THE inaugural Ideas Festival conference — a much-anticipated gathering of movers and shakers in the wider entrepreneurial space — kicks off next week (November 22-24) at the Troutbeck Resort in Nyanga.

The conference, the first of its kind in the country, is an annual event which brings together alumni of the widely watched In Conversation with Trevor (ICWT) talk show to interact and share ideas with entrepreneurs and innovators.

ICWT has hosted entrepreneurs, innovators, intellectuals, creators and those in the start-up ecosystem and engaged them in no-holds-barred conversations of their lived experiences, ideas and visions. 

The talk show is the brainchild of publisher and entrepreneur Trevor Ncube.

Talking about the upcoming event, Ncube said the Ideas Festival is an annual get-together to share ideas that help build a good society that we aspire to be.

“It will be a gathering to feast on fresh ideas for shaping our collective destiny … all societies that have prospered have been propelled by a robust marketplace of ideas,” Ncube said.

Keep Reading

“The best ideas from a competitive marketplace drive the creativity and ingenuity of entrepreneurs with a positive impact on wealth creation and job opportunities.

“So, we gather in Nyanga next week to share the ideas that have sparked our creativity. We will learn from each other’s stories of success and failure.

“The lessons from our lived experiences form a tapestry that is an important part of our narrative. The toxicity in our society is not who we are. Who we are is to a large extent what we do, first individually and then collectively.”

Zimbabwe has a lot of challenges and yet many entrepreneurs are not daunted by the doom and gloom, he said.

“I believe that Zimbabwe’s fortunes will be changed by these creative citizens changing their spheres of influence. Their courage against all odds and their enterprise will affect our future in a positive way,” Ncube said.

A dozen key speakers from various backgrounds have been lined up to give presentations.

Some of the speakers will include the leading executives and entrepreneurs to emerge from Zimbabwe.

These include Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Group CEO, Douglas Mboweni, who will talk about How an Idea Transformed a Village; Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency CEO, Tafadzwa Chinamo, with a presentation on The Window into Zimbabwe’s Opportunities; and dental surgeon and Zimbabwe Hemp Trust founder Dr Zorodzai Maroveke (Economic Transformation Through Hemp Industry).

Institute for the Future of Knowledge at the University of Johannesburg director Professor Arthur Mutambara will talk on the current hot topic globally, Artificial Intelligence Opportunities and Risks, while property mogul Ken Sharpe will tackle the topic, Future of Smart Cities and Urbanisation.

Said Ncube: “Nation-building quality conversations, broad-based economic development and prosperity can only be powered by a vibrant marketplace of ideas.

“It is our collective ideas, efforts and dreams that contribute to the Zimbabwe we want. The biggest role of our government is to create an enabling environment for our ideas and enterprises to flourish and then get out of the way.”

The event will have an exciting programme, which includes masterclasses, panels, fire-side chats, an Ideas Tank for entrepreneurs to pitch their exciting business ideas.

There will be golf and great entertainment. All work and no play is never a good idea.

The festival was launched last December at a luncheon graced by entrepreneurs and executives, such as former Google (South Africa) executive Stafford Masie and sommelier and founder of Kumusha Wines, Tinashe Nyamudoka, to name just these two.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka gave an inspiring speech and spellbinding performance.

The Ideas Festival will be broadcast live on the ICWT show to the world audience.

  • To join this vibrant conference, please drop an e-mail to olga@heartandsoul.co.zw or trevorncube@alphamedia.co.zw, and to register to be considered for the #IdeasTank2023 please go to convowithtrevor.com/events/ #icwt23.