MEDMI 2019

MEDMI 2019 – A conference on technology and digital marketing, November 16, 2019, at Medellín, Colombia.

Sergio Roldán kicked off the event discussing the growth of Medellín from a spot in the valley to a mostly unplanned big city, and the strategies it has taken to transform into a growing technology hub, investing in the citizens, including improving education facilities in the most troubled zones.

Natalia Silva and Daniel Arbelaez talked about Service Design, the importance of understanding the elements that are really relevant to the persons in a process, including the people participating behind the scenes, not just the final clients.

Diego Noriega thinks “How” to make a company grow is not as important as “Why”, and with “Who”. Having a lot of money brings the need to spend it and may accelerate failure. Moments of failure, however, can be the biggest moments of learning.

Andres Ramírez, a director from Asobancaria, shared a history of innovation in the financing and banking sector in Colombia, and the latest advancements in fintech and ePayments.

Maria Camila Muñoz, Pablo Santos and Juan Esteban Saldarriaga, discussed the interaction between fintech companies and banks; instead of competing, fintech providers provide access to resources via improved user experiences and lower barriers.

Ivan Obando shared the process of producing his movie “Me llevarás en ti”, including ideation, planning and financing, and some of the elements that have aided its success (local historical hero, romance, involving local celebs).

He also voiced his concerns for national productions to have proper exposition, and how he’s working with government agencies on this topic, proposing incentives for cinemas for keeping national pictures on the billboards for longer times.

A representative from GRIN Colombia said the company hopes to transform cities by improving mobility, increasing employment, making people value public property and creating safe spaces.

In the Innovation panel, Monica Zuluaga and Andres Ramirez discussed how, from their corresponding perspectives in media and banking, large traditional companies are adapting to the consumption habits of born-digital consumers, by distributing content through different channels and by creating alternative means to access services for people for which things such as going to a physical bank are extraneous concepts.

Companies need to move quicker in modern times since even small companies or startups can now compete directly with bigger ones via a greater understanding of their users or audiences.

Eduardo Guizar shared how he wound up working in the Curiosity project in the NASA, following his childhood dream of making robots, after watching a Star Wars movie. He never abandoned his far-fetched dream, secretly developing robotic engines at his home in Mexico.