ProductCamp Amsterdam 2019
Great participants shape the experience at ProductCamp Amsterdam. In the meet the participant series we will explore the ProductCamp story of some of our participants. Up next: Eman Mifsud, who made the switch from a technical role in the pharmaceutical industry to product.
Hey Eman! Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you ended up in Product?
Hi, I’m Eman! I’m 29 years old and I’ve relocated to Amsterdam from Malta this January. I began my career in the pharmaceutical industry in 2013 but soon realised that I was drawn towards the tech space. After completing a master degree in Entrepreneurship, in 2016, I founded a startup called Shake Bench. Shake Bench was the AirBnB of coworking spaces. I had the role of product owner leading an agile team of developers and a designer to craft a product for people looking for a space to cowork or hold an event. Unfortunately, the startup did not scale-up and in the beginning of 2019 we closed down the company. During my time at Shake Bench I found my passion towards product and now I am looking for a career path in product management.
Do you think your background as a start-up founder benefits you as a Product Owner?
When starting a company, the product is half of the work because the other half is handling a lot of other boring tasks for instance the legal paperwork to open a company, opening a bank account, trade license, VAT registration, insurance etc… and also there are plenty of hiccups along the way like issues with the team and the suppliers that will help you form a 360 view of the company and the product. I believe this mindset is very important as a product owner because you can empathize with your team and stakeholders and also value other departments in the company.
How important is product when you create your own start-up?
In essence, a product is the result of all efforts of a company presented to the customers. It is a waste of money and time having great marketing but then the product fails to deliver. Juicero and Theranos are two notorious Silicon Valley startups that failed to deliver upon their promises. Unlike biotech startups, the majority of the startups have the benefit to incrementally improve their product by learning from the customer and release a new version quickly. The concept of the minimum viable product is wonderful as the product team can build a (buggy) product to test a hypothesis and according to the results of the outcome they figure out the next steps. So, definitely, a product-first mindset is vital in a start-up because ultimately customers want to benefit from the product.
This is the first time you’re attending right? Why did you decide to attend?
Yes, it is my first time attending such (un)conference event. Like many other expats, the first thing you do when you relocate to another country is to attend meetups and events to network with like-minded people with similar interests and careers. So, when I discovered more about this event through Maarten Dalmijn, I immediately signed up as I was sure that I will meet new people with similar interests and also learn new things about product management. The unique thing about ProductCamp is that there are no speakers. I believe this allows people to share their true experiences unlike structured conferences where sometimes the content is promotional or too theoretical.
What are you hoping to learn by attending ProductCamp?
By attending ProductCamp, I am interested to learn more about product management practises used by product people to make their products better.
Are you going to propose a session, if so what session and format will you propose?
In theory, estimation of development is the sole responsibility of the the development team. However, in reality the situation might be different depending on the nature of the company. So, I would propose a session on how to empower the development team to make accurate estimates and support them to take ownership of their decisions. This session would have the format of birds of a feather.
What do you like doing in your free time?
I like to keep myself active with some exercise, cooking/eating good food and travelling. My goal is to visit every country in Europe (already half-way there). Currently I am investing my time in reading books and other resources about product as I am currently looking for a job in product with a tech company in The Netherlands.
Thanks for your time Eman, hope to see you at ProductCamp this Sunday!
So, the last couple of weeks we’ve been writing a lot about ProductCamp and reasons to go. Chances are, you still haven’t bought any tickets yet, though. We totally get why:
- It’s all about learning from fellow Product people, and we all know learning stopped being fun in high school.
- Getting insights from colleagues from different industries, or maybe even different roles, moves us outside of our comfort zone, which is pretty scary tbh.
- We have Steven Haines, best-selling author of “The Product Managers Desk Reference”, as our keynote speaker – that’s just too much inspiration waiting to happen!
- You’ll hear about the latest technologies and trends in product development, and nobody likes change.
- The event is hosted at the former V&D building; bankruptcy looms ;-).
- Coffee, lunch and snacks will be catered, and at the end, there will even be beers. So we’ll have to watch our diet again afterwards, with beach season right around the corner.
Now, all joking aside: ProductCamp Amsterdam is an event for and by product people, so we really need you to make it an awesome event. Put aside any doubt, get your tickets, and meet us and other product people the 31st of March!
Great participants shape the experience at ProductCamp Amsterdam. The meet the participant series explores the product and ProductCamp story of some of our participants.
Up next: Ines Sadouk, who made the switch from Sales and Project Management to Product.
