We have all seen how the technological advances change the world around us by the day. They have change the way we live, the way we communicate with others, the way we organize our lives. And they are rapidly changing the way the businesses work. The introduction of new technology has led to not just changes in the existing businesses, but also to the creation and development of whole new fields like outsourcing. By making ideas more easily shareable than ever it has become simple to find like-minded people and create a startup together. This, combined with the power on the Internet has led to the creation of giants like Facebook, but has also allowed small business like WhatsApp to grow immensely over the course of a few years. Technology has affected the business in many ways, both directly and indirectly. On one hand, it has become easier for business to find new talent and build a lasting relationship with their customers with the power of social networks. On the other hand, it has become easier for customers to find a new company that can give them more value for their money, which has forced big companies to try and find new ways to satisfy their customers. One of the biggest changes we have seen in the recent years has been the development and popularizing of “loyalty programs”. While they look innocent and like a small change, programs like Tesco Clubcard or Wizzair’s Wizzclub have greatly affected the way people spend their money. By becoming a part of the club you are not only accepting the rewards it gives, but you are accepting the responsibility to keep giving your money to this company and not any other. The loyalty programs have also enabled companies to collect big data about their customers – what is the demographic, how much do people spend on average, what are their habits. By finding an answer to all these questions, a company can greatly improve the service it provides, which leads to more people joining the program, which leads to more data and so on. Technical advances have been affecting the business world ever since the invention of the steam engine. However, it has only been in the recent decades, with the invention of the Internet that we have seen a skyrocket of the impact technology has on every industry. No one can imagine building a company nowadays without having an IT department, or at least and IT guy. In the foreseeable future technology will keep increasing its impact on every area of our lives and on every area of our businesses.

