This is amazing post by Leigh McKiernon, this is exactly what’s happening in Indonesia, I have attended quite a lot of conference last year, mostly tech related, from Digital Summit something, security trend, and yes, Unlocking something.
Every month, Jakarta’s luxury hotels transform into theaters of corporate pageantry, hosting yet another “groundbreaking, future-shaping” event. The theme? Some version of “Unlocking Indonesia’s Potential”—as if the country is a locked treasure chest that just needs the right combination of PowerPoint slides to open.
And these lines are the kicker.
If you’ve attended more than one Indonesian business conference, you’ve probably experienced an eerie sense of déjà vu. Same hotel ballroom. Same buffet. Same talking points. And, most importantly, the same speakers.
Welcome to the elite world of Indonesia’s Panel Mafia—an exclusive club where the main qualification isn’t execution, but sheer endurance in repeating the same buzzwords for years without consequence. These people don’t just attend conferences; they orbit them like celestial bodies, forever circling but never landing.
Many probably had a conference fatigue, not to mention tired chased by account managers, sales person, etc, since our credentials were shared to the sponsors, they have time to ask your time.