Are You Asking The Right Questions? Strategies For Product Development

Philosopher and Tech Strategist. In this presentation Richard will demystify ‘The Art Of Asking The Right Questions’ by explaining question structure, its history and role in society and strategies for asking questions to get better answers.

With a background in Philosophy and Mathematics and decades of direct experience leading technology and data driven businesses, Richard has run technology, product and data functions for a number of leading companies in Australia and abroad, including Australia's largest online publisher, blue chip banks and Europe's biggest online price comparison company.

He's passionate about making value through these new capabilities, whether in entirely new businesses or by transforming existing ones.

Matt Costello is Managing Director - Asia/Pacific for Greensill Capital, a specialist working capital financial institution.

With over a decade of experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate advisory and now traditional corporate finance, Matt has assisted many start-ups over the years to raise capital and ultimately sell including his own early mobile marketing start-up, 5th Finger.

Dimmi Founder Stevan Premutico has built Australia’s #1 real-time restaurant booking and review website, borne out of his own firsthand frustrations at the inefficiencies of restaurant reservation systems.

An astute hospitality marketer with experience across the United States, UK and Australia, Stevan has travelled the world with Hilton Hotels - launching the Hilton Sydney in 2005 before going on to serve as Director of Marketing for Hilton International in London.

While at the Hilton in London, Stevan saw a big opportunity within the online restaurant booking space. He started conceptualising this idea on the eve of the GFC but he knew he was onto something big. After talking through his big idea with a friend, Stevan walked into his boss’s office the very next day, handed in his resignation and spent the next 12 months living in an attic dreaming up the business.

Upon returning to Australia, Stevan started raising capital and began to fine tune the concept that would eventually become Dimmi, recognising the growth and success of similar online booking systems for hotel reservations and flight bookings globally. He saw the opportunity for restaurants to drive bums on seats and recognised that online bookings could make life easier – no more waiting on hold, unanswered calls or e-mails to get a restaurant booking confirmed. 

The goal at Dimmi is simple – make it easier for Aussies to eat out and inspire more memorable dining moments at the same time. Whether it’s a first date, a business deal, a family catch up or a 90th birthday, the moment is the real reason why we eat out. Dimmi facilitates these moments by connecting diners with the ‘right’ restaurants.

Acquired by TripAdvisor in May 2015, Dimmi partners with more than 3,000 of the country's hottest restaurants nationwide, and over 35 online booking partners including Qantas, Zomato (previously Urbanspoon), Google, TripAdvisor and Yelp to provide instant confirmed bookings and qualified dining reviews. Dimmi has seated more than fifteen million Australian diners at restaurants ranging from hatted fine dining establishments to more casual suburban eateries and has collated over 950,000 verified diner reviews since its inception in 2009.