Opera’s coming to Manila to meet techies like yourself. Hear what’s the future of the web in the Philippines

Since the introduction of smartphones, the mobile industry has been going through an explosive, unstoppable growth. People are spending more time accessing the web on their mobile devices, especially in mobile-first countries such as the Philippines.

With this demand for mobile connectivity, how will the future of the web look like in the Philippines, and what will be the potential challenges faced in creating high-performing webs and apps? Opera wants to help you as entrepreneurs and developers navigate this changing mobile landscape during the Tech in Asia x Opera Manila meetup on July 30.

What’s in for me?

Used by more than 250 million people around the globe every month, Opera Mini – one of Opera’s popular web browsers – helps connect both previously unconnected and web-savvy individuals to the internet through its cloud technology. In return, this cloud technology reveals key data on web usage that would be useful for developers and marketing professionals in shaping the future of the Internet.

Come down and hear from Opera’s Eiko Raquel (country manager for the Philippines, Opera Software) and Huib Kleinhout (product manager, Opera Coast), who will deliver key insights and trends on mobile web usage in the Philippines during the meetup.

Eiko will kick off the meetup with a discussion on the latest mobile web usage trends in the Philippines. More specifically, she will cover smartphone adoption rates in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; which content category has grown the most in the past year; the top 10 popular handsets and websites; as well as why Philippines is soon to become one of the world’s biggest smartphone markets.

Next on the agenda is a keynote by Huib, where he shares how you can cut through challenges to build a high-performing web; what developers can do to keep their apps and services lean and fast; as well as what consumers can do to not exceed their data bundles. With the surge in consumer demand to download apps, browse the web, watch videos and communicate online, Huib is someone you would definitely want to hear from.

Meetup agenda

6.30pm – 7pm: Registration (light snacks provided)
7pm – 7.10pm: Introduction by Eiko Raquel
7.10pm – 7.55pm: Keynote by Huib Kleinhout
7.55pm – 8.15pm: Q&A with Huib
8.15pm onwards: Dinner & Networking

Venue

A Space Manila
110 Legazpi Street, Makati, 1229 Kalakhang Maynila, Philippines

Entry is free, so sign up fast to secure your space!

Speakers’ profile

Huib Kleinhout

Huib Kleinhout is the man behind Opera Coast, the browser that blurs the line between apps and the mobile web. The app passed one million downloads within 30 days of its launch on the iPhone.

Opera Coast has won several accolades, including being named one of TIME’s Top 10 Apps of 2013 and a “can’t-miss app” by Mashable. E-week described Opera Coast as “a brand-new approach to the mobile browser”. It also won the “Best Software” award at WebIT Congress, “Best Utility App” award and the coveted “App of the Year” award by Norway’s Gulltasten 2013. And more recently in 2014 and 2015, Opera Coast received third place in the Productivity category in the 2014 CTIA Hot for the Holiday Awards; Winner of the Mobile Apps for Consumer category in the Aegis Graham Bell Awards 2014; and is currently nominated for Best Mobile App 2015 in The Best Mobile App Awards.

Eiko Raquel

As country manager, Eiko leads efforts to drive distribution and increase users for Opera’s various internet products in partnership with major carrier operators, OEMs, and publishers.

Eiko has had extensive experience in the internet, mobile, and ecommerce space, having worked at various technology companies over the past decade, including Yahoo Philippines where she was responsible for growing Yahoo Mobile. At Globe Telecom, Eiko headed the strategic partnerships and innovation team for digital media under the consumer business group. Recently, she was the head of business development for Multiply in the Philippines where she was tasked with increasing payment channels and logistics providers for Multiply’s buyers and sellers. Early in her career, she held various business and account management positions at Wireless Services Asia, MDI, and Alcatel.