Damir Dizdarević has been a long-time prominent speaker at IT conferences throughout Europe and is the content director for the NetWork conference. He has held the title of Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for 18 years and has been a Microsoft Regional Director since 2017. Damir is the CEO of Logosoft and leads the non-profit organization MSCommunity BiH.
What was your initial goal when you started the NetWork conference, and how has that goal evolved over the years? Can you share your feelings and reflections now, after 12 years of the conference's existence?
The NetWork conference was first held back in 2011. At that time, it was a conference under the Microsoft brand, and as a Microsoft MVP, I worked with my colleague Enis Šahinović (then employed at Microsoft BiH) on creating the content. Our initial goal was for Bosnia and Herzegovina to have its own IT conference, as such conferences had long existed in neighboring countries (like Windays, Sinergija, NTK). The first NetWork (then actually called MS NetWork) conference was held in Banja Luka, lasting about a day and a half, and was attended by around 150 people. By today's standards, that's very modest, but it was important to start. Since I already had considerable experience as a speaker at regional conferences, I was delighted that Bosnia and Herzegovina got its conference, even though it was quite humble. Today, I'm even more pleased because the NetWork conference has grown into a respectable event, recognized not only in BiH but much wider. What started as a relatively small gathering is now the largest IT conference in BiH, on par with other regional conferences in terms of content quality.
How has the NetWork conference developed from its inception to today?
The important thing to note is that the conference has grown year by year, which is still the case today. After a modest beginning, the second NetWork conference was held in Mostar with a slightly larger number of participants. We then moved to Teslić, where several editions of the conference were held before moving to Neum, where we are today. The development of the conference was not just in the number of participants; the content also evolved, with more lectures and speakers each year, as well as accompanying events, attracting the audience and placing the NetWork conference on the map of significant IT events in the region. Simultaneously, the conference became interesting to sponsors, with more and more BH companies recognizing the NetWork conference as an excellent opportunity to establish new business contacts and present their products and solutions.
What are some of the most important moments of the NetWork conference that you are particularly proud of? How have these moments shaped the future direction and growth of the conference?
For me, the transition of the conference to Neum was a turning point in its development. It was not just a change of physical location but a significant improvement in the quality of organization, content, the number of lectures, the number of foreign speakers we attracted, and, of course, the number of participants. After moving to Neum, the conference's organization was taken over by the Communis agency alongside Microsoft. Communis has continued to excel in organizing the NetWork conference, and they still do an excellent job today. From then on, the conference started to develop its business aspect, which is also an important component, transitioning from a classic IT conference to a business-technology conference. Another important moment was when Microsoft exited the conference organization in 2019, which happened not only in BiH but globally, as Microsoft changed its approach to organizing regional events. While this may have initially weakened the conference's support, it also opened up the possibility for other vendors to participate, expanding the content beyond the Microsoft ecosystem. Although Microsoft technologies still dominate the NetWork conference, which is somewhat expected, we see more and more lectures from other ecosystems each year. I believe this is crucial, as there are few business environments today that are oriented towards the technology of a single vendor.
Do you have a favorite NetWork conference from previous years, and why is it particularly dear to you? Is there a special anecdote or experience you would like to share?
I think my favorite NetWork conference was the one held immediately after the pandemic. I was very sad when we had to cancel the conference scheduled and fully prepared for spring 2020 at the last minute and then pause it for a few years. We all had concerns about how it would continue due to the strong expansion of online events, so I was very pleased to see an extremely large number of participants at the 2022 conference when we made a restart.
Of course, there have been many anecdotes and beautiful experiences over the years, but I wouldn’t single out anything specific since all these experiences have their context within the conference and don't translate the same when retold. What I particularly like is that despite the conference's growth, we've maintained a relaxed atmosphere, light humor, and wonderful camaraderie. Many recognize this and return, both participants and speakers. I've personally attended and continue to attend many conferences, but there are very few where I feel as comfortable as at the NetWork conference. And I know many of my speaker colleagues, not just from BiH but much wider, feel the same.
What can participants expect from this year's NetWork conference? What topics and technologies will be in focus this year, and why are they particularly relevant?
The NetWork conference has consistently followed all current technologies and solutions since its inception, and this year will be no different. Of course, AI is currently at the forefront of the global IT industry and most IT conferences, so it will be at the next NetWork conference as well. Besides that, we will cover various security solutions, a perpetual topic, new software development methods, and some soft-skills topics that have garnered significant interest from conference attendees in recent years. The process of submitting lectures is ongoing, and I can already say that we will have very diverse content, ensuring there is something interesting for everyone. And I am confident that there will be no shortage of entertaining content, and participants will be very satisfied with that aspect as well. Organizing the conference is a massive task that takes almost the entire year, but the results make it worth the effort.
Is there any new technology or innovation that particularly excites you and might be discussed at this year's NetWork conference? Is there a topic you would like to see presented that could make a significant contribution to the IT community?
After nearly 30 years in IT, it's not easy to excite or surprise me, but the enthusiasm for new things is still there 😊. As I mentioned, AI is certainly an area where we will see many new solutions, not only at this NetWork conference but also in the next few. When it comes to preferred lectures, case studies from specific projects conducted in BiH are always welcome. This is primarily because, although we discuss global trends at the conference, we must not overlook specific solutions and experiences of local companies. No matter how much the conference has grown, it is primarily our local event, and it is essential to cover topics related to our local market.
How did the idea for introducing the business day come about, and what are the main goals of this part of the conference?
The business day is becoming an increasingly significant part of the NetWork conference, and that's no accident. A few years ago, we recognized that the positioning of new technologies and solutions in companies depends not only on IT professionals but also largely on management and decision-makers. Therefore, it is necessary to give every significant technology a business context, as technology should not be an end in itself but primarily help and improve the core business of a company. That's why we approach the content design for this part of the conference very carefully and listen to participant feedback. I personally see great potential for further growth in the business segment of the conference, without neglecting its technological part.
What topics and activities will be the focus of the business day this year, and how will this addition enrich the conference experience for participants?
In addition to what I mentioned, during the business day, we aim to open some general-interest topics that include information technology. These primarily include the digitalization of public administration services, digitalization of banking operations, and digitalization of the healthcare system. The application of information technology in these areas is of immense importance to our citizens, and unfortunately, Bosnia and Herzegovina significantly lags behind the rest of Europe in this regard. Last year, we opened these topics with the highest representatives of the authorities to further encourage development and show that there is significant interest in this. We plan to do something similar this year, reflecting on what has been done in the field of digitalization of the mentioned services in the past year. This segment is quite frustrating, especially for IT professionals in BiH, because we are aware of many technical solutions that could be implemented in BiH, which would not only improve the quality of life but also further strengthen the IT market in BiH, but this is happening very slowly or not at all. Therefore, we want to discuss this with the decision-makers, emphasize the importance of digitalization, and help expedite the process of finding solutions.
How does the business day reflect current trends and challenges in business, and how does it help companies adapt and thrive in the digital age?
Our primary goal is for companies of all profiles to understand how using IT solutions can help their business. Additionally, it is crucial for companies, their owners, and directors to understand the security aspects of the IT world to adequately protect themselves from fraud, damage, or data loss. Raising awareness in these areas is key and requires constant effort. I believe the NetWork conference provides valuable resources in this regard, and we will strive to maintain that.
