Convergence 2011

Written by Delwin Keasberry Wednesday, 02 November 2011 18:52

Convergence is only 11 days away now. Convergence? Yes, Convergence. I have purposely not written anything about Convergence 2011. Until now, I have entrusted write-up's about it to the Press (Borneo Bulletin & The Brunei Times). Here are 7 things about Convergence 2011 from me to you.

1. The Origins

It started with an idea. A simple idea. An idea which I wrote in my Moleskine while I was still in Australia. "A networking event for Brunei's Next Generation" I got back in March 2011 and by May, I started fact-finding. Was there anything like it already scheduled in the calendar year? Had it been done before? Who can I learn from? What do they do well? Who can I best reach? What would it look like? Where would it be held? I sat down with a mate "Az" and started throwing around the idea. He "got it" within the first few minutes. So, yea. Preparations started back then.

2. The Purpose

So I thought, "Let's gather about 100 of Brunei's Next Generation" and then let's "Inspire, Challenge and Motivate" them to chase after their dreams. Who would make up the 100? The Visionaries. The Start-Up's. The Fresh-Graduates. The Young Executives. The Fledgling Facebook Entrepreneurs. The Future.

3. The Theme

My intention is for Convergence to become an annual flagship event for Projek Brunei. Asides from the networking opportunities the event will make room for, we have also engaged three speakers who will engage in a moderated dialogue session according to the theme of "From Success to Significance".

4. The Sponsors

I needed partners who believed in the Vision for the event, but more importantly, who believed in the People the event was designed for - Brunei's Next Generation. BMW Brunei, Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and The Brunei Hotel are proudly partnering with Projek Brunei, and Brunei Halal are also proudly supporting the event.

5. The Speakers

We wanted three unique speakers from different backgrounds and perspectives to life. We are honoured to have confirmed the following: Nor Alizulrainee Ali Yusop, an education officer at the Special Education Unit (Ministry of Education); Dato Hamdillah, a local entrepreneur with interests across a number of industries; Lai Pei-Si, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Bank Brunei.

6. The Event

It will be a sponsored by-invitation only dinner event held at the BMW Brunei Showroom on Saturday 12th November 2011. The private function will start at 6.30pm and will be finished by 9.30pm. It will start with light-finger food and nibbles followed by the welcoming addresses and moderated dialogue session. The time will then be given back to the 100 for networking opportunities and dinner from 8.30pm. The dress code? Smart Casual.

7. The People

My Social Media journey started in December 2009 when I sent out my first Twitter message as @BruneiTweet from Adelaide, South Australia. I then started this blog in the middle of last year because I needed a larger platform to write about the talented people I met and meet. I discovered and rediscovered Brunei Darussalam through the stories of the People. Convergence 2011 is about the People. As cliché as it sounds, Convergence is for the People.

"Do or Do Not. There is No Try." ~ Yoda