Key industry leaders and innovators gather to discuss trends, technology, and the future at the Digital 2024 conference
DIGITAL 2024, a regional conference on trends in telecommunications and media, was held on September 26th, 2024, in the grand hall of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia in Belgrade.
This year’s #Digital2024 conference marks the 10th anniversary of the first conference, which was held in September 2014. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the “Digital” conference, the second “Digital Awards” ceremony was also held.
Robert Čoban, Director of Color Press Group, opened the conference and announced the programme and participants.
Following that, on behalf of the host, the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, Predrag Nikolić, advisor to the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation, addressed the participants. He highlighted that technology is one of the foundations of transformation. The past decade has witnessed a massive leap in artificial intelligence and blockchain technology development. Each of these innovations is changing how we work and communicate daily. Digital transformation will shorten business processes, lead to new ideas, and transform entire business models.
Dejan Ristić, Minister of Information and Telecommunications in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, officially opened the conference.
“As the Minister of Information and Telecommunications, I express great satisfaction that the authorities in Serbia have managed, over the past few years, to significantly modernise the domestic economy by introducing the latest technologies.” Minister Ristić emphasised that Serbia has achieved outstanding results in the IT industry. As a country, it has surprised its neighbours in the region and itself. “In the first seven months of this year alone, the sector saw over 20% growth, contributing 6.8% to Serbia’s economy and generating a trade surplus of €3.45 billion. We continue to grow in this sector and to create an even more favourable environment that will enable us to progress further,” the minister proudly stated.
In his opening remarks, Mihailo Jovanović, Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, pointed out Serbia’s exceptional results in transforming its eGovernment services. We have more than 240 million electronic documents exchanged between various state institutions. This is the best proof that the Office for eGovernment has achieved its goal and is serving the citizens of Serbia. “Our task in the upcoming period is to make eGovernment services as simple as possible.” He also stressed the importance of the government forming the Artificial Intelligence Council, which is working on applying this technology in everyday life. The goal of this council is to encourage the use and implementation of artificial intelligence in all areas of life.
Jovan Milić, Special Advisor to the Minister of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, spoke about digital transformation, stating that it is a “driver of changes in the way we live, work, and communicate.” Milić said, “Technology is the most powerful lever for improving every industry and society.”
Borka Jeremić, Head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Office in Serbia, spoke about the UNFPA Bodyright campaign regarding safety in the digital space. “The human body in the digital space does not enjoy nearly the same protection as, for example, music. Our „Bodyright“ campaign started in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner for Equality Protection with the message ‘Your body is yours – both online and in the real world.”
The first panel, “10 Years Later—Traditional Panel of Telecommunications Leaders in the Region,” featured the general directors of all telecommunications operators in our country. Dejan Ljuština, CEO and Managing Partner of Vision Partners moderated the panel.
Vladimir Lučić, General Director of Telekom Srbija, praised the company’s operations in the regional countries, where significant revenue growth has been achieved, now reaching 8% of the group’s total revenue, with a tendency to double in two years. For us, being the leading regional leader in content creation is essential.
Mike Michel, General Director of Yettel Serbia, pointed out that the Serbian market is robust. Yettel views the market from the customer’s perspective. As customer habits change due to digitalisation, Yettel is also adapting.
Judit Albers, General Director of A1 Serbia, believes the Serbian market is highly competitive. Speaking about A1’s priorities in Serbia, she mentioned that they have started developing a new digital platform to meet the needs of local companies engaged in digital commerce.
Slobodan Đinović, General Director of Orion Telekom, stated that his company faces increasing competition. Still, they have managed to build a significant portion of the optical network and secure their market share in B2C and B2B, which is very interesting to them.
In the “1 on 1” panel, Robert Čoban, Director of Color Press Group, spoke with Jelena Trivan, Director of MTel, who discussed the development and expansion of Telekom Srbija in the region. “Telekom Srbija is the largest operator in the Western Balkans region and has the highest profit in the region,” she said. Serbia chose not to sell but to buy operators, Trivan stated, adding that Telekom Srbija has purchased operators in eight countries – not only in the region but also in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and even the USA.
The second panel at the conference, titled “AI Alice in an Analogue Balkans Wonderland – Who (Should) Be Afraid of Artificial Intelligence,” was dedicated to artificial intelligence, with contributions from Predrag Nikolić (advisor to the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation), Ema Petrović (digital transformation and artificial intelligence consultant), and Eleonora Segijević (co-founder and director of Mojo AI).
The third panel, titled “The 3 Big Cs: Content, Context & Concepts – What (and How) Will We Be Watching in 2025,” brought together representatives from the largest media companies in Serbia: Aleksandar Radoš (UNA TV), Manja Grčić (K1, Tanjug TV), Goran Karadžić (RTV), Aleksandra Martinović (Telekom Srbija), and Dejan Radosavljević (IPSOS).
Digital transformation remains a driving force for innovation, fundamentally changing business models and how we communicate in the modern world
Fans of influencer marketing in the fourth panel, “Influence, How to Gain and Monetise It: The Influencer Scene in the Era of AI Dominance,” learned about the latest developments in Serbia’s influencer scene during the era of artificial intelligence. The panel featured influencers: Lea Stanković (@lastankovic), Milica Kankaraš (co-owner and director of the brand Crux), Ivana Petrović (eCom Scale, @ivana.neboderka), Maja Petrović (blogger, @vitkigurman) and Sara Stanković (influencer, @saraastankovic).
This year’s event also featured the prestigious Digital Awards for a second time, recognising the best campaigns and innovations across media, telecommunications, and the ICT industry
The panel “Broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest Final: Cast & Crew Live on Stage” was dedicated to one of Europe’s most prominent entertainment festivals, featuring participants such as Olivera Kovačević (editor and supervisor of the “Song for Eurovision” festival), Uroš Marković (head of the Serbian delegation at Eurovision and editor of the “Song for Eurovision” festival), and Milenko Škarić (CEO and founder of Sky Corporation).
After the conference programme, the DIGITAL AWARDS 2024 ceremony, which awarded the best in media, telecommunications, marketing, PR, the ICT industry, and digital innovations, was held at 7:00 p.m.
About DIGITAL
Since 2014, this conference has gathered market leaders, telecommunications experts, and all types of media professionals, as well as industry leaders who drive the economy in Serbia. The programme focuses on how the media, telecommunications, and digital trends have evolved and will continue to shape the future, highlighting the critical topics for the coming years in these areas. Through panel discussions, lectures, and case studies, participants will learn about the latest developments in information and communication technologies over the past year.
#Digital2024