5th Industrial Business Conference

Themed The Importance of Partnership and Technologies in Business Industries, the 5^th Industrial Business Conference was held at Sungai Long Campus from 31 October 2022 until 1 November 2022 with the aim to gather experts from the industries to discuss and address current global concerns and business trends, as well as to exchange and share knowledge. The conference saw about 100 participants; among them were students, entrepreneurs from SMEs and SMIs, and the public.

Prof Dato’ Ewe delivering his speech

UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat welcomed the participants and expressed his appreciation to the sponsors and speakers. He said, “Digitalisation and sustainability are two of the most powerful market influences in today’s business landscape that can change management practice, business and society with new digital technologies that improve sustainable innovation. I am glad that UTAR is working together with the SMEs and SMIs to understand and leverage on the advantages of digitalisation to improve business operation, maintain business sustainability and encourage economic growth.”

In conjunction with the conference’s theme, UTAR signed memoranda of understanding with 10 enterprises, namely Bai Jia Xing Sdn Bhd, Canton Recipe Sdn Bhd, Chop Guan Kee Sdn Bhd, Kicap Bentong Sdn Bhd, Malaysia, Kopi 3 Enterprise, Swee Len Food Industries, Tat Lian Confectionery Sdn Bhd, Wave Rest House & Cafe, P Lab Sdn Bhd and Loka Travel Sdn Bhd to promote local products through the use of digital technologies. UTAR will work together with the SMEs and SMIs in exchanging ideas and knowledge, and organising workshops, conferences, seminars and webinars that will benefit not only the students but also the public. Under the MoU, the parties will work together to organise activities under the UTAR New Village Community Projects to enhance the tourism value of the new villages in Malaysia and at the same time improve the economy of these villages.

MoU signing and exchange ceremony between UTAR and 10 enterprises

From left: Chok moderated the forum with panellist Leonard Oh, Chen and Ngew

A forum titled “Malaysia’s New Village Revitalization: Innovation & Local Connection” featured panellists Chen Kong Hoy from Kopi 3 Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Ngew Shook Ying from Bai Jia Xing Sdn Bhd and Leonard Oh Chee Keong from Swee Len Food Industries. The forum, which was moderated by P Lab Sdn Bhd Chok Yen Hau, saw the panellists sharing their experiences in promoting quality local products and building businesses while preserving the heritage.

The forum was followed by a talk from Jobbie Nut Butter CEO Victor Chin. In his talk titled “The Nutty Adventure of Jobbie Nut Butter”, Victor Chin shared his experience as an entrepreneur. He said, “Focus on your strength and contribute to what you are doing. Enjoy the process and have fun with the people you work with, eventually, you will do something great.”

From left: Victor Chin, Walter Wong and Chia sharing their experiences

The second day of the conference kicked off with a talk by Gain Secure Co-Founder Walter Wong who is also a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional. Wong’s talk titled “Understanding Cloud Business for Malaysia Software Economy” focused on cloud computing and its application in the real world. He explained the definition of cloud computing, the adoption of the cloud, the magic quadrant for cloud infrastructure and platform services, cloud services and their benefits and other related topics.

Next, Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Chia Shaw Chyn presented his talk titled “How Indie Developers make money via new Windows Store and Introduction to Microsoft Imagine Cup” whereby he shared his experience in developing apps, the challenges and opportunities of developing apps, Imagine Cup 2023 and other relevant topics. He said, “It is important to be open to changes that lead to improvement. We need to continuously learn new skills to bring about changes that you never knew were possible.”

From right: Victor Chin, Stan Lee and Maxwell Sim during the forum

The talks were followed by a forum titled “Partnership Mobilities in Meeting Business Goals”. It featured Victor Chin and Convedge Sdn Bhd CEO Stan Lee as the panellists and Faculty of Creative Industries Department of Modern Languages Head Maxwell Sim Yik Seng as the moderator. The forum focused on the impact of big data analytics, partnership in a business, metaverse, prescriptive analytics, workforce skillset and relevant topics to building a great business.

Also present at the conference were UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, Public Mutual Group Agency Manager Yap Yoke Peng, and representatives from local SMEs and SMIs.

The second session of the 5^th Industrial Business Conference will be held virtually in collaboration with Guizhou University with the theme The Importance of Global Partnership and Technologies in Business Industries on 12 and 13 November 2022 via Zoom. To register, click here

Sponsoring the conference were Convedge Sdn Bhd, ASK Education & Training Sdn Bhd, Jobbie Sdn Bhd, Public Mutual Cheras Branch, Kicap Bentong Sdn Bhd, P-Lab Sdn Bhd, Swee Len Food Industries, Kim Chow Communicator Sdn Bhd, Shamas Boutique, Hexa Food Sdn Bhd, Wave Rest House & Coffee, Chop Guan Kee Sdn Bhd, Kimmie Enterprise, Y3 Kitchen Bakery, Lover Home Florist and Ascella Consulting Sdn Bhd and Trends & Thoughts Sdn Bhd.

The conference featured an exhibition and booths from local enterprises and partners

Dragon dance performance by UTAR Wushu Club

Group photography session among speakers and participants