Hey Ines! Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you ended up in Product?
Hi, I’m Ines! I’m 30 years old and I’ve been living in Amsterdam since 2017. I work as a Product Owner for BESTSELLER, a Danish fast fashion company. As a Product Owner I am responsible for the Product data management domain. The next edition of ProductCamp will be hosted by BESTSELLER at our new offices.
My first job in Product was at the Louis Vuitton technology department in Paris. I did not have the official job title, I was a junior project manager there. I had to a develop a high-end product catalogue for Louis Vuitton stores. The catalogue would allow the stores to showcase all Louis Vuitton products, even if they had no stock or it was outside of the boutique’s product range.
This was the first time I built a product and I was really excited and proud. I was in charge of the pilot for 5 different stores and interacted with stores in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Moscow. I particularly enjoyed seeing all the cultural differences which affected how they use the tool and were able to give feedback.
Do you think your background as Project Manager benefits you as a Product Owner?
Without a doubt, the negotiation skills I obtained as Project Manager are very useful. Time management and the ability to quickly see next steps and actions points are extremely valuable.
Without a doubt, the negotiation skills I obtained as Project Manager are very useful. Time management and the ability to quickly see next steps and actions points are extremely valuable.
Also by doing many projects I have developed a sixth sense for risks (which can sometimes can annoy my colleagues). You learn from your mistakes and something that might seem small might actually become a problem.
What is the difference between managing a product or managing a project?
At Runpath, a company I used to work for in London, I was a project manager together with several product managers. As a project manager, I was more focused on the delivery, estimation, billing, client management and account management. In short, I was focused on the delivery side of things. The product manager was focused more on discovery, figuring out what to do and why.
As a Product Owner you are responsible for outcome you are delivering and not just the delivery itself
As a Product Owner you are involved in discovery and delivery, which I found more exciting. You are responsible for the outcome you are delivering and not just the delivery itself.
This is the first time you’re attending right? Why did you decide to attend?
It’s always interesting to meet people with different Product Owners’ backgrounds. We all come from different places and everybody has their own weak and strong points. I want to learn from others who are strong at my weak points.
What are you hoping to learn by attending ProductCamp?
I am curious to learn what it’s like to be a different Product Owner in different industries. I’m curious how it affects the role.
Are you going to propose a session, if so what session and format will you propose?
I would like to learn what other Product Managers do to reduce the amount of meetings they have. This can really distract you productivity can prevent you from focusing on the right things. So if anybody has any great tips, talk to me! So the format would be birds of a feather and the topic would be reducing meetings as a Product Manager.
What do you like doing in your free time?
I really love travelling. I lived in Paris, Brussel, London, Barcelona, Madrid and Amsterdam. So I still feel a strong connection to these places and love visiting my friends there but also discovering new places of course!
Thanks for your time Ines, hope to see you at ProductCamp in a few months!
Great participants shape the experience at ProductCamp Amsterdam. The meet the participant series explores the product and ProductCamp story of some of our participants.
First up: Mustafa El Maghrabi, who made the switch from Sales to Product.
Hey Mustafa! Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you ended up in Product?
Mustafa: I’m Mustafa El Maghrabi, 29 years old and I’m originally from Egypt. I currently work as a Technical Product Owner at Payconiq, a Mobile payments company in the Fintech sector here in Amsterdam.
Before working in Product Management, I was working in Sales and Business Development at Bynder. My manager offered me the opportunity to lead a new business development team. After some internal interviews, I also had the opportunity to start as a Product Manager at the same company. The Sales position was financially much more appealing. I had to step down financially to start working in product. I would also miss out on the opportunity to manage my own team.
In the end, I decided it was more important to follow my heart. It was a choice between staying in my comfort zone or stretching myself to learn something new. I took the risk of starting my first job in product. It was a difficult decision to make, but I’m loving working as a Product Manager!
Do you think your sales background benefits you in your role as a Product Owner?
Mustafa: Definitely!
Being a good salesman is all about understanding the problem of your customer, communication, building a relationship and presenting how your solution would help solve their problem. All of these skills are very essential when you work in Product. So much of Product Management is the politics of influencing people and understanding customers and their problems.
“Being a good salesman is all about understanding the problem of your customer, communication, building a relationship and presenting how your solution would help solve their problem.”
In Product Management, you do not manage any people but you need to inspire, motivate and influence your team so they move in the direction of your vision. A large part of the role revolves around communication and in Sales, it’s all about communication. So that part came very naturally to me.
This is the second time you will be attending right? What made you come back?