On 21-22 April, CEEDS'15 got together in Sofia more than 3,300 top executives from Central and Eastern Europe. CEOs, founders, CTOs, CIOs and top managers shared their experiences during the ‪CEEDS by ‪‎Webit lecture stream and shared part of the marketing trends that will influence the market in the next few years. “Global Webit Series became a gateway between the corporate and startup worlds helping them innovate through collaboration,” said Plamen Rusev - serial entrepreneur and investor in technology companies, founder of the largest technology forum CEEDS'15 by Webit. He opened the conference with an inspiring speech, highlighting the speed of the technology advancement and the importance of being aware of the opportunities that this digital tools offer us in order to achieve a better future. The following lines contain all the inaugural speech of Plamen Russev: “We are living in a very unique in economic history time when the very potent cocktail of globalisation combined with digitalisation is giving wings to amazing companies and endeavours. The companies who arised on the waves of it are all part of our everyday living now – Google, Apple, Facebook, Uber, AirBnB to name some of them. None of these are targeting niche markets – all of them are on a quest of taking over the world. Now we are going through a global digital transformation – it is changing our lives, societies, long lasting industries, lifestyles... in other words we are now facing a social transformation that ultimately will affect each and every person in this room, in this region and around the world. The phenomenon of this digital a.k.a social transformation is that it is taking place globally, at the same time and almost the same speed and impact and that it is driven by a quantified number of people (mostly located in the Silicon valley) with armies of developers chasing artificial intelligence and creating real life solutions which few years ago were considered science fiction and impossible. Do you remember when you first read about self driving or driverless cars a few years ago? A pure example of innovation thinking – you take the most important things in a product which you know and start removing the most important component of it. This is the way many new products are born, but in the driverless cars case you not only remove the wheel, the pedals and all connected to them controls, but the driver! So a few years ago when this hit the news – we all thought it might take decades to see it on the street – if we see it at all. Now all states in America already voted acts allowing such cars on the streets, UK is planing to become the largest adopter of the technology by 2017-2018. Something which was considered crazy a few years ago is adopted as normal today and the technology development is not linear but rather exponential and it is a fact that it started to advance faster that science fiction itself. What I believe we shall see next is the digital transformation being led by a few hundred tech illuminates and investors leading to a global revolution. Imagine what will happen to the thousands of taxi drivers in just few years when driverless cars become common on our streets. What about the artificial intelligence – it might not be news for you but the fact is that algorithms in the US control some 70 percent of all trading on the stock market these days. And it is not even close to artificial intelligence – imagine the impact over the human kind once it is achieved in the way some people think of it! Today you may sequence the human genome for a few hours and for some 1000 USD. Imagine how this can influence medicine tomorrow? Imagine how all the above is changing the world we live in. These technologies are all impacting one another but still each going its way. Imagine what will happen if a common platform may leverage on all of them and use them in synergy and simultaneously – and this platform is the AI. Imagine the speed of innovation and the horizons of it. Imagine how it will look compared to today. Now stop imagining. It is today! "The singularity is already here," says the person bearing the personal responsibility for technology taking over the science fiction. "It's not something that just happens next Tuesday at 9:40 in the morning. It's a process and it is taking place right now." says Sebastian Thrun, founder of Google X laboratory which for the past years created more new symbolic products and innovations such as driverless cars, Google glass, contact lenses that measure blood-sugar levels and many more. Thrun says "It's not the naysayers, but the optimists who will change the world, and the consequence is that such people will also amass more wealth and power." This is the reason the Webit community grows at 4 continents and brings so many amazing optimists together. "Over 120'000 people are part of our community newsletters from all around the world. Every year Global Webit series welcome over 15 000 people to our events in Europe, Middle East and Asia from over 110 countries. All of them, all of you are the optimists who are changing the world and who are part of the Digital transformation." The Global Webit Series because the largest EMEA digital economy forum to help boost the knowledge transfer, business networking and opportunities and innovation. More that this we are the most startup friendly enterprise events welcoming hundreds of selected innovative startups in technology, science, energy, commerce, fin-tech, health, edtech, digital entertainment, infrastructure, Big Data, cloud, etc. More than this – every year we are supporting them with a grant of a Millon Euros in marketing, PR, media and investors relations and investments. The Global Webit Series became a gateway between the corporate and startup worlds bringing synergy and helping them innovate through collaboration. But the humble beginning of Webit events was to change and improve the lives and chances of the people in Europe and more precisely for Central and Eastern Europe. Our team is not just making events and creating communities, we believe we bring happiness – we believe and know it by personal experience that people are happy being along with their families and friends and at the same time having opportunities for career and business development. This was the initial idea of Webit to help people from CEE embrace opportunities through the network which Webit brings, through the knowledge and knowhow transfer we empower and the business opportunities that arise from that. Recently I have heard through friends of mine about 3 young Bulgarians who proved the fact that the right time is now – not the future. 2 boy and a girl at their 17-teens won award for a robot they have build from various sources and using their pocket money and were selected among over 100 candidates at their age from all around Europe at the an international event in Vienna, Austria. Such young people are the proof that talent is equally distributed around the world – it is not only in America or Germany – it is everywhere – but we as society and individuals are responsible to invest in their education and opportunities if we want CEE and Europe to be part of the future I have shared with you in the beginning – and not only being spectators, but leaders and master minds. Тhe digital transformation leading to the global social transformation is a phenomenon that is still misunderstood, first and foremost by policymakers. If we want our home continent Europe to play a role in the future our Policymakers should master the framework creating the dreamers starting from school and the education system, legislation, healthcare, transportation and above all – to boost the entrepreneurial spirit, while following rules applicable for all. “ Annual Webit Series gather over 15,000 people worldwide and assist entrepreneurs from around the world, providing them with marketing resources, mentoring and opportunity for development by connecting them with investors, media and corporations. You can see the opening keynote of Mr Plamen Russev at CEEDS'15 by Webit in the YouTube Channel of Webit HERE.

Hosting more than 3,300 top executives from Central and Eastern Europe, the seventh edition of the largest technology forum CEEDS'15 by Webit was opened by its founder - Plamen Rusev -serial entrepreneur and investor in technology companies and the Vice President of the European Commission Digital Single Market, Mr. Andrus Ansip, special guest of the event.

"The potential users in Europe are about 500 million- far more than the 350 millionth US market, but that each Member-State is subject to its own regulations is a real challenge in front of the digital single market”, said Andrus Ansip during his speech at the opening of ‪CEEDS. "If we want Europe to take its role is extremely important to make the necessary changes in education and the legal system, health care and transportation, but mostly to begin to encourage entrepreneurship, because some of the most successful companies in recent years are those who founded the business in principles of the sharing economy. " Although this doesn’t fit the current legal system, their current market value can compete the world's largest banks with centuries of tradition" - was the thesis that Plamen Rusev defended during the opening.

