Megha Agarwal from the Amrita School of Business became the only Indian delegate at a Market Research Conference held in Singapore earlier this year. The conference was organized by ESOMAR, the European Society for Market Research. The conference location was chosen as Singapore, because in the words of the organizers, “forecasters suggest that, within decades, Asia Pacific will be the world’s dominant economic force and biggest market.” According to Megha, more than 50% of the papers presented were about India.

“I felt proud and lucky to be an Indian,” shared Megha later. “The participants discussed how the Indian ecomony was growing faster than most other economies in the world. China was the next most discussed country. Topics dealt with attracting consumers and new marketing strageties that would be needed to reach out to the huge youth market in both countries. Internet was an important part of their lives and these new gen consumers were more tech-savvy.”

Professor Deepak Gupta, who teaches Marketing at the School of Business, helped Megha apply for participation in the conference, and mentored her throughout. Professor Gupta has taught courses in Principles of Marketing, Research Methods, and International Business to these students. He encourages students to participate in events such as these. “This was a great learning experience and has only further increased my passion for marketing,” Megha remarks. “I would like to thank Deepak Sir who actually made things happen.”

November 27, 2008
School of Business, Coimbatore