated by technology and fostering the digital transformation in the business and the society. During the two-day agenda of the event you can listen to top level speakers like the CEO of JetPack Aviation David Mayman and the VP Digital Transformation at SCA Gael De Talhouet.

This year everyone will keep talking about Artificial Intelligence, but the industry that is most likely to benefit quick from the development of this amazing technology is transportation. In fact Mobility is the hot word for business all over the world, mainly because the transport cost is a main part of the price mix of almost every product on the market. During the last year many of the big players in the automotive industry followed Tesla’s and Google’s example and announced their big plans for applying AI in the new models, mostly by building systems for autonomous driving and in-car entertainment. The concept of self-driving cars is going to totally transform the whole transport sector, mainly through getting the driver out of the equation - both in the sphere of personal and enterprise vehicles. In turn this will change the overall user experience in the automobile and enable owners to make greater use of their connected cars. This process is about to add the hours spent driving to our free time and develop entirely new industry of automotive entertainment. The news are well received by the electronic sport companies and the whole video game sector. Of course the change is beneficial not only for the entertainers, but also for the sellers. Last week BMW has teamed with Accenture to build an augmented “car visualiser” that is using Google’s Tango technology to show full-scale virtual versions of the i3 and i8 models. The clients in the company’s showrooms can enter the simulator and customize the whole interior and exterior of the car, so that they can order a personalized version of it. The innovative devices will be piloted across BMW dealerships this year and if the marketing department of the company determines that the project is successful, it will be deployed on larger scale. Meanwhile, the computer giant Nvidia revealed a powerful system that gives cars the ability to drive themselves. First part of the project is named Co-Pilot and is built as an AI assistant to drivers. It takes data from sensors in and outside of the vehicle through cameras and microphones and creates a profile of the surroundings. The assistant will notify the driver when he needs to react on a situation via voice signals and other means. Nvidia already announced new partners for bringing autonomous vehicles to public roads. The company is working with Audi for embedding its AI tech in the new model’s hardware and software by 2020. The automaker’s ambition is to build not only smarter, but a safer vehicle for its customers. If you want to keep up with the latest trends in mobility, personal and corporate transportation and their application in business and the smart cities of the future come, then Webit.Festival 2017 is the right place for you. In the Enterprise section of the event you can listen to speakers like the Managing Partner at New Mobility Consulting, Alex Renz, who is helping corporations, startups and investors take advantage of the opportunities emerging from the digital transformation of transportation and mobility. Among the other confirmed speakers is the Managing Director of Startupbootcamp Smart Transportation & Energy Tanja Kufner.

In marketing you always have to be one step ahead of the pack and if you don’t have a crystal ball in your office, the best way to be switched on the trends of the future is to build a better understanding about the technological advancements of today. In fact new tech is more than just an engine of the digital age marketing. It is a generator for new types of customer demand and market shifts. According to Entrepreneur Magazine’s poll, 51.9% of the marketers worldwide named video as the content type that gives the best return of investment. Meanwhile Cisco predicts that by 2020 video will account for 82% of all consumer internet traffic. This hot trend is visible even in the media coverage as more and more outlets prefer to share a viral short and texted clip on their timeline instead of writing an long analytical piece on the topic. The reason for the new strategy is the new life dynamics and the inability of users to hold their attention on something for more than minute and a half. Social media already promotes the video content in their algorithms, while Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg forecasted that within five years the social network will be mostly filled with video. About 43% of people online want to see more video content from marketers, but social media gives even more effective ways to communicate directly with the customer. One example of that is the the Snapchat geofilter that gives businesses the capability to customize ads and to target them to the users in specific location and time, for example the attendees on a concert, sports event or Webit.Festival 2017. Apps like Snapchat are becoming a prefered advertising option because of the limited lifespan posts they are providing. That way companies can run ad campaigns that disappear after a set period of time. Instagram already launched their own feature for this type of marketing activity. Five9’s CMO Kevin Garvin thinks that in 2017 video customer service will finally go mainstream and will be a powerful tool to ease communication problems in an easy and efficient manner. Part of the reason is the advance in marketing tech, that gives small and midsized marketers sophisticated tools with small budget. Many companies that never considered advertising on TV can now add an online video strategy to their program for B2C communication. Last year was big for live streaming as every major social network has incorporated this in its platform. But before they start streaming the marketers first have to carefully think about ideas for authentic instant content. If you want to keep up with the hottest trends in the world of marketing Webit.Festival is the right place for you. During the Marketing&Innovations Summit, you can listen to top level speakers such as the Chief Creative Officer at DigitasLBi Chris Clarke, who was recently placed at 53th place in The Drum’s Adverati list of the most influential people in advertising.