CEOs, founders, CTOs, CIOs and top managers shared their experiences during the ‪CEEDS by ‪‎Webit lecture stream and shared part of the marketing trends that will influence the market in the next few years:

• The future of media and marketing market will be ruled by the three C - computers, cloud technology and connectivity;
• Although the content, technology and statistical data are already bound together, the business gradually passes from content-oriented to ecosystem-oriented communication;
• Hyper-segmentation and the ability to manage "transparent" data are the main skills that marketing experts should learn and apply;
• Email communication retained its leading positions on user engagement and effectiveness.

The video is also top trend shared Hristo Hristov, CEO of Netinfo, with particular emphasis on video, which share tips and information. The second day of the biggest technological conference in Central and Eastern Europe - CEEDS'15 by Webit was focused on social networking, analysis and management of big data, shared economy and technology. On stage came the top managers from SAP, Microsoft, Ford, the Austrian Space Forum, Eliademy, Intel Capital, Orange Ventures, 3TS Capital, Telerik, Forbes Media and many others. The ability of businesses to engage their audience through hyper-segmentation, personal attitude and attention to details will help brand managers to optimize marketing budgets and pay less for advertising. The analysis of "big data" and anticipating the trends will be what helps them survive – those were the two main points that were propagandized by the lecturers on the ‪‎CEEDS’s "Marketing and Innovation" scene:

"Big data turn marketing into a science - we no longer talk about emotions or stories, we discuss "the new marketing" as a science that doesn't educate but analyze. " said from the stage Igor Beuker- Pro Speaker, Author & Awakener.

On the tech scene were discussed the technology in the field of aerospace and the evolution of cooperation between human and robot in innovation of astronaut suits and how they interact with the person who wears them. There was spoken also about the evolution in online education and how it affects traditional pedagogy, making it even more effective, but also how important is the role of the professional and qualified training.

"Education is a whole industry. By placing the right objectives and considering its proper value every business should be influenced and affected"said the founder of the online education platform Eliademy - Sotiris Makrigyanis.

CEEDS'15 by Webit ended with a panel discussion that illustrates the huge advantage that Bulgaria offers the investors and the opportunities for CEE entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop.

  Bulgarian market is ready for new solutions

According to the MasterIndex research from 2014 the percentage of Bulgarian citizens who pay online has increased by 17% in 2014 – from 37% to 54%. No wonder then that Central Eastern Europe is recognized as being leader in contactless across the globe and Bulgarian market is ready for new solutions like mobile payments.

At this year’s CEEDS’15 by Webit Artur Turemka, General Manager, Balkans, MasterCard, will share the latest in online and mobile payments from the global and local experience of the company at the Mobile and Commerce Stream.

Ас a pioneer of mobile commerce innovation for years MasterCardvision is to create great payment experiences for everyone across all channels and all devices.So are looking forward to hearing about the company’s latest pursuits to transform any connected device a consumer may have into a commerce device which enables you to make and receive payments. Be sure not miss Artur Turemka on the first day of CEEDS’15 – April 21^st and learn about innovation across the region –from examples of adoption of digital wallets to the first service in Europe that allows fast and secure payments for taxi passengers that has been introduced in Bulgaria!

In the midst of the digital revolution thinking differently, designing products differently and innovating faster than ever before seems to be the winning credo and CEEDS’15 by Webit – the biggest Digital & Tech gathering for Central & Eastern Europe is the place to be if you want to be among the winners of tomorrow’s transformation.

And if you are up to some exciting adventures make sure you visit MasterCard’s local Facebook page during Webit conference as you will have the chance to get a priceless surprise!

CEEDS’15 by Webit will take you to paradise. Not only because of the amazing program and lectors but literally. The event will take place at Paradise Center – the first Lifestyle Mall in Bulgaria. Paradise Center has the best positioning since it was built on three major transport arteries – Cherni Vrah Blvd., Henrik Ibsen St., and Todor Kableshkov Blvd. The accessibility is very easy both with a car and with the aboveground or the underground public transport. The extension of the M2 metro line provides for the construction of a metro station, the Vitosha station, which shall have a direct entrance-exit to level -1 of the shopping center. Paradise Center offers an extraordinary view to the Vitosha Mountain with excellent communication to any part of the capital. The impressive architecture and design of Paradise Center was inspired by its unique location – between the city center and the mountain. The basic concept of Paradise Center is the synergy between trade and entertainment. The effect of the interior solutions is exalted by motifs creating the sense of outdoor high streets and park environment. Four interior areas are differentiated in the shopping mall; The Garden, The Canyon, The Terrace, and The Boulevard, which stand out with the various concept and design. The core of the project constitutes a nature garden with two waterfalls. Situated in the central atrium, it is bathed in sunlight. The panorama lift is situated there as well; it connects all levels and offers a view from above. An important role for Paradise Center’s positioning as the best place for holding events in the capital, is the Sofia Event Center, a unique in its nature multifunctional complex, having no equivalent in Bulgaria. It disposes of a hall with 2000 seats and an outdoor panorama terrace. We don’t guarantee that you will hear these words again, so hurry up and book your ticket for Paradise now.

