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A secret location, good funerals and its down to business

posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 08:50 AM

I'm at a secret location in a nice but cheap guest house (pernounced Get Hau) with my balcony overlooking a beach (and public toilet). This urban resort describes itself and with some justification as The Extreme City but fortunately the beach i have found doesn't seem so extreme and is actually quite pleasant and tranquil. But i like places that oversell themselves; like Blackpool which describes itself as the Paris of the North of England - if you have got it (and even if you haven't), flaunt it.

Day before yesterday i was in Bangkok and met Ben who took me to his rather plush appartment and then up unto the roof of the tower in which it is situated. Sure enough the door banged behind us and we were to put it mildly trapped. No emergency phone, no fire escape, nothing. Such moments are a good time to judge someone and in Ben i liked what i saw. Firstly, he didn't panic (my talents as an amateur actor skillfully hid my own desire to scream 'AAAAAHHHHH'). Fortunately though, Ben had some battery left in his phone so he managed to call his girl friend and persaude her to interrupt her lunch to come to the rescue but not before he had contemplated pulling down a big red lever which would have cut out all the electricity in the building thereby requiring folks in blue uniforms to come up and see what had happened and persumably let us down. I almost sensed that Ben would have preferred to do this rather than the softer option of summoning his girl friend but then again, when i saw her pretty, but less than amused face, maybe this wasn't the soft option afterall. But the moral of this tale is "if you are in a hole, or for that matter on a roof, Ben's yer man".

With some 'relief' i departed to my next appointment to meet Dav in the safer componds of a Chitlom Central Starbucks. I didn't get a good chance to talk to Dav at the Summit but i liked what i saw and meeting him properly only added to my favourable impression of him. He is a very smart, thoughtful guy and with bags full of easy charm and gentle wit. We got straight down to business and began the process of putting together something which i think will prove very exciting. More on this at a later time.

This morning i met with SarahJayne who i did not speak much to at the Summit but she sent me an email entitled 'Proposal' which is certainly one way to grab my attention amongst 300 plus currently lying in my inbox. After a few nice words about the summit she outlined a very interesting idea which she is about to launch and wanted to know if i-genius would like to come in as a partner. Fortunately it is very much in line with what we have planned and comes with a ready made revenue stream. So over the hour and half of our meeting I discovered what a remarkable and successful social entrepreneur she is how we share a similar philosophy on a range of things from education to money to prostitution. We then discussed her proposal and quickly concluded the outline of how to take the idea forward. I look forward to being back in Thailand in four-to-six months to take part in one of the first pilots.

Normally, you leave conferences with a pocket full of business cards and a verbal promise to be in touch. What i liked about the Phuket Summit and the meetings with Dav and SarahJayne is that we quickly got in touch and already ideas and real projects are being created, and the scale of them is simply enormous.

Good Summits are like a good funeral. Soon the raw emotion passes and its down to business.

Comments

Peter Ongera

Saturday, March 22, 2008 11:32 AM

Don't panic...my 'proposal' is to host the next summit in Kenya.Kudos.

Peter Ongera

Saturday, March 22, 2008 11:33 AM

Don't panic...my 'proposal' is to host the next summit in Kenya.Kudos.

Barry Crisp

Saturday, March 22, 2008 03:03 PM

This is truly great news Tommy! You never take a rest, but that adds to the success of i-genius. If you need any help with anything, just let me know! ; )

Tommy Hutchinson

Sunday, March 23, 2008 05:06 AM

Peter - Kenya is definately on the list with about 6 other possibilities and i look forward to exploring the pros n cons with you of hosting it there. Barry - help is the one thing we always need, thanks! Two final days now on the beach reading and chating to the locals and then its back to UK. Its the end of the beginning, the real work now begins, the dream shall never die.

Barry Crisp

Sunday, March 23, 2008 07:32 AM

Subarashii - wonderful!

Xin H.

Thursday, March 27, 2008 10:56 PM

Good Summits are like a good funeral? luckily not everyone has to experience it. :))