About a month ago on November 25th, the first meeting for local Instagrammers was held in Morocco, uniting users of the free photo-sharing program and social network Instagram. This first instameet in Morocco and North Africa was organized by the Moroccan Instagrammers  Community and powered by the Social Media Club Casablanca, who are well-known for events like the Casablanca Social Media Day.

Over 100 participants gathered at the Fanajeen Coffee at Morocco Mall in Casablanca (which also sponsored the event) to meet in, well, real life. Eight speakers and local Instagram users were here to debate and talk about their Instagram usage, sharing advices and best practices. An “instawalk” was planned at the end of the meetup with a group of instagrammers in order to take pictures in the vicinity of the Morocco Mall. 

For me, it was a really nice casual opportunity to meet some local web entrepreneurs, social media enthusiasts, photographers, students, tech savvy people, and geeks! The Casablanca Instameet was also a great chance to connect with Yasser Monkachi, co-founder ot the Social Media Club Casablanca, and interview him about his visions of social media and entrepreuneurship in Morocco.

How did you come up with the idea to launch an Instameet?

Like the “Café 2.0”, and the “Ftour 2.0,” the idea of launching this meetup came naturally to us as a result of several discussions and interactions. The magic of networking is the fact that we can co-create and innovate all together. The idea of Instameet is the fruit of a collective intelligence.

What were the previous events organized by the Social Media Club Casablanca?

We’ve already organized some nice social media oriented events like:

• The "Mob à 50": the 1^st Foursquare swarm badge event in Morocco
• The "Café 2.0": a meetup about Web 2.0 and enterprise 2.0
• The "Ftour 2.0": a Ramadan iftar meetup for the Moroccan web community.

What events is the Social Media Club Casablanca planning next year?

In 2013, we plan to launch:

• A “Café 2.0” about Generation Y and Hyperconnectivity
• A meetup about the risks of hyperconnectivity, offering solutions and tips that help people and organizations tackle this issue. 

Entrepreneurship in Morocco

What is it like to be an entrepreneur in Morocco? Is it difficult?

As a former entrepreneur, I can confirm that being an entrepreneur in morocco is a very difficult endeavor. The Moroccan market is not very big and the competition is tough. But there is always a place for innovative projects.

Could you please share with us some advice for people who are willing to become entrepreneurs in Morocco or in MENA?

To succeed, entrepreneurs must have the 2 "Ps": Passion and Patience. They must choose a field that they love and be patient, have smart objectives and always be enthusiastic and positive. It’s not an easy attitude but entrepreneurs must give the example and energize their environment. They need to be optimistic even during the various crises occurring nowadays!

Are there any planned actions or events from the Social Media Days Casablanca that will empower entrepreneurship in Morocco?

We are now building a community that can understand and spread the principles of Social Media Club (Contribution, Openness, Golden rule, Ethics). We’ll see then the way that this community can inspire social entrepreneurship and media literacy among the youth and the people.

Evolution and perspective

Evolution of the Instameet: Do you have a roadmap? What are your future plans?

Now that the first Instameet was a clear success, the Social Media Club community as well as our partner Fanajeen and the Moroccan instagrammers will certainly need to meet again next season. The community will definitely find appropriate topics and interesting contents to share during the second edition.

What are your expectations and your dreams for the Instameet? For the Social Media Club Casablanca?

The next Instameet should be an outdoor event with a photo contest, a speed geeking and workshops around photography and everything related to the future of this art.

[VIDEO] Watch the Instameet Casablanca videoclip (source: Social Media Club Youtube channel)

[SLIDESHARE] Watch the Instameet Casablanca speakers’ presentation

More information about the Casablanca Instameet:

• Web: http://www.meetup.com/Instagram/ad-Dar-al-Bayda-MA/780592/
• Facebook: