Visible Banking: MEFTEC 2009 in Bahrain - Social Media: People First!

This morning, I came back from Bahrain where I spent almost a week to contribute to the MEFTEC, the leading financial technology event in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.
Despite the current market conditions, the 2009 edition attracted over 400 delegates from 30 countries and 150+ exhibitors.

Chris Skinner has been the Chairman since the very first MEFTEC back in 2005. Chris did a great job not only as chair but as key speaker too: I loved his new presentation on "Banking-as-a-Service" (BaaS).

I was delighted to also have the opportunity to participate as key speaker and share my vision on social media in front of a packed audience of Senior Business & IT Executives.

Congratulations to my fellow speakers: Tony Githuku - Kenya Commercial Bank, Michael Baume - Allied Irish Banks, David Schehr - Gartner, Jeremy Wilson - Barclays, Mohamed Roushdy - Al Hilal Bank, Perrine Fiorina - Celent, Shubhalakshmi Panse - Bank of Maharashtra.

Social Media: People First!
What a great feedback. I didn't know what to expect, but everybody was extremely receptive, enthusiastic, and showed a good interest for social media.
I am already working with a couple of local consultancy firms to organize a few workshops in the Middle East region. Stay tuned.

You will find below my latest presentation on social media in banking, "People First!".

Web 2.0 is about technology, Social Media is about people. As always, I insist on the importance of REWARDING your users for the time they spend on your platform and for taking the time to contribute. And don't forget your employees!

My presentation also includes:
* many best practices from the financial services industry such as Advanta's "Ideablob.com", Wells Fargo's blogs or Vancity's social network "changeeverything.ca"
* my recommendations: Learn, Listen, Participate, Engage and Measure

Please note that the presentation is also available on the slides page.
If you would like to download the pdf version, please contact me by email or on Linkedin.

And for those interested, it would be my pleasure to tell you the story about my second slide, entitled "Bahrain: The Quest for the Tree of Life"!

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