Founders Games is the largest event into the startup ecosystem. The event provides scene to entrepreneurs from Bulgaria and CEE region to present their companies in their brilliance. CEEDS’15 by Webit is keen to identify and endorse the first CEE startup champion. With the recent exit of Telerik from Bulgaria at 264 000 000 USD the CEE startups scene has a new proof of success and the organizators of CEEDS’15 are sure it is just the beginning. To boost this process they shall be selecting number of startup from around CEE to exhibit for free at CEEDS by Webit as a part of the whole commitment to the ecosystem. A special StartUp Expo shall gather together all selected startups and a pitch stage shall help them boost their company and present it in front of investors, enterprise and European Commission representatives. In case your startup is selected to exhibit for free and pitch on the stage you would only have to pay for 3 tickets and shall receive a free expo table. Startup founders know that in order for your startup project to be successful you should have an unique idea, but they also know there is something more. No matter how brilliant your idea is, it worths nothing if you do not have place with appropriate audience where to present it. Problem solved, CEEDS’15 has the perfect audience. To convince investors and business angels to believe in your product is even harder, but it depends on your own motivation and passion about the idea. Have in mind that the investors who will be at CEEDS’15 shall be eager to see and why not to invest in products with great potential. You have now the opportunity to apply for a free expo stand where during Founders Games to present your product to media, investors and some of the most innovative worldwide companies like Google, SAP, Microsoft, Akamai, Experian and many other. Take this opportunity and apply now!  

One equals three, even four, if you prefer. But how is this possible, you will ask. CEEDS’15 by Webit makes it possible because 1 ticket grants access to 3 events + the official Webit party powered by Fashion TV. Sounds more than perfect, ah? Let’s take a look at the events, included in the ticket. First, you have Marketing and Innovation Summit where hot topics like Digital Transformation, Programmatic, Metrix & Data, Digital Entertainment & Media, Brand Social Strategies and Mobile will be discussed. Even more impressive is the audience - CMOs, CIOs of advertisers, retailers, broadcasters, publishers and adtech solution providers. The second event is the Tech Summit with other hot topics such as IoT (Wearables, Smart Cities, C.Cars, Smart Home, mHealth, Education), BigCloud (BigData, Cloud, BI), Money and Payments. The audience here consists of CTOs, CIOs and innovators. Last but not least comes Trade Expo where you can get more inspiration and ideas from successful experts. We have a bonus for you, because as you may know the words ‘work hard, party harder’ match perfectly with Webit’s brand. The climax of CEEDS’15 is our party, powered by Fashion TV. Such a party is happening for the first time in this part of the world. In 2014, Webit Global Congress in Istanbul also had a party powered by Fashion TV and it was spectacular. Fabulous models and inspired attendees created an unforgettable night together. Now, it’s time for Sofia, so prepare a superb outfit. Hurry up and book your ticket 3in1. Do not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.

GoViral Academy at CEEDS’15 by Webit shall present you successful tactics how to create viral content and make money from it. Highly sharable content can give your business a lift leading new people back to your site and increasing conversions. Creating a viral video, however, is far from easy. Having a piece of content go viral is like winning the Internet’s version of the lottery. It’s incredibly difficult to achieve and often hard to replicate. 5 qualities are said to be the most important in creating viral video content:

• Be short and sweet - According to a survey published in The New York Times found more than 19 percent of people had left a video after only 10 seconds. By a minute in, the video had lost 44 percent of viewers.
• Be upbeat - In order to be sharable, content needs to strike an emotional chord in viewers. The same viewers are more likely to share upbeat content, so if you want your videos to go viral, it’s important to strive for this.
• Be involved - engaging with your audience builds loyalty and interest in your customers. Create qualitative content and such an approach will provide you with loyal customers.
• Be informative - have in mind that your audience is always searching for new information so if your video content is interesting and informative, it is also highly sharable. We live in an era of information and everyone wants to learn something they didn’t already know. Any new information is a great tool, use it.
• Be inspiring - create stories that will inspire your readers/watchers. Audiences love good inspirational stories so the more inspirational your story is, the more your audience will want to share it with their friends.

