All aboard the NASSCOM Annual jamboree
Posted on the NASSCOM Emerge Blog http://indialeadershipforum.nasscom.in/blog/2009/02/all-
aboard-the-nasscom-annual-jamboree/
Peter Yorke
February 12, 2009
As I walked into the NASSCOM India Leadership Forum in Mumbai, I bumped into a smiling Sangeeta
Gupta – Vice President at NASSCOM and one of the longest serving members of this apex industry body.
Looks can be deceptive because under the cool exterior is palpable tension. The workshops have just
begun and the main event is about 90 minutes away. Not surprising for an event organizer considering
last minute apprehensions, demanding requests and so on. Everything that goes on behind the scenes
but not obvious to any delegate. It’s not easy when you are managing 1250 delegates and 50 staff –
most of them temporary and hired. Welcome to NILF which opened yesterday [February 11, 2009] once
again without a hitch.
For someone who has been associated with the industry for more than a decade and been to a
NASSCOM in the past – I remember the earlier ones in South Mumbai – all I can say is each one is better
than the other. The forum serves as an ideal platform for exchange. Exchange of ideas, exchange of
business cards, exchange of information. It’s an opportunity for an entrepreneur to directly ask a
question to the Chairman of Infosys. It’s also an ideal forum to meet almost anyone from the industry. If
you have an organized list, you can pretty much find the top 10 companies of the software industry by
just standing outside Ballroom I, II or III at the Hyatt.
It’s also a great place to learn about new developments. The session by Peter Coffee from
salesforce.com and Sharad Sharma of Yahoo R&D on Cloud Computing was especially enlightening.
Considering the fact that India has severe limitations in conference venues, NASSCOM does an excellent
job in shepherding the industry under one roof for three days every year at this time of the year.
About the author
Peter is founder and independent consultant at Yorke Communications Private Limited, an organization
that builds content as a platform for internal and external communications. Peter strongly believes that the
basis for generating leads, building market image or cementing relations with customers and employees
is through good and sustained content.
Cannot be reproduced without the express consent of the author: Peter Yorke
peter@yorkecommunications.com