One of the best-known conferences devoted to the Internet, organised since 2010 by the Serbian National Internet Domain Name Registry (RNIDS), will for the first time be held entirely online. The slogan for this year’s DIDS conference is meant to summarise the role of the Internet over the preceding year in three words: “Servant. Master. Internet.” Join us live on 17th March, starting at 10 a.m. at dids.rs, when with the help of first-rate speakers and panel participants we will examine whether the economy could have had any better servant than the Internet during the pandemic, but also ask ourselves whether the Internet has irreversibly imposed its rule over practically all aspects of our lives.
A year after the first lockdown was imposed in Serbia in the face of the pandemic that has held the whole world in its grip and almost brought it to a halt, we talk about the Internet – the thing that has made it possible to keep things moving despite everything, whether that be the content that for some has been their only company in times of isolation, or the goods and services that have kept many businesses around the world above water. It has been at the service of all, both those that believed in it before the pandemic and those who took a sceptical view of it until it became a lifeline for them.
We live in a digitally connected world, but the coronavirus crisis has brought new digital trends. Kei Shimada of IBM Japan will talk about the impact of these trends on society and on corporations from the Far East point of view. The pandemic has put wind in the sails of domain registrations all over Europe and re-energised previously stagnating growth trends. Peter Van Roste, CENTR General Manager, will talk about the challenges that European domain registries have faced as business has hastily migrated to the Internet. To find out how the Serbian economy has responded to the crisis, and how large companies have handled the restrictions on the movement of their customers and the drastic increases or decreases in demand, we turn to the participants of our first panel debate, moderated by Vladimir Radunović from the Diplo Foundation: Branka Petronijević, marketing manager at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Belgrade, Branimir Đurović, Country Manager of Glovo Serbia and Momir Đekić, digital transformation consultant.
How can the user interface of a website push us into taking decisions that do not benefit us? What is “dark UX”? Paul Snoxell, creative director of Wunderman Thompson, London, will talk about its practical, technical and ethical aspects. Vojislav Žanetić, market communications consultant, will talk about how the pandemic has established new expectations in communication and impacted the exchange of information, opinions and messages; what communication is doing to us now and what we are to do with it in the future. A website is the focal point of any business presence online, and as such ought to support the company in its business to the maximum extent possible. Dimitrije Ostojić, founder and director of the Default Design agency, will explain in detail how to optimise your site for conversions, and what aspects you need to pay special attention to at every step of the buyer’s journey.
Can a conference about the Internet avoid the “topic of all topics” in online business – e-commerce and its impressive rise during the pandemic? The question is rhetorical and Ivan Tanasković and Marko Mudrinić, board members of the e-Commerce Association of Serbia will be here to answer specific questions about the growth seen in online trade over the preceding year. They will be followed by two mini-panels which aim to cast light on some of the numerous practical aspects of selling on the Internet. Milica Čalija, owner of the Anđeli (Angels) brand of cakes, together with Ana Nešić of Mali Proizvođači (“Small Producers”) and Marija Slović of Domaccini, will talk about the position of small producers on the Internet as part of a panel they have titled “Three experienced female entrepreneurs and an excuse to chat”. Vladimir Kovač, Internet entrepreneur and business consultant, brings together a group of people who are more than competent to talk about innovative approaches to doing business online – Aleksandar Ilić of Knjižara Roman bookshop, Oskar Borbaš of Geek Shop and Ivan Tanasković, manager of the online sales department of Planeta Sport – for a panel debate titled “E-Commerce 2021 in Serbia – a chance and an imperative to be different”.
Those who have attended a DIDS conference will say that DIDS is an experience and not just a conference – but that experiences differ. The coronavirus pandemic has made it necessary for us to offer attendees of DIDS a different experience – of watching the conference online, just as if they were watching a live concert or sports event. We will do our best to produce a top-quality event and give viewers a true taste of the atmosphere in the studio, as well as providing linkups with speakers from abroad, and make it possible for viewers to chat amongst themselves and with the speakers. In breaks between blocks, the audience will get a chance to take part in some competitions we are preparing. Enrich your conference-going experience with DIDS 2021 Digital. Access to the broadcast, to chat and to the prize quiz platform will only be for registered users. Register for free at dids.rs.