Creating viral videos is anything but easy — if it was, every business would have a few viral hits. A recent example for a successful vloger (video blogger) that comes from Bulgaria and this is Emil Conrad. Once his videos become viral online hits, Emil published a book that is a blast at the moment. The same way viral video content can bring money to your company. Think in an innovative way and attend CEEDS’15 by Webit for more inspiration and ideas. Book your ticket now.

Bakhrom Ibragimov started his career as technology investment banker with CSFB/DLJ and Cowen & Co. He was also leading investments in European and the US technology companies with Virgin Green Fund as a Founding Principal and TLcom Capital as Investment Director. Bakhrom also was Internet Finance Director and Associate Director of Planning and Analysis in Virgin Media. Bakhrom holds two Master degrees on academic scholarships from the London School of Economics and Cambridge University, and an honors Bachelor degree from Tashkent State Technical University in Uzbekistan. Today we're talking with him about the startup success, investments and the startup ecosystem in CEE region.  Bakhrom  Ibragimov is one of the top investors you can meet this year at CEEDS by Webit, who are not afraid to invest - do you dare to become a startup superstar?  CEEDS: What is one sign of a potentially successful start up? B.I. A team deeply passionate about a product that makes a difference to a large market. CEEDS: How can you evaluate startup ecosystem in CEE region? What about in 5 years from now? B.I. I am very excited about it, a lot more activity needs to happen and is going to happen as more very smart people in the CEE commit themselves to entrepreneurship. CEEDS: Which do you prefer - small investment in a very early stage startup or large investment but later? Why? B.I. We do not invest in seed companies. We invest from Series A to growth stage. This is the stage where we can help companies more. CEEDS: Is an investment in a startup more than just money? B.I. It is. As an investor, you first of all commit to the founder vision and play your role in supporting the founder going after it. CEEDS: Have you ever regretted an investment you had made? B.I. You have unsuccessful investments, otherwise impossible to invest in the tech space. As an investor, I believe it is important to recognise what founders you can help achieve their goals and what founders you cannot help achieve their goals. You can have regrets about your personal assessment of the founder/vision match. Sometimes the vision (product – market match) is not adequate, sometimes the match between the founder and the vision is not adequate. You do not regret investments, you can regret your assessment of the ingredients. CEEDS: You say you invest in changing lives. How do you recognize that one startup will change lives? B.I. You see how many people the product addresses, what difference it makes for those people and assess in detail the initial market feedback. CEEDS: Whom you will recommend to attend CEEDS’15 by Webit? B.I. Companies looking for partners.

In order to cope with many of the market challenges in 21st century, what business needs is to be creative and innovative. Creativity is needed at all levels within an organization. Creativity is the key to innovations and nowadays innovations are all around us. Being a true innovator is much greater than just simply improving on something already known, it’s the creation of something new that defines the unknown. True innovation is measured by the impact that a company has on the market as well as on the consumers. It defines the leaders and the followers in the world we live in. Do you know what the term `blue ocean strategy` stands for? It teaches the business how to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. The rapid pace of innovations make experts look for a new way and that is the blue ocean strategy. For managers and entrepreneurs who try to develop a unique value-adding strategy, it fits perfectly, but keep in mind those four risks:

1. Ignoring relevant competition - when it comes to the blue ocean strategy managers and entrepreneurs come up with new ideas for products, services and strategies rather than mimicking those of competitors. That’s great but it is also pretty easy for a manager to believe that their product or company is unique which can be a crucial mistake.
2. Reinventing the wheel - it could happen when you do not know your competitors in details. In order to make the competition irrelevant, first you should know it - what your competitors do, how they do it, why they do it. If you know those things, the chance to reinvent the wheel is zero
3. Swimming too far - do not attempt to go too far off your own competences. Yes, the competition is irrelevant, but this does not mean that you should forget about the existence of potential competitors.
4. No fish - this is the worst that can happen and it’s up to you how you will react. But in order not to have to react, start your blue ocean  journey with the best reality check. Each successful business and company starts there.

Innovations require taking risks, but think in a perspective, strive for success and dare to dream. CEEDS’15 by Webit makes dreams come true, so book your ticket now.