What to expect from BizTrends 02.02.2022 - Bizcommunity.com

Event: BizTrends2022
Date: Wednesday, 2 February 2022
Time: 1-5.30pm with tea break
Location: Virtual
Price: R150 per head; 25% discount for bookings of five or more. Students are free.

1. Dion Chang: Flux Trend briefing – The State We’re In

The opening speaker at BizTrends 02.02.2022 conference will be SA trend doyen Dion Chang, presenting his Flux Trend briefing – The State We’re In, a taster of his annual executive trend presentations which use the acronym T.R.E.N.D.S to represent six key trend pillars that will shape how we live, work and connect in the year ahead. This highly anticipated Flux Trends presentation will set the tone for identifying pivotal trends and delving into the undercurrents between the pillars to arrive at an executive summary of the winds of change shaping our world and affecting business in the years to come.

T (Technology)
R (Retail)
E (Economy)
N (Natural world)
D (Diplomacy):
S (Socio-cultural)

2. Dali Tembo: Trends are the Bridge Between Brands and People

In 2022 the session by co-founder of The Culture Foundry, and past MD of Instant Grass International, will be about how trends are providing vital bridges between brands and people. Previous trend presentations from Dali, delivered fresh insights, visual appeal and a deep understanding of the African trend landscape and this session promises to unpack topics such as how the new approach to trend gathering has evolved during the ‘covid years’; brand case studies of changing consumer trends in categories from financial services, decor, high street and FMCG; how forward-thinking organisations are using data to help improve consumer’s lives; and what messages recent political unrest in SA is sending to brands.

3. Moky Makura: The Future of Media - Hard Data, Soft Stories

Can storytelling create new opportunities for better engagement with audiences?

In her BizTrends2022 session, former deputy communications director for Africa at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, TedX speaker, current founder and executive director of the narrative change organisation, Africa no Filter, will predict future trends in media consumption habits, based on research and case studies into global and Africa media and her experience around the power of storytelling. Why is data pointing to the decline of the “politics, business and sport” news mix that many traditional media brands prioritise? What content are people really consuming? Who’s making it? What opportunities does this open for brands to fill the content gap by incorporating true storytelling in their campaigns?

Moky’s session will close the first half of the afternoon followed by a short tea break.

4. Nicola Cooper: The Future of Collaboration

A formidable presence on Africa’s fashion and lifestyle landscape, trend researcher, analyst and cultural strategist, Nicola Cooper will turn her trend observations on the shifting future of brand collaboration. This highly specialised session will focus on the do's, don'ts and legalities involved in future brand collabs with artists, fashion designers and influencers, Big Brands vs Small Brands; entertaining case studies from global brands H&M, Zara, Victoria Beckham and CocaCola and local brands such as Carling Black Label, promising great value and interest for marketers, advertisers and consumer brands.

5. Franklin Ozekhome: A Pop Culture Journey Through Africa

Joining the cultural trend lines across the continent at BizTrends 02.02.2022 is Lagos-based trends and innovation consultant, Franklin Ozekhome, founder of Identiture.

Franklin will bring his experience as African pop culture specialist, trend and consumer intelligence researcher and former group strategy director on a portfolio of global blue-chip brands, to take audiences on a journey, from contextualising the influence of movements in African music and culture such as Afripop, Afropunk and Afrohouse, to decoding the language of these via consumer case studies, to ultimately arriving at the ideas, insights, intelligence and implications these could have for brands. A cutting edge journey through the contemporary African trend landscape as seen through the fast-evolving, ever-changing cultural trends across five regions of Africa - Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria.

Franklin’s session will be conducted in conversation with Rutendo Nyamuda.

6. Khumo Theko: Connecting in the Knowledge-based Era

A trends analyst and trend spotter who brings her intelligence to bear in further joining the dots of Africa-based trend insights via her content hub I See Africa. With a background in fashion, the current digital trends analyst for Draftline Digital Agency, digital arm for AbinBev, ensures Khumo will cover all the bases of trendspotting, analysis, forecasting and social listening via data and insights and consumer-centric brand optimisation with flair.

Her BizTrends 02.02.2022 presentation will focus on how brands are cultivating connections, navigating cultural relevance on social platforms through co-collaborations and influential cultural moments that drive consumer engagement. She will also explore how business is capitalising on the mobile economy in Africa to provide greater access for consumers through innovations such as the Super Apps and mobile money, promising an all round status update of the ‘knowledge-based era’ and how mobile economy, finance and telecoms sectors are increasingly serving people’s needs, especially the unbanked.

7. Bronwyn Williams: Fasten your seatbelt for the Metaverse

Bronwyn’s trend presentations are always so high energy, that there’s nowhere we can put her on the programme, but as headline act. A partner at Flux Trends, media and social media personality, with the speciality in future finance, crypto and digital economic models that give her the reputation as part futurist, part economist.

Having already nailed prevailing trends three years ago, gives her only one place to go - into the Metaverse, once again promising leapfrog thinking with longevity, on concepts such as the unreal economy; Mark Zuckerberg's plans to colonise the metaverse through to digital assets; in-game play-to-earn economies; consumer factions within the virtual economy; the ethics of ‘reality privilege’; business opportunities in these emerging infinite frontiers and micro and macro "metanomic" trends that are busy rewriting the rules of money game!

Fasten your seatbelts for the future!

About BizTrends2022: The go-to source for South African, Pan-Africa and global business trends each year, comprising some of Bizcommunity’s most-read content annually. Now in its 17th year, a highlight of the business calendar, featuring contributor opinions from 100s of South Africa’s most influential trendspotters, forecasters and analysts across 19 industries. For year-round longevity, a permanent trends newsfeed repository is accessible on the site and industry newsletters.

Visit BizTrends Special Section

Don’t miss this once-off chance to attend an intensive, entertaining and highly visual afternoon of 100% pure trends. BizTrends 02.02.2022 has been CPD accredited by Masa, to upskill and empower organisations and brands with highly specialised trend content strategies for the year ahead.

Bizcommunity, in association with the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA), IAB SA, and the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), invites you to save the date for this annual industry highlight.