My Visit to Bangladesh Outsourcing Conference & eASiA 2011
Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS) invited me to Bangladesh Outsourcing Conference 2011 and eASiA 2011 as a speaker, to present to an audience of students and freelancers. I wasn't prepared for the excitement that I would see there, or for the sheer number of freelancers that are working through oDesk in Bangladesh. The organizers have thoroughly prepared this event, including the awards ceremony and gala dinner. This could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with other ICT conferences anywhere else in the world.
I met with best freelancer of the year 2010, Alamin Chowdhury, who is doing SEO for clients such as Toyota. Matt Cooper, VP of Marketplace Operations at oDesk, was the keynote speaker for our session. He was cool to talk to, and I asked him for his oppinion on accessing high-end contracts that are available in the marketplace.
(Picture: Yeafesh Osman, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology, Government of Bangladesh presenting the award, and Fahim Mashroor, Senior Vice President of BASIS in the background.)
It was a privilege to meet with Fahim Mashroor and other distinguished members of BASIS, and hanging out at their office. I also enjoyed speaking with Marjanaul Hassan at Business Innovation & Incubation Centre and Academy of Management & Science, visiting their headquarters and eating with their employees.
I'm very excited to have met many freelancers that work on oDesk, most of whom are now friends on Facebook. I am especially grateful to Alamin Chowdhury, who went extra steps to make me feel at home introducing me to the leaders in the community, and his friends and customs.
Thanks To
- Fahim Mashroor, Senior Vice President of BASIS
- Erica Benton, MarComm Manager of oDesk
- Alamin Chowdhury, Best Freelancer 2010
- Matt Cooper, VP of oDesk Marketplace Operations
- Hassan Tanvir Mansur, my first Bangladeshi friend
- Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Prime Minister's Office, Bangladesh
- Roya & Nicole, ticket agents of Etihad Airways, Frankfurt desk
