For three days last week, from 13^th-15^th of April, I had the privilege of attending the Mobile Marketing Association Forum Asia Pacific 2010 (MMAF). This two-day Forum brought together some of the best and brightest in the mobile marketing space, as well as representatives from some of the world’s largest brands and agencies to discuss the possibilities that the mobile medium provides by way of engaging consumers. (I also attended the two half-day pre-event workshops – one on the basics of mobile marketing, and another on measurement and analytics – held the day before the Forum proper.)

There were over 200 delegates who thronged the Waterfront Conference Centre, participating in over fifty presentations and panels that covered some broad themes. Aside from examining the state of the mobile marketing space, MMAF delegates also heard about the importance of metrics and had the opportunity to see technology being demonstrated. I found the case studies and success stories from around the region (Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia) particularly engaging. The focus on India where different players from different parts of the Indian mobile ecosystem said their piece and then discussed future directions in a panel discussion was a chance for me to see how the different pieces of the puzzle fit together.

It looks like these will be interesting times for mobile communications users. With over 850 million mobile payment transactions made by 2009, and predictions holding that there will be an estimated 10 billion mobile devices in use by 2020, there is no doubt that mobile devices are becoming an indispensable part of how we live and work. The potential for consumer engagement is massive, and it was exciting watching all the mobile marketing professionals discussing ways to make it happen.

The second day of MMAF was particularly interesting for me, when the brands and agencies got a chance to share their focus, their unique perspective on how mobile marketing can be an integral part of the general marketing mix. The fact that we got to hear from big-name companies lent a lot more weight to the presentations, and the two panel discussions were fast, furious and full of ideas, particularly when the ad networks and the technology providers jumped in as well.

The penultimate session was a bit of serious fun, with reps from five major ad networks giving five-minute elevator pitches in a bid to grab some audience mindshare. After each one had a chance to talk up their network, the audience voted via SMS. AdMob won by a wide margin, but listening to the others gave me a sense that there are great things on the horizon, with each network reaching out to the public in similar but subtly different ways.

Ad Network ShootOut at the 2010 MMA Forum Asia

The global leaders panel was the grand finale, and the five industry authorities who took to the stage wrapped up MMAF with a sense of optimism that 2010 will be the year of mobile, while pointing out that the key to mutual growth is increased communication and cooperation between the different players in the mobile game. Rohit Dadwal’s closing speech was particularly inspiring, as he pointed out that the consumer was the common point of reference for all parts of the ecosystem, and called for greater focus on the consumer. (Rohit’s the Managing Director, APAC, for the Mobile Marketing Association).

Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director APAC, Mobile Marketing Association

It was a really engaging three days for me, and I feel like I learned a lot. I couldn’t begin to explain the sheer amount of creativity and innovation on display, and the passion that people had for the mobile medium was palpable.

Photos of the event are now up on the MMA Facebook Page, here, here and here. Do tag the photos if you spot yourselves in there!