Innovators’ Village

The Innovator’s Village was a significant moment during the SAM, enabling more than twenty exhibitors to present their innovations within a day, to hundreds of participants expected at the SAM.

Why an Innovators' Village?

The objective of the Innovators' Village is to add value to innovations that allow for a significant contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), linked to financial inclusion. Whether it is for a product, a service or a particular tool, the emphasis will be put on the innovative aspect by enabling exhibitors to present their innovative solution within a structured framework.

For which exhibitors and which innovations?

The Innovator’s Village is open to exhibitors that are able to present a concrete solution, an innovative idea, to significantly contribute towards achieving the SDGs. The strength of the Innovator’s Village also resides in the diversity of exhibitors that will be present, going from start-ups to consulting firms, including Fintech firms, development NGOs and enterprises.

Through its structure and the presentation of concrete solutions, the Innovators’ Village will represent an immense opportunity to meet with new clients and potential partnerships.

The concept of the Village

The word ‘Village’ naturally hints towards the regrouping of individuals in the same living space and that reflects the proximity aspect. The atmosphere and the vibe that characterise the Innovators’ Village allows for the participants to feel like they are in a different environment, as soon as they enter through the doors of the Village. In addition, it is a space solely dedicated to innovation.

Concerning the working space, the Innovators' Village presents itself like a B2B space, resolutely modern and facing the future. It is structured like a "forum", each stand will be organised as an open space, which facilitates the natural flow of visitors whilst offering the possibility to attend presentations, which will be in the form of a "pitch", and to create more personalised contacts.

Concerning content, the organisation of the Innovators’ Village will allow each exhibitor to present his innovation on his stand at a precise moment. This presentation will be made in the form of a "pitch" lasting 5 minutes, followed by 10 to 15 minutes of questions and answers. This will inturn add value to the stand of each innovator while spreading the dynamic throughout the entire Village, each stand having its "highpoint". The program of different presentations will be defined by ADA which will promote them along the whole week. Furthermore, each innovator will also mobilise his own contacts in order to attract participants to attend the presentation of his innovation.

Give more visibility to innovators

In addition to benefitting from a space and being integrated in the program of presentations of innovative solutions, each innovator will be promoted through the « Booklet of Innovators » which will highlight on an A5 page all the characteristics of the innovative solution presented. This booklet will be diffused to all the participants of the SAM 2019 and more so throughout the web sites and social media.

Furthermore, two well-known figures of the financial inclusion and development sectors will meet all innovators and will attribute a particular recognition to three innovators which will be promoted in a more visible manner at the end of the 2019 SAM.