International Speakers Head for SA

[JOHANNESBERG, SOUTH AFRICA] – Accenture and Microsoft are teaming up with Financial Mail/Futurecompany to host a conference featuring international speakers in Johannesburg and Cape Town at the end of May 2001.

The May event, themed “Future Trends for Future Companies,” will feature a panel of speakers provided by Accenture and Microsoft and other global conference partners, who will deliver their insights and opinions on New Economy business strategies.

While the list of speakers is still to be finalized, Thomas Stewart, a member of the board of editors of Fortune Magazine, who writes the monthly column “The Leading Edge,” will apparently be speaking on knowledge management.

The event will cost R4995 to attend, while exhibitors will be charged R1050 per square meter. There will be numerous draws and give-aways.

Alvin Toffler said the future illiterate will not be the one that cannot read, but the one that cannot unlearn old information to learn new ways of acting. Events such as this one are intended to aid executives in embracing change. Some succeed, others are mere platforms for the speakers to promote their own companies with a thinly disguised “vision.”

The following topics are pegged for presentation.

1. The Future of Knowledge Management & Human Performance — the primary drivers of business growth, performance, value creation and success — Presented by Accenture
   
2. The Future of Information Technology — the impact of 21st century computing on business — Presented by Microsoft
   
3. The Future of — we’ve all seen the hype; now implementation and making it work in a business to business environment
   
4. The Future of the Customer — practical and profitable businesses practices beyond the “fads” of CRM — Presented by Computer Associates
   
5. The Future of the Stocks & Markets — reengineering old world institutions for the Future Companies and the New Economy — presented by E*Trade South Africa
   
6. The Future of mCommerce — making mobile business a reality
   
7. The Future of Venture Capitalists and Sustainable Investments in SA
   
8. The Future of the SME’s — eCommerce and the role of larger corporations in developing and profiting from this area of the economy.