On August 28th, 2020, the WIM Committee officially announced that this year's World Innovators Meet will be held from December 9th to 11th, as scheduled. Given the success of WIM2019 (click to check previous events and contents related to WIM), WIM2020 will take on a bolder stance and adopt a more global outlook by taking the form of an online conference that will be streamed simultaneously in all countries and regions that champion the realm of Technology and Innovation. 

The theme for this year's conference is ‘Technology and Innovation: Connecting the World.’ The key visual design is to portray the world's interconnectivity and interdependence, recognizing that the most dynamic change is driven by technology and innovation – and that a click of the finger will soon be all that is needed to connect anyone to anyone else in a shared cyberspace. 

The theme ‘Technology and Innovation: Connecting the World’ has been set since the beginning of this year, back in January. Back then, none of us could have predicted that 2020 would be such a catastrophic year, a year filled with unprecedented black swan events and an increase in global uncertainty.

The Coronavirus pandemic (as of August 27th) has infected 24,011,502 people worldwide and has resulted in approximately 821,909 deaths. Production and consumption of most countries and regions in the world have been severely disrupted, and the economy has been experiencing negative growth. A large number of global flights have been suspended, entry and exit restrictions have been imposed, and trade flow has been blocked. To make matters worse, controversial initiatives and programs have been introduced to cause further divide and mistrust in the world. All these woes have made us wonder if the world is able to continue to develop peacefully and sustain life in a wholesome manner. 

To some extent, our global interdependence and exchange systems did suffer deterioration and stagnation as a result of the pandemic. However, amidst all the chaos, we do see evidence of innovators around the world who have not given up their hopes nor their efforts to use technological innovation to make the world a better place.

Medical personnel, for instance, rushed to the frontline of the pandemic to treat patients, and research & development experts in healthcare sector worked at full speed to develop the vaccine for the virus; IT companies worked efficiently and frequently update their products to build a digital twin of the physical world; Internet services companies assist people in their collaboration through video conferencing and cloud office, to help students with online education products; policymakers are introducing monetary and fiscal policies to stimulate economic development and at the same time reforming financial policies (such as China's accelerating efforts to open up its financial market) to provide better financial markets and tools, which lead to better productive investment, and ultimately social and economic development.

Therefore, we believe that the world needs to be even more interconnected for the betterment of mankind. 

For WIM2020, we have decided to completely abandon offline activities this time, embracing change and adaptability and using digital means and technology to connect with global innovators.

WIM Themed Chapters

During the three consecutive days from December 9-11, we will conduct 8 Themed Chapters on China and Asia-Pacific time zones, as well as 3 Global Chapters on American time zones, and European and African time zones.

8 Themed Chapters on China and Asia-Pacific Time Zones Include:

Technology and Innovation Leadership Chapter -- Inviting a Nobel Prize winner in economics to analyze the changes in the new world economic order, the contingency of 'black swans' and the inevitability of great powers wrestling for dominance;

Technology Innovation Drives Value Investment -- Discussing the core value of technological research and development capabilities, explore the correlation between tech innovation capabilities and corporate value;

Restarting the New Consumption in the Post-Pandemic Era -- Discussing the changes of technology to the consumption and retail formats, the significance of retail tech during the epidemic and the long-term impact;

The Global Competition in Travel Technology -- Among China's New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) and the autonomous driving in the wider world, players from different technological innovation and major automobile centers are using newer, greener technology to redefine travel;

Industrial Interconnection and Industrial Intelligence -- Has the digitalized world really arrived? To what extent has technology reshaped China, a historically manufacturing-focused economy?

The Medical-Technology Industry in the Global Pandemic Context -- The integration of technology and medical treatment is making more sophisticated solutions possible.

The Technological Charm of Real Estate -- How to inject technological strength into concrete forms? How is the integration of industry and city development? What kind of future should the human living environment head toward?

FinTech is Reconstructing the Global Collaboration System -- The traditional financial industry's network structure, with centralized credit entities at its core, is being reshaped. Subversion is taking place at the industry level, the upper international financial order and international relations level.

Global Chapters:

Remotely connecting with speakers from Europe, Africa, and the Americas, we will explore the technological innovation progress and investment trends of these countries and regions, and listen to the different ‘globalization’ voices from these countries and regions.

WIA2020 list and series of reports

During the World Innovators Meet, the WIM Committee will release the annual blockbuster WIA list, the World Innovation Awards, based on our annual industry and investment research findings, together with a series of research reports.

In contrast with WIA2019, WIA2020 will comprise both PE/VC and public markets, with a deep dive into both emerging startups and large enterprises, as the two key players of technology and innovation in the market. Meanwhile, WIA2020 will remain a global vision and be a list of enterprises around the globe.

Moreover, during the WIM conference, the WIM Committee will release awards for investment institutions, select outstanding investors around the world. They will guide funds to support outstanding technology innovation companies and accelerate their progress in benefiting the world.

For more details on WIM2020 and the preparation progress of WIM2020, we will continue to update with our audiences.

For WIM2020, such a global tech innovation conference that connects the talents in various countries and regions, we need your strong support. For partnerships and sponsorship, please reach out to us at WIM-Committee@equalocean.com.

Please indicate [WIM2020 Partnership/Sponsorship] in the title of the email. We will read each email and give timely feedback to potential collaborators.

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