Nearly 150 million Chinese tourists travel around the globe every year; that number is rapidly growing, as is their impact on and contribution to the global economy. In fact, nearly 33% of the global luxury spend in 2019 will come from Chinese travelers.
But, where are they going? Western countries are their most popular destinations, and for them, the most foreign. When traveling to such intensely foreign destinations, Chinese travelers are in need of services and support to make their interaction easier, no matter where they’re going. This is where WeChat comes in.
Since the launch of WeChat’s Mini Programs two years ago, developers have delivered over a million Mini Programs across more than 200 categories. Mini Programs are tiny applications that run within WeChat that allow business to directly integrate with WeChat’s ecosystem.
The average user spends 4 hours a day on WeChat, and with Mini Programs like JD.com (ecommerce), Mobike (bike sharing), and Tesla (charging station locator), users can access a full variety of features and services without leaving the app.
WeChat wants to bring Mini Programs to Europe and North America in an effort to bridge connections between western business and Chinese travelers. To help accomplish this, WeChat is announcing the WeChat Developer Challenge presented at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin this December.
The WeChat Developer Challenge will bring 6 business partners, each with distinct challenges, to over one hundred teams comprised of startups, ISVs, code houses and other entities eager to work with these businesses in driving new customers and new revenue.
In October, accepted applicant teams will begin coding to compete for one of the top spaces offered to a total of 30 teams. Those top 30 teams will travel to TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin in December to present their work.
Why you should join us
- Work together with WeChat in real-time: Work directly with the WeChat product team, understand the latest international trends, get industry insights, learn our APIs, and participate in our service provider support plan.
- Technical Exchange: Learn tips and tricks from WeChat and other teams to make your code the best in the business and increase your market reach. Receive direct advice from WeChat experts on how to make your Mini Programs most effective, scalable and repeatable.
- Business Opportunity: Show your solutions and technologies to prestigious global brands, like Boisset Collection (France and US), LVMH (Paris, France), RijksMuseum (Amsterdam, Netherland), Simon Property Group (US), Sixt (Munich, Germany) and Viking Cruises (Basel, Switzerland), and develop revenue generating relationships on site!
- Awards! The top six winners will be chosen, with $10,000 for the top team, $5,000 for the rest in the top three, and $3,000 for the rest in the top six. The winner of the public vote will receive an award of $2,000.
- Disrupt Berlin Tickets: All Top 30 teams will be given free access to TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin and the opportunity to showcase their solutions with top startups to investors from all over the world.
- Extra Crunch Stage Presentation: Top 3 teams will be given the opportunity to present at the ExtraCrunch Stage to showcase their solutions to the world.
- Who can join? Startups, Independent System Vendors (ISV’s), registered entities, and professional development companies in Europe and North America.
Note: Mini Programs and the WeChat Developer Challenge are a B2B opportunity and as such are not open for individual developers.
About the event
Partners of the event include prestigious global brands, and organizations (in alphabetical order) like Boisset Collection (France and US), LVMH (Paris, France), RijksMuseum (Amsterdam, Netherland), Simon Property Group (US), Sixt (Munich, Germany) and Viking Cruises (Basel, Switzerland).
Join now and show us your code! Win awards and create new and productive relationships!
Agenda
- Now through October 10th: Registration
- October 10th to November 15th: Online development phase
- November 15th to November 18th: Selection of the top 30 finalists to present onsite at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin
- December 11th to December 12th: WeChat presentation, business partners’ presentation, and final selection at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin
Venue: Arena Berlin, Berlin Germany
If you would like to learn more about mini-program development, go to Udacity for some free courses and tips on how to get started with the challenge!
Scan the mini program code to register!