'Unplugged' aims to inspire young entrepreneurs

ASIA Inc Forum has been the organiser of a number of major conferences, both in and out of the Sultanate, with events such as the ASEAN100 Leadership Forum, the APEC CEO Summit, THiNKBIG, and Brunei Business Forum to name a few. And recently, the organiser added one small-scale conference to its list.

The latest addition to Asia Inc Forum's line-up is its "Unplugged" series, which was first held earlier this week, featuring success the story of Fong Wai Hong, a Malaysian based in Melbourne, Australia, who co-founded OZhut, an online retailer.

As the name suggests, there are no microphones and large halls involved.

Asia Inc Forum Chairman, Dato Paduka Timothy Ong, referred to it as "the anti conference", and hoped it will be a channel for younger Bruneians to realise that they can be successful entrepreneurs.

Dato Ong said that with Asia Inc Forum's Unplugged, a lot can be gained from listening to one another and he aims to expose "interesting people with interesting stories" to Bruneian entrepreneurs.

"We will learn from them, and from each other. And by looking at the stories of most people, you will find that it's not the Hollywood type. Success in life is a very unusual thing. The path to it is not straightforward and there is no textbook version. There is also no one formula that applies to everything," said Dato Ong during the first Unplugged event.

Delwin Keasberry, programme manager of Asia Inc Forum tells The Brunei Times the reasoning behind Unplugged.

BT: What made Asia Inc Forum decide to come up with an Unplugged format?

Keasberry: One of the key drivers behind Unplugged is to introduce the concept of conferencing to the Millennials/Generation Y. We wanted to create a programme with space for open informal dialogue. We also wanted to create a new space for Brunei's next generation to network, get inspired and be spotted. So we made a list and brainstormed about an 'anti-conference'. It was designed with the following people in mind: aspiring entrepreneurs, start-ups, visionaries, executives and passionate young people. During our first session, we had over 20 aspiring entrepreneurs joined us as we introduced Unplugged with Fong.

What does Asia Inc Forum feel are the benefits of this format?

As compared to the flagship events in our calendar year, Unplugged is purposely less formal and intentionally smaller. This type of format encourages a number of things. It allows for deeper networking and more meaningful conversations among participants. Another characteristic of Unplugged is that no one holds a microphone which encourages participation in the discussion of ideas and more open dialogue.

I noticed this is a non-paid, invite only event. How is Asia Inc Forum sure that those invited are the right people? I understand if everyone's invited, it's too big and defeats the purpose of being "Unplugged", but what is the thought process behind the invite list?

The process behind the invited people is secondary. For the first Unplugged event, most, if not all, of the participants wanted to be there. Unplugged with Fong was held at 3.00 pm on the start of a working week. The participants could have decided to give the event a miss to follow through on their own responsibilities, but they wanted to be there. This is key for future Unplugged events. We are looking to connect with people who want these type of events, not just people who have to be at these types of events.

What can Bruneians expect from these forums in future? More inspiring speakers is a given, but what do you hope they learn from it?

The speakers we invite may or may not be 'successful' by strict definition, but we are looking for people who have stories to tell. Some may be thought-provokers, some may be start-up's or generational business men and women, some may be Bruneians, some may even have 'celebrity' status. Of course, the intention is to inspire, motivate and challenge people, but we are also planning to introduce different elements whereby the audience can actively get involved as opposed to just sitting back to 'receive'. Ultimately, we want people to learn that 'success', however they may define it, involves action and hard-work.

The Brunei Times