IBAICM 2014 opened with the address of conference convenor, Yasmin Zafar who shed light on how the marketing environment is changing and how it is urging marketers to gear up for the new market demands. In his address, Dr Ishrat Husain, Dean & Director, IBA Karachi, advised marketers to "assess the impact of marketing on vulnerable consumers especially those at the bottom of the pyramid - a segment that may not have the means to fulfil their aspirational needs of brand consumption".
The conference featured keynote academic speakers, marketing experts and paper presenters from international as well as the local marketing field. Some notable international speakers who shared their research on the first day of the conference included Dr Hartmut Holzmuller, Chair of the Marketing Dept., Dortmund University and Dr Khurram Sharif, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Qatar.
A panel discussion on the topic of "Marketing to Millenials" was also a noteworthy session of Day 1 of IBAICM 2014. Panellists included renowned marketing experts such as Yasmin Hyder, Jamil Mughal, Taher A. Khan, Omar Abedin and Ms Arshy Ahmed. This session was moderated by Qashif Effendi, a well-known marketing and branding expert.
The second day of IBAICM 2014 proved to be another enriching day with paper presentations, panel discussion on "Marketing in Real Time" and keynote speakers. Panellists included Faisal Sherjan, Ejaz Aisi, Najwat Rehman, Muntazir Haider and Ms Salma Jafri. This discussion was moderated by Ms Samra Muslim, a freelance consultant for marketing and communications. Some notable speakers included Ms Roma Balwani, one of the top 100 global influential communicators, Dr Jawed Ghani from Karachi School of Business and Leadership, Aziz Jindani, Commercial Operations Leader at P&G Pakistan and Ms Maliha Subhani, Marketing Director of PepsiCo Pakistan.
With the advent of the digital platform and the emergence of a borderless world, Marketing practices are seeing a shift in paradigm. In this dynamic and challenging world of marketing, it is imperative that both current and future marketers equip themselves with latest knowledge about the markets they operate in. International conferences like IBAICM are an effort in this direction.-PR