Mustafa: actually, it’s the third time. And it will definitely not be my last time!
When I came to the conference for the first time, I was a rookie in product and I learned so much from others sharing their own experiences and struggles. It opened a whole new world for me and I saw how a lot of things we were doing could be improved.
When I came the first time, I was a rookie in product and I learned so much from others sharing their own experiences and struggles.
I go to many conferences, but what I love about ProductCamp is that I can learn stuff from my peers that I can apply to my day-to-day job, network, and gain a fresh perspective.
What are you hoping to learn by attending ProductCamp?
Mustafa: Best-practices in product lifecycle management, the tools other Product Managers work with and the flow from idea to feature that goes live.
Final question: are you going to propose a session, if so what session and format will you propose?
Mustafa: An informal group discussion about Prioritization for Product Managers. I recently introduced a prioritization framework and I am curious what other approaches people use so maybe I can make mine even better.
Thanks for your time Mustafa, hope to see you at ProductCamp in a few months!
We are thrilled to announce the next edition of ProductCamp will be hosted by BESTSELLER E-commerce.
BESTSELLER is a Danish family-owned clothing and accessories company providing fast affordable fashion under brands such as JACK & JONES, SELECTED, VERO MODA, ONLY, PIECES, VILA, OBJECT, JUNAROSE, MAMALICIOUS, NAME IT, Y.A.S, ADPT. and more.
The BESTSELLER E-commerce office is located at the Sint Joris Steeg 2 next to the Kalvertoren.
You might know the BESTSELLER office building as the ‘old V&D building’. But it is much more than that.
The location is one-of-a-kind and has a rich history in Dutch commerce. More than 100 years ago, on the 5th of October in 1912 the first modern department store of the Netherlands opened its doors here, revolutionizing the Dutch retail landscape in the process.
V&D building at the Rokin in Amsterdam; 6th of October 1930 by Paul Guermonprez.
Before BESTSELLER E-commerce moved in, the department store has been completely revamped while preserving the beautiful historical character of the building.
Curious to see what it looks like now? Here is a sneak preview:
Impression of the top floor by Jelle Baars
We are really happy to host ProductCamp 2019 at such a unique location in the middle of Amsterdam.
We look forward to seeing you there!
The ProductCamp Team
ProductCamp is a conference organized by product managers for product managers.
If you need some convincing, here are some reasons why you and your co-workers should join this event:
- Meet like-minded product people! Product managers, project managers, product designers, CPO’s and startup founders.
- Ask your product management peers any question you like and share your own experiences, without your business owners listening in…
- Get inspiration from other projects, processes and innovations that your peers share.
Everyone is a participant
ProductCamp Amsterdam is all about you. This isn’t a boredom contest, but a yearly sharing of challenges, ideas and experiences in unconference format. You’re expected to contribute. Better yet: you decide the programme for the day!
It’s also a great opportunity to bring your co-workers along with you and introduce them to your world. They’ll respect you even more afterwards 😉
Break-out sessions
Propose a break-out session in the morning and share your thoughts in the afternoon. Peers triggered by your topic will actively engage in the discussion and back you up or inspire you to make changes for the better. Come prepared if you want to initiate a session. Practice a 2 minute pitch for the plenary morning session and a 5 minute introduction to the topic, so you can spend the rest of the session in discussion with participants.
Get your tickets now
Join over 100 other product managers, designers and entrepreneurs from small startups to large corporates and share your experiences – whether you’re a seasoned pro or a rookie!
We spent a lot of time this year, trying to find the right keynote speaker for the next edition of ProductCamp. We’re really excited to finally be able to reveal the keynote speaker for ProductCamp 2019: Steven Haines.
Product Management thought leader and best-selling author Steven Haines will be speaking about Full-stream Product Lifecycle Management.
About Steven Haines
Steven Haines is a thought leader in the field of Product Management. He is the founder of Sequent Learning Networks, an international advisory services firm focusing on Product Management. Steven is the author of multiple Product Management bestsellers, including: The Product Managers Desk Reference, The Product Managers Survival Guide and Managing Product Management. Steven Haines serves as a mentor to the world’s largest entrepeneur training and startup launch program The Founder Institute. He also serves on the board of directors of The Product Development and Management association.
Steven will kick-off the next edition of ProductCamp on Sunday 31st of March 2019.
Don’t have a ticket yet? Don’t miss out! Register now and claim your seat:
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- Meet the participant #1: Mustafa El Maghrabi
February 5, 2019