Next Wednesday eve, Cape Town will pingback after seeing so many of the blogger community from Joburg for Wordcamp & more last week. At the SA Business Schools Expo at the Sandton Sun, Epiphany (the new baby) in collaboration with Huddlemind (homebase) is doing a transcity mashup of minds. On an issue that seems to be affecting all of us, particularly if we work in new media, mobile and associated tech.

Is there a BUSINESS CASE for staying in South Africa when you’re one of our best & brightest ?

Do you believe that we’re all just biding our time waiting for a big buy-out, and anyone who isn’t has had too much of Nic’s Kool-Aid?

The organic process of establishing a well-rooted economy isn’t being given the chance to flourish in these accelerated times. As soon as the blossoms of our baby blogosphere started to show fruit they’ve been whipped off by corporate harvesters as Vincent & Mike have pointed out. Initially from local companies scooping the ones that glow from the top, but the shortage of talent is a global economic reality (and South Africans speak English), the best & brightest are plucked from here into fueling the intellectual capital needs of those who have the heft to pay handsomely. The vortex of the brain-drain in SA is rapidly accelerating because of crime, corrupt leadership and absurdly unfavourable conditions for entrepreneurs.

Regardless of what industry we work in, there is an unyielding perception that we have to leave SA shores to “make it big”.
Is that still valid in a flattening world? Maybe the cracks are starting to show, opening up opportunities to leverage your geopositioning to strategic advantage. To build what Hugh Macleod defines as a global microbrand, geographically agnostic success.

The best that we can do is to keep refreshing our headspace (doing a Zander challenging our bounds of possibility). There are challenging contrarian thoughts from lucid thinkers and brave pioneers that help stretch our horizons beyond insular dinner party conversation – repeating the same highly charged superficial sliver of reality that makes news. I selfishly want to create more interesting conversations around me so I don’t have to deal with rounds of regurgitated opinion at parties.

An enriched debate may be a fun place to start a good convo & we have some sexy thinkers on the panel: Branko Brkic (Editor, Maverick), Mike Stopforth (CEO, Cerebra), Paul Jacobson (New Media lawyer, Jacobson Attorneys) and Joshin Raghubar (Aspen fellow/ CEO, iKineo) and opening up into a open debate  with the audience, facilitated by David Donde (journalist, GQ and presenter 567/702).

BTW. this is NOT a lecture by talking heads. We’re tackling the question dynamically and collaboratively, engaging through provocative public debate – not only from the expert panel – but from bright minds in the audience too. We co.create the solutions to the issues to make sure they’re practical and relevant to reality.

This session is highly recommended if you’re considering a great trek of your own, or bleeding some of your company’s best and brightest to higher bidders globally. It may make for an interesting inflection point on your future strategy.

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Wednesday 3rd Sept. Sandton Sun. 17h00 – 19h00 (come earlier or stay later because you’ll have access to the Expo at your leisure)
Tickets are R250 (includes admission to the Expo) book online (click here) at www.epiphany.usgeni.us or give me a call on 082 832 6434 or mail me. easypeasy.