Popularly known for its hospitality, Peshawar is one of the oldest existing cities in Asia
This tells the story of its resilience, and its ability to survive and stand tall even in the most testing of times
However, this is an age where the most likely cities to survive and remain on the global map would be the ones who can innovate fast and leverage knowledge and technology
Apart from rebranding Peshawar as a city of technology, design and art, there are three big motivators which compelled the organizers of DYS to choose Pakistan for their conference
One, a huge chunk of Pakistan’s population is between the ages of 18 and 30
Two, with increasing unemployment, there are not enough jobs available to most of the young people in the country
And lastly, most of these young people do not have marketable skills for 21st century careers, let alone essential skills required to build a successful start-up
All great ingredients for a conference like DYS, which brings the spotlight on online work and tech entrepreneurship
The organisers of DYS took these challenges head-on and pushed the youth-led movement of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship in Peshawar to the next level
And what better way than bringing together all the digital innovators from both within Pakistan and from abroad under one room to share their expertise, experiences and ideas
It has not only inspired local students but is also helping to stir a revolution of entrepreneurship and innovation in the region
The first edition of the conference in 2014 had almost a thousand attendees – from Gilgit to Karachi – and 66 speakers – from Singapore to Silicon Valley – who shared their views and expertise during the panel discussions and workshops
The conference was able to create a lot of buzz on social media, leading its official hashtag to trend on Twitter, thus reaching a far greater number of audiences online
Not just this, DYS was able to create a lot of positive news about Peshawar in both print and digital media
The first edition was a success because it was able to inspire the student community of the city by providing them the opportunity to listen to success stories of local entrepreneurs
The conference also gave them a chance to listen to talks and panel discussions related to some of the most important trends in the digital industry
It also touched upon some of the most important aspects of starting one’s own venture, from conception of ideas to incubation and funding sources
Another positive development to have come out of DYS 2014 was the ownership of the conference and its objectives by stakeholders from the academia, private sector, government and the development sector alike
All three organising partners are very serious to give the city a new image and to rebrand Peshawar as the most hospitable city to techies, entrepreneurs and start-ups
Progress on the ground is bringing us all closer to that goal
This year’s DYS would build on the previous year’s success
Scheduled for May 7th to 9th, 2015, this year’s DYS is dubbed ‘bigger and better’
The organisers of the event hope to attract more number of participants, start-ups, experts and speakers from across the country and beyond
Also, it wants to reach a far greater number of audiences through both print and social media
For an old city such as Peshawar, with its image tarnished by security issues and meagre law and order situation, what’s better than reinventing and re-branding itself by opening its arms to technology and innovation?
| Date: | 23-Apr-2015 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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