Startups

5 Reasons why we loved Bizfest 2018 by GBG Peshawar

Bizfest 2018 by Google Business Group Peshawar was an amazing event for entrepreneurs and tech lovers in Pakistan. The one-day event focused on artificial intelligence, latest Google tools, entrepreneurship, and women empowerment and helped participants become familiar with using Google tools for their business needs.

The event was hosted by Impact Dynamics supported by National Incubation Center, Peshawar with the Outreach Partners Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB), Peshawar 2.0; Media Partners Focus Productions, TechJuice, Startup Guide Pakistan; Academia Partners CECOS University and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University and Food Punch as the Food Partner.

The conference was attended by KPITB Managing Director, Dr. Shahbaz Khan, Murtaza Zaidi (from the National Incubation Center, Peshawar), Dr. Faisal Khan from Peshawar 2.0 and other experts hailing from different backgrounds across Pakistan.

Peshawar is the sixth largest city of Pakistan and is the backbone of the economy for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. With a rich culture and heritage dating back to centuries ago, this was a perfect setting for an event like GBG Bizfest — a gathering of individuals hoping to combine traditional business acumen with modern technology.

BizFest Peshawar 2018 had three main tracks featuring sessions on Entrepreneurship, Technology (featuring Google tools and Technology) and WomenWill (an initiative by Google aiming toward digital literacy, financial Inclusion, leadership and entrepreneurship of female leader)

The sessions included panel discussions, fireside chats, office hours (UI/UX Design, YouTube 101, Google My Business) and workshops (Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google for Writers) and hosted major influences of the industry and experts hailing from different backgrounds across Pakistan.

We really enjoyed the event and we thought it pertinent to share with you why we loved GBG Bizfest Peshawar. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Women empowerment panel

Women make up more than 51 percent of our population. It is preposterous to believe that any kind of business can prosper by ignoring a majority of the population. The women empowerment panel comprised of women leaders from diverse backgrounds and talked about changing workplace policies for including more women in the workforce.

The participants also agreed that women do not get equal opportunities and it is important that they are given opportunities to excel and grow. Faiza Yousaf of WomeninTech, Fatima Rizwan from TechJuice, Nadia Patel Gangjee from Sheops, Sidra Amin from Dastaan and Moiz (Shumaila Bhatti) a health professional participated in the panel.

2. Is technology entrepreneurship a fad?

With so many different tech startups coming up and entrepreneur turning into a buzzword, it is often thought that tech entrepreneurship is a fad which will go away with time. Right now everything is about technology so it was the consensus of the entire panel that technology entrepreneurship is not a fad and it’s here to stay. The entrepreneurial spirit will hopefully be continuously reshaped by consistent developments in technology.

3. Analytics course & UI/UX Design

Google Analytics can be a really powerful tool to measure the performance of your website. It allows you to go into the nitty-gritty details of your content and see what’s working and what’s not. The analytics course at GBG Peshawar went through the minute details of this powerful tool and was a very informative session for all participants.

Additionally, a quick introduction to UI and UX was also given to the participants looking to develop products for the masses.

4. Maryam Arshad is the only Google Business Verifier in Pakistan

More women empowerment! And Maryam has done an amazing job with the whole GBG Peshawar. Not only she is the only women manager of a Google Business Group in Pakistan but also due to her passion for the tech and business community in Pakistan. She has been bestowed with the capability to verify any business in Pakistan for Google Maps.

5. Peshawar’s image is changing to a digital-first city

Peshawar was a war-torn city for so long. With recurring terrorist attacks and frequent bomb blasts, it was in shadows for so many years. It’s refreshing to see Peshawar improve its image and take big steps towards becoming a hub for business and technology.

Shoutout to Focus Productions for the amazing event pictures.