Artificial Intelligence and Automation are the two biggest threats to the job security in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. According to a report, released by the Obama administration in the end of the last year, nearly 47% of the jobs in USA are at risk in the next 20 years.

Signs for what is coming are all over the news and even the notorious astrophysicist Stephen Hawking predicted that the increasing automation is going to decimate middle class jobs and worsen the already big inequality and political instability worldwide.

This process has already destroyed some jobs in traditional manufacturing and the development of AI is going to extend this trend to the service sector, when only management and supervisory roles remain safe, at least for now. Of course, the US administration report notes that the new technology will open new career opportunities for those with higher-level skills. But even they will need government-supported re-training programs to help mitigate the negative impact of automation by preparing displaced workers for their new jobs. Last week Japanese insurance company Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance laid off more than 30 employees and replaced them with artificial intelligence system that calculates payouts to policyholders. The firm management believes that this will boost its productivity by about 30% and will return the investment in less that two years. The annual cost savings will amount to about £1m and the cost of the system installation is £1.4m. It is based on the IBM’s Watson Explorer. Late last year the world’s largest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates announced that it is building software that will automate the daily management of the company and will deal with the hiring and firing of employees and other strategic decisions. The company’s founder Ray Dalio assigned to his software engineers the task to ensure that the firm is managed according to his vision when he is not at work. They have built a tool that incorporate different rating into personal profiles of employees that show their strengths and weaknesses. Another app set goals for them and monitor their implementation. Although there is no unanimous opinion about the exact impact of AI on the labour market and the industry in the coming years we can certainly say that it will be more than great. To understand more about the application of artificial intelligence techniques in products and business you can listen to the leader of IBM Watson Partner Innovations Europe Christoph Auer-Welsbach. He is one of the confirmed speakers in the Tech Summit of Webit.Festival 2017 in Sofia. The expert will also talk about the best practices of high-growth startups on going from tested ide to scalable company. The main topics of his lecture will focus on Machine Intelligence, Cognitive Computing, FinTech, IoT and Smart City. During the Tech Summit you can learn the latest trends in Digital Transformation, IoE, BigData & Cloud, Security & Privacy, FinTech, Money & Payments. So, don’t waste time, these are all the important links you need: To buy your tickets for Webit.Festival Europe 2017 (EarlyBird expires soon), click here. To apply for speaking, click here. To apply for partnership, click here. To apply for exhibiting, click here. StartUP? Apply for the Founders Games Challenge by Webit.Foundation and get an opportunity for free festival tickets (500), free exhibition table (100) and opportunity to win 200 000 EUR (only 1), click here. To see the video gallery from Webit.Festival 2016, click here. To learn more about the events that are part of the festival, click here. To see pictures from our previous events, click here. For more information on the Global Webit Series and our events in Dubai, Singapore, New Delhi and Istanbul: www.Webit.Org.

By the end of the decade the market for digital health products and services will be at least $233 billion. Big part of this growth is due to the development of technologies for virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Digital health is already helping us to manage, track and improve our health and is improving our living standard. This innovative sector in medicine is only a part of the healthcare revolution in the last century, that has led to an increase in life expectancy worldwide with more than 25 years. Now that we are close to the limits of our lifespan limits the industry is more concerned with the topic of making our life not just longer, but more productive, especially during the years after 55. The healthcare of the new generation will soon increase efficiency in the delivery of services, reduce costs and personalize the whole process of treating the ill. Last year the 3D Visualisation Aesthetics Lab at the University of New South Wales managed to develop an actual model of cancer cell using the data from a high-resolution electron microscope and a CGI. This can totally transform the cancer treatment after decades of peering into a microscope to examine cells. Meanwhile the Australian VR company Liminal is trying to provide better life experience for people, who aren’t able to leave their hospital bed. The reason for that is not just comfort, but the fact that loneliness is often linked to higher risk of disease and slower recovery time. The VR and AR are already revolutionizing the surgical education and training. If you find this interesting you can meet in person the pioneer in this new branch of medicine Dr Shafi Ahmed. He is one of the first confirmed speakers for the Digital Health Summit during Webit.Festival 2017 in Sofia. Dr Ahmed is the first person in the world who live-streamed an operation using Google Glass. In 2014 he showed the world the removing of cancerous tissue from the liver and bowel of a 78-year old man. You can watch a link here. But beware, there are graphic images. In an online poll, nearly 90% of the students who watched the live video said that they want this type of learning process to be part of their curriculum. During the Digital Health Summit you can also learn the latest trends in EHRs, Telehealth Systems & Telemedicine Developments, Mobile Health Applications & Devices, Medication monitoring & Wellness Devices, Chronic Care Management, Genetic Science and Pharma Technologies.